2 Long Years!!!

It was a warm, clear night and all I was thinking about was having a good time with my family.  We would all meet up for my cousins 25th birthday party at Lucky Strikes (1/3 Bar, 1/3 Restaurant, 1/3 Bowling Alley, 3/3 Awesomeness) in the Palisades Mall.  Good times and lots of drinks were had.  The night was Saturday, May 12, 2007, the last day I consumed a drop of alcohol.

That night, I can't tell you how many Blue Moons I had drank.  All I know is a few weeks after the party my uncle said to me, " I told the waitress we didn't order these (Blue Moons) and she said we did, specifically you and Bill.  And then I look at the number of Blue Moons and there was 17 of them GOD DAMN THINGS!!"  At first I felt really bad but then become funnier the more we talked about it.  Sorry Uncle Frank.

When most people quit drinking, it might be because of something that happened.  Maybe they drank too much and received alcohol poisoning or drank themselves into a chapel where the got married to their best friend by Elvis.  Thinking of the alternative, I am lucky that I stopped drinking on a good note.

I don't know how many people read my blog and of them, I don't know how many know why I really don't drink.  One of the reasons I stopped was because I found myself drinking too often.  I use to have a mini-fridge in my room that I stocked up with beers.  With a fully loaded fridge, I would have a beer whenever I wanted.  During the summer time when it's nice and hot, this is a normal thing to do.  But I would have them on nights when I didn't need them.  And this is all along with all the drinking my friends and I did at the bar.  Plain and simple, I just didn't want to be "that guy".

Another reason I stopped drinking was for some health reasons.  I don't want to get into a full medical history of myself, but I was doing all four of the main things that cause Acid Reflux Disease, including drinking alcohol.  Anyone who has or had acid reflux knows it sucks so preventing it was something I really wanted to do.  So at this point in my life, I felt like my alcohol consumption was more then a personal problem, but a health problem too.

I think in the first year, I did not miss drinking at all.  You get the cravings every once in a while but nothing like my second year.  This past year has really been a struggle.  I find myself wanting a cold beer or a nice glass of wine after work all the time.  And I have to say, there were times when I came close to having one.  I never had a beer in my hand, ready to chug, so it wasn't that close, but some serious consideration was had before I said no.

I hope by reading this post that my friends realize that it is nothing personal if I decide not to join you guys at the bar.  Sometimes it makes it harder for me if I am in that kind of setting to stay true.  However, the last thing I want is for them to change their plans to suit me.  I don't want that and I don't think they would either lol.  There are plenty of other things we do together that is in a more Festy Friendly environment. 

This post is not to show off what I've done.  I don't like to point myself out and say "Look what I did!!!!".  But what I accomplished today is something that I am very proud of and I wanted to share it with all my faithful blog readers.  Thank you all for your continued support during my journey.

In Festy We Trust