"Last call people!"

Saturday night I was hanging out with a few friends before the Steve Kimock show (outstanding thank you for asking!) I opted for orange juice while grabbing a bite instead of my usual drink (rum & coke tall, no lime). Afterward we were hanging out at Miguel's place and as the ever gracious host he asked if I wanted a drink. "Nah, I'm good thanks" I says without thinking about it. "So whats up with this?" he inquires as he pours himself a 7 & 7 "I havent seen you have a drink since Asheville." So I think about it. Yes, I believe he is correct. I haven't had an alcoholic beverage since December 29th. I remeber because I was tempted to chew on the ice that was in the Dark & Stormy but I had already been off ice for a few days. "I dunno, nothing's 'up', just don't feel like having a drink" Nothing more was said but his comment got me to thinking about my resolution and other things I could do to better myself. Now I'm not a big drinker by any stretch of the imagination. I rarely drink outside of social settings and when I do its even rarer that I would get myself to a condition where I shouldn't drive or try to get a frisbee out of a sewer. Yet I wondered... could I go an entire year without a drink? I'm sure I could if I really set my mind to it. So I'm going to undertake a little project. I'm going to refrain from drinking. I'm not going to say for 'a year' because I don't want to feel like I failed if I decide to have one after a few months. The goal rather is to simply observe how hard it would be for me to obstain. I think knowing the answer to that question is where some benefits from this might come in. Afterall, its very easy to say "I don't have a problem with (insert vice here)" and never really examine yourself to see for sure. Basically, if I end up saying "Wow, I really need a drink" in a few weeks, then that will be something for me to think about. If, on the other hand, It occures to me as I'm ringing in 2007 that I went the whole year without having even thought about alcohol then I can indeed confirm that drinking isn't an issue with me... at which point I'll get blitzed. Then perhaps, perhaps, I'll look into my other vices. At any rate, I'll keep you posted. p.s. 30 days no ice chewing and not nearly as hard as I thought.