Your Time is Precious So Stop Giving It To Alcohol.

Something I feel like doesn't get talked about enough is the amount of TIME that we waste as alcohol abusers.

I drank heavily for a period of about ten years.  I am now going towards 2.5 years sober and I've been loudly spreading the news far and wide that sobriety is an amazing gift and trying to help people start or stick with their journey when they come to the decision that alcohol doesn't deserve a place in their life anymore. 

I am also a former smoker  - and if you've ever quit smoking, you've probably felt the "free time phenomenon". It's like all of a sudden you actually notice all the time you spent smoking and like you have all this extra time now. Smoking, however, is allowed in the car while you're driving down the highway and in public places long as you abide by the rules - so I don't think it takes up as much space in your mind because you don't have to "figure out" anything you just go outside and do it and grab a pack when you get gas.  You don't have to go to a special store to get your smokes.

But have you ever really considered all the TIME that alcohol gets to take up?

Let's take one scenario - you're invited to a BYOB party.

You spend time thinking about what you will want to drink that night.

("Beer, wine, 4Loko *yikes*, White Claws, liquor? Little bit of everything?")

You spend time thinking about when you'll stop to get whatever you're gonna drink.

("I'll swing back through later because I can't take the kids with me to the liquor store.")

You spend time deciding how much money to spend on alcohol.

("Last week that bar tab was ridiculous I gotta NOT do that this week.")

You spend time thinking about how much you plan to drink. 

(You won't stick to this probably btw. You know it. I know it.)

You spend time thinking about who can drink as much as they want and who can't because they are driving. Should you find a DD? Get an Uber? Spend the night?

You spend time actually drinking.

You spend time thinking about how many drinks you're having WHILE you drink.

("Should I have ONE more? It's still early.")

You spend time thinking about whether you're sober enough to drive.

("ZYXWVUT.....   I can still walk a perfectly straight line.")

You spend time thinking about how many hours of sleep you have before work tomorrow if you go home right now.

("If I get home by 1, I'll still get 5 hours. That should be finnne!")

You spend extra time visiting the bathroom for one reason or another - you're either peeing a lot or you overdid and you're sleepin' in there on the floor sometimes.

You spend a lot of time feeling like crap the entire next day.

You spend a lot of time regretting all this time that you're giving to alcohol and negotiating the moderation of your drinking.

("This week I'm not having ANY til Saturday night! And I'm STICKING to beer.")  

I'm not gonna lie - when I quit drinking it took some adjusting to all the down time.  Like, there is a lot of time where you feel, well, bored (and cranky).  But, with time - you'll start actually enjoying things again.  

Your mind will wake up instead of being numb and you'll start being creative again.  You'll think about things you can build, or ways to make money, or adventures you could go on, or pictures to paint.  You will feel RESTED when you wake up in the morning instead of that CONSTANT cycle of trying to balance inadequate sleep with hangovers and partying.  (Oh, you can't sleep unless you drink? Guess what - that's a post for another day - but alcohol WRECKS your sleep.  FACTS.)

I know it gets said over and over but LIFE IS SO SHORT.  Like, if you are around my age (I'm headed towards 40 😮) - how many GOOD summers where we can still get around good and have no major health problems do you think we have left -- even if we live to be 100?  

I don't mean it to be depressing - and I try not to think about it TOO much myself because the more you do the sadder it seems, but it's FACTS.  Nobody is living forever.

You are SPENDING your minutes each day out of a limited total number you get and even worse you are ROBBING your own account by ingesting a drug that will likely only STEAL more of those minutes in the end as a result.    

Spend wisely.  

Don't waste too many of your minutes wasted.

Sincerely,

K.

P.S.  I have people in my life that I love dearly that are heavy drinkers.  Please don't think that my posts are meant to call you out, nor do I think I am better than you because I don't drink. 

There are people that are perfectly happy with their drinking habits and don't plan to quit or feel they need to and that's fine.  My posts aren't for you.  My posts are for those that are dying inside from the stupid choices they've made or drinking to escape the things that have happened that alcohol will NEVER
be able to numb enough. They are to try and help you see alcohol for what it is and help you if you're considering a sober life.  If it FEELS like I'm writing these posts specifically for YOU it's because you're already feeling some kind of way about your relationship with alcohol. If you want to stop, you can stop.  It is worth it and YOU are worth it. <3