30-Day Sobriety Solution Journal: Day 9

I sadly feel very unaccomplished for the day. I cannot even believe that it is after 5:30 pm! I have actually accomplished almost all of what was on my things to do list, but I guess I thought I would get them all done much sooner and have many hours to relax and do what I want to do today. Not so much. But the good news is I will not be staying up until 3 or 4 AM to finish my action steps today! Woo hoo! So let's get cracking!

Action Step #1: My top 3 worries related to problem drinking, what I have done in this program to date, and what I will do over the remaining days of this program, to address them:

1. I worry about how drinking is affecting my health. Since starting the program, I haven't had to worry about this because I haven't been drinking, and my sleep has, in fact, already gotten better. Continuing to abstain or cut back on my drinking as I go along in this program will address this worry.
2. I worry that I won't be "cool" anymore, I won't be fun anymore,  I will be the person that everyone says "I don't trust anyone who doesn't drink" about, and I will never find a life partner. Okay, maybe that's a lot of things all together! But the first directly relate to why I think I will never get a partner. I have tried to remind myself that it doesn't matter what everyone thinks. I'm making an attempt to connect to other people who don't drink, virtually and in person, and reminding myself that I don't think they are not cool or not fun. I also have to remind myself that I am making all-or-nothing statements in thinking that everyone will not think I'm cool and think I'm no fun, everyone will make that statement about me, and that every single person is looking for a girl who parties every weekend. In fact, I bet there are people who have seen me drunk who think I am not cool and/or not fun, and I just don't know about it! I just have to keep saying those things to myself as I go through the program and work on surrounding myself with people who don't equate the fun in their lives to the amount of alcohol they consume!
3. I worry that I will be too shy and anxious to do anything socially, and I will not meet new people. Although I do have shy and introverted tendencies, I have to remind myself that I do interact with other humans sober on the daily, like when I am at the grocery store or work, so I am perfectly capable of talking to strangers without alcohol! I also made myself attend two social events in which I didn't know anyone last weekend to prove to myself that I can do new things with alcohol. Sure, I felt anxiety leading up to the events, and those first few minutes of locating the place, finding the people, and feeling foolish asking the wrong people sucked, but after about 5-10 minutes, I was fine. I also have to remind myself that I was even still nervous when I did have a few drinks before going out, so what's the point?

Action Step #2: My "tiny habit" of linking my 30-Day Vision Statement to an existing routine:

As in the example in the book, I am going to link saying my memorized 30-Day Vision Statement from Day 2, out loud when possible, every time I use the restroom. This is mostly because it said to pick something that I do at least 5 times a day! I couldn't think of anything else! I'm not even sure I do go to the restroom that many times a day! I guess we will find out. Strange how I had to go to the bathroom when I finished reading the chapter. So, I have officially taken the first step toward making this a mini-habit! :)

Until tomorrow...
Aspiring Reformed Party Girl