My six months of sobriety technically ended last Wednesday but I’m in what I’m referring to as “penalty time”. And like penalty time in a soccer match, the imminence of the end makes the next week just feel like a long Friday. Or that part of summer camp where all the kids are getting picked up but you’re one of the last few to leave.
I intended to add additional weight-reducing and (hopefully) happiness-increasing behaviors throughout the six months but failed at every other attempt. I blame the amount of will power it has taken to not drink. I’m hoping that the lack of cellular interest will result in a dramatic decrease in alcoholic intake compared to where I left off six months ago. Even if only to keep these extra ten pounds I lost off! I’m hoping that allowing myself the freedom to drink will allow for some will power to be spread across other beneficial behaviors.
Those behaviors include meditation, sleep improvement, core strength conditioning, diet improvement. We’ll see what I can do. I’ve been incredibly busy lately. Work isn’t overwhelming but it certainly requires some extended hours. And Lucy’s at a perfect age that I don’t want to miss a blink of. Between those two factors and normal “life” stuff, I barely have time to ride just a few hours a week, and my weight has been creeping back up despite the alcohol-free lifestyle. None of those three can be changed, really, so I do what I can.
One thing I did notice during this time was the experience of very lucid happiness. I mentioned before that not blocking my anti-depressants was one of my motivations and sure enough, it seemed to work. For sure, I want to be careful to not indulge enough to counteract the progress I’ve made in that area. I’m on a path to get off the medications, which of course I would like to do.