This will be a short post, but I wanted to document such an amazing day in the story of my life.

There’s something so energizing about saying it out loud, “I have not had one drop of booze for 190 days!” The very words make me want to run circles of joy around my home. This milestone is a big deal for me as I was part of an active drinking culture for many, many years.

I constantly (and I mean constantly) get asked why I’m doing this 365-day break from alcohol. Seriously, most people in my world think I’m a nut ball.

Why am I going against the grain of a pro-booze culture?

Other than the fact that alcohol is one of the top five or ten addictive substances on the planet (depending on the source)…and other than the fact that dangerous alcohol consumption kills one person every 10 seconds (according to the World Health Organization)..and other than the fact that in 2010, alcohol misuse cost the United States $249 billion (according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine)–my “Why?” for taking a break from the sauce for a full year is because:

I want to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be. It’s that simple!

So far, my no-booze experiment is yielding positively positive results:

• I am sleeping better.
• I’m happier all around.
• I am able to better handle unexpected stressors.
• I am tons more productive in my work and personal life.
• I am meeting amazing people who are also embracing the reality that one does not need alcohol to have a good (very good) life.
• I am taking control of my sneaky and sometimes self-sabotaging brain (this is a toughie, but I’m making progress).
• I feel more fully present in my daily interactions with other people and experiences that come my way.
• I’m definitely much more clear-headed.
• I am learning so much about myself, my inner ability to let loose of bad behaviors and how to ramp up the good things that I do (be doo be doo be doo!).

So that’s my Day 190 report.

Cheers and love,

Kathleen