The Beginning...

This blog... this is the beginning of something new, but it's certainly not the beginning (or the end, for that matter!) of my story. Maybe you are curious as to how I got here... aspiring to be a reformed party girl.

Here's the short version. I'm in my early 40's. I've been drinking in varying amounts for over 20 years. I have dealt with anxiety all my life, and I have had some bouts of major depression in my 30's. This year, I started having debilitating sleep issues that may or may not be related to my use of alcohol. I decided that the only way I would know is if I cut out alcohol for a while. So I did. That was 21 days ago.

Is my sleep better? Yes. But my sleep issues are not entirely gone. Does that mean I'm quitting forever? I don't know. Right now, I say no. But this has given me the opportunity to give myself a good, long(ish), open-minded break from booze, allowing me to examine my relationship with alcohol.

I will say that I am also in the process of trying to lose weight and get healthier since May 1st, so I have changed my eating habits, and I aim to walk at least 6 days a week. During those walks, I decided to start listening to audiobooks on the subject of cutting back or quitting, so I began with This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol: Find Freedom, Rediscover Happiness & Change Your Life. I decided to also mix in biographies and memoirs of those who have suffered the grip of alcohol dependence, so I listened to Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, and I am currently listening to Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget. I then stumbled upon an eBook I could checkout through my library called The 30-Day Sobriety Solution: How to Cut Back or Quit Drinking in the Privacy of Your Own Home, and I just got to Day 1 today.

Part of this program is journaling. So, I figure documenting it... putting it out there in this blog will be an honest way for me to confront what I am thinking, doing, and learning through this process. And maybe along the way, someone will read it and it might help them to not feel so alone or maybe they will have a life epiphany. At the very least, maybe just one person will find it interesting, or dare I say entertaining? haha

So I have a place to start. I'm starting with Day 1. Let's see if we can get to Day 30, shall we?