30 DAYS A/F

Have you ever asked yourself if you drink too much ... if you might have a drinking problem?

I believe that if you are spending a lot of time thinking about your drinking habits, then, for you, it's a problem.  The quantity, quality and frequency of our alcohol intake varies from person to person. The question is "Are you comfortable with your relationship with alcohol?"

I am proposing a thirty day guided self examination to discover exactly what our relationship is with this suave, persuasive substance called alcohol; otherwise known as wine, booze, beer, tipple and an assortment of other names.  We will abstain from drinking for this period to help us determine the correlation between our quality of life with and without our drink of choice.

For some of us, myself included, it won't be our first 'kick at the can'.  We've attempted abstinence before but never really succeeded in accumulating a significant number of alcohol free days. Personally, I have amassed over 140 days in a row and feel I know what worked and what didn't.  I will share any wisdom I've gathered with you.

I am providing daily inspirational quotes, time tested tips and tools to fight cravings, a check off list of Essential Practices to increase our chance at succeeding and a forum for open discussion through the 'comments' module.  I will also match you up with a 'buddy' to help you achieve your thirty days of booze free living.

Whether the date of my Day One matches yours does not matter.  I suggest you begin reading at Day One and go through until you have achieved 30 days in a row without booze.  From there we can continue the discussion by drawing intelligent conclusions about booze's hold on us and decide whether we want to continue our abstinence.  We may decide to simply change or continue our personal patterns of intake.

I don't consider myself an expert on successfully becoming sober but that's not why we are here.  We are here to determine whether we wish to change our relationship with alcohol or not.

For one month, let's dare to rock society's notions of how to enjoy a night on the town!!  Dance the night away with lots of hydrating water!  Enjoy a delicious meal without the standard glass of wine! Root for your team with a can of soda!  Watch TV with a cuppa tea.

When you envision abstinence do you feel afraid, nervous or apprehensive?

The answer to this question is your first clue.