Detox Month Is Nigh

I've decided, once and for all, now that the festive season is over, that I'm not going to drink any alcohol for a whole month (4 weeks) - not even a single bottle of beer, glass of wine etc. None. Over the past couple of months I've consumed a significant quantity of alcohol and as a result my head's a bit up my arse! I'm fed up with this - why can't I go a single weekend without touching a drop of the demon drink?

The problem lies not in my desire to drink regularly but something to do with our annoying binge-drinking culture which states that "to have a good time on a night out you must get drunk" - sad really. Personally I don't really want to get drunk every weekend, but it's just that when I go out with friends they're all drinking and I feel inclined to also so as I don't feel left out (and there's nothing worse than being sober in the company of drunken people). Consider I've been doing this habitually almost every weekend for the past 10 years and you can see why my body needs a rest! How many braincells exactly have I frazzled due to drink? It doesn't bear thinking about. Oh, and there's the hangovers - nasty. Oh and the vast amounts of money spent on achieving inebriation on a night out. Bleh.

Since I moved into my flat, I started drinking a bit more than usual, due to the various social events which cropped up frequently. Then I started work, and as well as the odd few pints during the week, there's been the obligatory trip to the pub with workmates on Friday afternoon (and lunchtime!) . There was also the flat party. And my cousins'/sisters' nite out. And Xmas. Oh, and New Year. Not to mention several other occasions on which I got pissed. If I was to chart them, I'd probably get a shock!

So what's prompted this? Self awareness, obviously, but the main factor has probably been the feelings of tension and unease which I periodically undergo around Monday and Tuesday (sometimes other days too) every week. Initially I blamed this on bad sleep pattern but now I know it can't be - so I now blame it on side effects of alcohol. This would figure because usually if I cross an approximate 4-day threshold without having a drink, the tension eases and gradually disappears.

As I'm not going to touch a drop for the next 4 weeks, I may be going out less at weekends. I could still go out (e.g. to the pub) but would have to drink only soft drinks - I find it too hard to have only 1 or 2 drinks, as after a couple, I no longer care about moderation and end up getting drunk - it's just the same old same old - I never seem to learn. I'm intent on purchasing a couple of new guitars (electric and acoustic) and an amp, and doing some songwriting/recording, and I've taken up reading more, so there's plenty for me to do. The hard part will be either staying in when friends are out or simply sticking to soft drinks while everyone else drinks alcohol. What the hell, though, it's only a month - can't be that hard to do!

So watch this space as my health (hopefully) improves dramatically but my social life deteriorates.

Wish me luck, readers - I'm utterly determined.