Dry January is Over

At the beginning of the month I decided that I wanted to quit drinking for good. I made it through January with no problem. My husband did it with me but he has no intent to quit drinking for good and is going out tonight. For the first time since I quit I feel really challenged. Not because I think I'm going to drink tonight or next week or a month from now, but because I'm worried I can only hold off the FOMO and the cravings for so long before I cave.

Every time I remind myself what alcohol does to my body I know in my bones that I can't go back to the way I was, and I don't want to. But I also feel like I'm mourning the life I used to have, because I really did have a lot of fun drinking with my husband over the last 25 years. We've been drinking buddies since the start of our relationship, over two decades ago. I also gained 120 lbs since high school and probably drank close to 80,000 beers and hundreds of bottles of whiskey (rough estimate). I know I need to get over this addiction. I thought I was free and clear but now I see that this is going to be a longer, more difficult process than I thought.

Tonight I'm going to cook a steak for myself, have 4 cans of sparkling water, and go to bed sober. Hopefully in 2-3 months I won't even think about drinking anymore.