100 days sober

Finally hit 100 days alcohol-free and wanted to share my reflections with this incredibly thoughtful and supportive community that has helped me get here.

I am a 30 some year old doctor and the cognitive dissonance of seeing the absolute worst that alcohol can do at work and then coming home to pour myself a drink was too much. I just felt more and more unhealthy and my body was so much less forgiving than it used to be. For me, a couple of bad binges to start the year put me in a position where I missed work and pretty much ruined the end of a wonderful vacation with my spouse. Reading this Naked Mind was truly life-changing for me and I always find myself having to remind myself about those false beliefs about alcohol whenever I feel a craving or that I am missing out. The things I am particularly surprised by and proud about are finding joy in non-alcoholic beers- they can certainly hit the spot but it is very hard to have more than 2 in a sitting. I also was able to have a trip with my brother, a birthday trip with my wife, a conference, and a wedding all alcohol free this Spring. I do worry about finding dependency in edibles- something that I have started to do more as of late. I believe in harm reduction, but I have an addictive personality and it is something I have to stay vigilant about. I also feel like the clarity I had in those first few weeks is a bit faded as summer approaches and I start to fantasize about the beer in the backyard, the brewery trips with friends, the beach, etc. Lastly, quitting alcohol has not been a health magic bullet. Those first 50 days, I devoured candy and carbs and now, I still maybe am like 5 lbs down.

Anyways, I just wanted to share my experience and say thank you to all of you for this incredible community. IWNDWYT