Week 1 is in the books and it was actually easier than I thought it would be! I did have a few weak moments, particularly at the end of a few stressful days when I normally would crack one open. But I found other things to do and actually I don’t miss alcohol at all. I will say that I have yet to be really tested because I haven’t been in any social situations where alcohol is present since I started. This weekend I am going to Springfield to visit my younger brother, Ben, who is in town for the weekend and we typically do go out one night for drinks when he is in town, but this isn’t going to be a high pressure situation or anything, so I’m confident the first 10 days will go by without a hitch.
I find that I am very at peace with my decision to stop drinking and that I don’t see that the quality of my life will decrease at all. I do think that I will have a few friends drift away since we historically have been drinking whenever we hung out for roughly the past 10 years. And I also will miss going to certain events, like house parties, Oktoberfest (which is huge in Cincinnati), SantaCon (also big here), and things like that. I will still go to some house parties but I will be much more choosy about which invites gain my attention and which aren’t important. Wedding invite from a long-time friend? Of course I’ll be there! Beer olympics with the regular crew? I’ll sit this one out.
They say that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, and so the 5 people I spend the most time with from here on out will be the people whose life approximates the life that I want to build for myself. Thinking in the long term is a high indicator of future wealth and success, and so every major decision I make, I think about how this will shape my life at 35 (I’m currently 27). That is probably too short term still but I need a goal that I can see and have some idea of what it looks like, and anything past 35 I have no idea what will happen yet. But at 35, I strive to be (1) a DPT grad, (2) have the house paid off, (3) have student loans paid off (so totally debt free!), (4) have a net worth of $500,000, (5) be married to or dating a high quality woman that truly makes my life better, and have the time to cultivate my family and positive social relationships, (6) in killer physical shape (my disciplines of choice are BJJ, yoga, and running), and (7) have several hobbies and personal projects that I spend my free time on that are positive.
Drinking will not prevent me from completing a DPT program, but if I continue, it will be hell on my long term financial and physical fitness goals. In addition, in the past I have failed to build strong relationships (both socially and romantically) when the opportunities have presented themselves because I was more preoccupied with getting drunk and having a good time than in meeting people and actually getting to know them past a surface-level acquaintance, and I’m sure their opinions of me have been defined by those interactions. And finally, drinking has taken up far too much of my free time that should be spent pursuing hobbies and interests.
In closing, I’m stoked about having week 1 in the books and looking forward to pushing forward! This week I plan on doing a lot of BJJ, submitting my PTCAS application, working a lottt, and possibly getting a Friday night job.
Iron Sharpens Iron 