On six months of sobriety and nutritional awareness 6

2011 to 2012

On April 19th, 2012, I stopped drinking. I also began paying attention to my health in other ways. The urge to change came with a debilitating four-day downtime, in which I was hardly able to walk, had lots of time to think and process my life as it was, and decided that I was going to either change or die.

Today, exactly six months later, I’ve learned a lot. Here are some of the things that I’ve learned.

1. A clear mind is better than a clouded mind. Absent of alcohol, I am provided the ability to process situations, needs, and priorities more clearly. I was essentially using alcohol as a way to escape the realities of guilt, shame and failure, while also ignoring all the potential joy, sensation, and life of reality. For me, getting past the guilt, and engaging life, was easier while clear-minded. People treat and respect you differently when you are sober.
2. Life is easier when you are fit. To date, I have lost over 80 pounds. I am within 10 pounds of my final goal weight. I am within 2 percentage points of my target body fat percentage. I lost the weight by recording and knowing what I eat (about 1500 calories a day), and exercising lightly (10,000 steps a day) every day. I expect to reach my goal in November. People treat and respect you differently when you are fit.
3. Happiness is a matter of a lack of want and expectations. It is important for me to remember that when I do not have expectations or wants about outcomes from situations, people, or things, I can’t possibly be disappointed. When I expect or want, I often have a result of disappointment, and disappointment is specifically not happiness. People treat and respect you differently when you are happy.
4. The most important thing in life are people. Interacting with, helping, and sharing the joy of life with people is everything.

So, I just wanted to leave this note to say thank you to all the wonderful people who have helped me to celebrate these last six months, and that it has been a genuinely great start to the rest of my life, whatever that may bring.

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