For the second year in a row, I had a dry January. No alcohol. As much as I enjoy having a bourbon or an occasional glass of wine, I find it reassuring that giving up alcohol for a month is easy. Part of it is mind over matter, just convincing myself that having a drink is just not something I do, at least not for the month of January. The other part of it is that I really like the way I feel when I'm not drinking alcohol.
I say both of those things as someone who probably has not been intoxicated in over a year. At best, I'm a one, occasionally two drink guy. Still, the recent science has moved away from the idea that a glass of red wine is good for your heart or that drinking alcohol, in moderation, does not adversely affect one's health. Rather, everything I read now seems to indicate that drinking any alcohol is bad for you. At 59 years of age, that might be true.
I do know that I eat better, more healthy, if I'm not drinking alcohol. For me, anyway, it's much easier to make a poor food choice if I've had a bourbon or two. Chips, pretzels, etc. That's the way it works for me, anyway.
The other side of the coin, though, is that after a nice win in Court yesterday and a long afternoon working with a client to try to settle a case, it was very nice to have a bourbon with two of our attorneys before I left the office. It's nice to slow down and sit, just for a few minutes, at the end of a busy day and talk to people I work with every day. To laugh. Joke. To simply hang out a bit before making the 30 minute drive home. For sure, it's a bit of a stress reliever, particularly when a bourbon also involved good company.
Nonetheless, I think I'm going to listen to the science and cut back one alcohol in 2026. Why not?
In February, no sweets, chips, or crackers. Also, I'm keeping a gratitude journal and once a day, I'm writing a sentence about something for which I am thankful. I think it will center me to get into the mindset of thinking about what I am thankful for. I hope so, anyway.
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