I once heard that if you ever reach total enlightenment while drinking a beer, it will make beer shoot out your nose. This has instilled in me a great fear of over thinking while knocking back a brew or two. Seriously though, my extended period of abstinence has allowed my mind to operate much more clearly. I’m remembering things I haven’t remembered for years and I love it. My clear mind has also kept me occupied at work. A few times I feel like I’ve been on the brink of enlightenment only to realise that I’ve actually gone mental from thinking about absolutely everything in circles for hours. This is where the improved crainial activity can be a positive or a negative. Arguments with yourself aren’t fun.

I love that I am always in control. Now when I think of times when I’ve been absolutely out of my mind I am perplexed as to why I would do it to myself. Now that I’ve had a chance to look at drinking from a different perspective, I know that I never want to make myself as vulnerable as I have at times. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of vulnerability at times but I need to know where to draw the line.

I love being able to get in my car at any time of the day or night and drive without fear of being slightly over the limit. As a P-Plated driver, I am required to be 0.00% whenever in the car. Honestly, I know that I have driven in the morning after a big night and not been completely rid of alcohol. To be even more honest I can’t count how many times I would’ve done it but at times it’s hard to know what is hangover and what is lingering alcohol in my system. I’m pretty sure that confusion doesn’t fly with the boys in blue. As long as they don’t test for high blood/soda and lime readings I should be safe.

I like not feeling guilty about spending one hundred dollars in a single outing. Usually this is coupled with a splitting headache and a queasy stomach. I generally find that the queasier the stomach, the greater the damage to the wallet. A more solid bank account isn’t the most comforting thing about HSM but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

I’ve just begun reading…again. After not picking up a novel since I read the first Harry Potter in 2001 (school texts not included) I have decided to start reading books. A friend of mine who is very well read suggested to me a few months back that I have a go at Catcher In The Rye and after discovering it on the book shelf of my temporary residence in Victoria I picked it up and had a read. I’ve knocked that over, read another less historically important, yet very comforting book (West Coast by Kate Muir – I recommend it) and have now just begun Jack Kerouac’s On The Road. Someone suggest my next read.

I originally planned to go surfing everyday of my HSM but since beginning I’ve moved to a town less coastal than Alexandra Headland so I’ve been running evry now and then. I’m certainly no Steve Moneghetti but I’m not too bad and it makes me feel slightly healthy.

These are the things I love about HSM. Stay tuned for some things which I miss about the drink next time.

Since moving to Bendigo to fund my travels, I’ve had to start my record collection over again. It’s strangely satisfying starting again. Of course I will soon return to all my old cd’s but to have a new pile is very cool. My last purchase was Band of Horse’s debut album Everything All The Time. This is St Augustine. I love it too. (I’m sorry can’t find a video for it. I implore you to seek it out. It’s worth it)

See you next time

Jokes aside, it is quite a significant thing because for the 3 or so years that I’ve been going to music festivals, not once have I spent the day entirely sober. Sure, I’m not part of the usual festival brigade who spend the day in a drug and alcohol induced stupor but I still enjoy a little drink to help me slide on my dancing shoes. I’m sure it will be a little bit strange and a little bit awkward at first but I’m hoping I’ll be feeling good before the sun sets.

Or will it be the complete opposite and any attempt to sway my hips or move my arms will be scrutinised by hordes of festival goers. Luckily I’m in a town I’ve never been before and I don’t know anyone here so what’s the worst that could happen? We’ll find out I guess

One of the bands playing at this festival is Vampire Weekend. I’ve been listening to their album a fair bit lately and I’m a big fan. This song is Giving Up The Gun and it features cameos from Jake Gyllenhaal, RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, Lil Jon and one of the Jonas Brothers. Cool Song, cooler film clip.

And while I have a chance, Kele Okereke from Bloc Party is releasing a solo album later this year. He released this song during the week and I’m undecided. I think I like it but I also love Bloc Party and maybe he’s just scoring loyalty points from me. An unbiased ear might be hearing incredibly cheesy dance music.

See you on the other side

As you may already know, I’ve been madly saving money in order to spend to latter 6 months of the year in Europe. I realised a few weeks ago, that I could work casually and make enough to get myself over there where I’d then need to take up some more boring work OR I could work my lazy ass like it has never been worked before and do Europe in the lap of luxury (on a beach being served drinks and massaged by scantily clad European women I’d imagine).

Hmmm, I choose scantily clad Europeans. So I’m writing to you from Bendigo in Victoria where I’m working tirelessly on a gold mine as a Geology Assistant. That makes it sound interesting enough but in essence it’s just smashing rocks with a hammer.

And after a long day of working down in the pits, bleeding and drenched in sweat, covered in dirt there’d be nothing better than washing out my igneous rock stained lungs with a nice cold beer (and the best cold beer is Vic…who said that?) but I still refuse. I’m not sure if I’d feel the same had I not had the breakthrough I did in my final weekend on the Sunshine Coast.

In my final two days at home, I went to a small gig with a few mates and watched a bunch of local bands play and the next night I went to another mates birthday party followed by to inevitable jaunt to Mooloolaba. This was around the 4 week mark of my HSM and it was when I really feel like I came into my own. It became clearer than ever before that alcohol was never as important in the makeup of a fun night as I had once believed. I achieved everything I could have hoped to achieve had I been on the juice and it felt really good.

This week I bought the DVD/CD Under Great White Northern Lights the documentary of The White Stripes and their first tour of Canada. They’ve long been one of my favourite artists and watching and listening to it only increased my fantastical love affair with Jack White. In an interview on the DVD he said something which I found very relevant to myself and how I structure some of the things I do in my life. I’m unable to retrieve the exact quote due to my inept technological ability but basically he was talking about the beauty of spontaneity and how if you have a special memory or moment, no matter what lengths you go to, the chances of recreating the same moment or feeling, is zero. I have at times been guilty of trying to do this, when really the memory will only be as special as you remember if it’s left untouched.

One of the highlights of the documentary was the cover of Dolly Parton’s, Jolene.

If you get a chance to check it out, do it.

Til next time

The weekend posed no real threat to my abstinence. The few brush’s I did have with the devil’s mouthwash were minor affairs and certainly didn’t have me clutching for the bottle.

On Saturday night I hung out with a few mates before chauffeuring them to the nightspots in Mooloolaba. It was surprisingly enjoyable. I thought it’d just be me watching a few drunks make bad jokes whilst having beer spilt on me but it was just like hanging out as usual. We sat around just listening to music, talking crap and throwing insults at one another. Hope still remains for Sober Gabe!

I really do believe that my Hello Sunday Morning journey is going to be an easy task. It seems that there is more to get out of abstaining from drinking than there is to be lost and that is an exciting thought. It’ll mean some big changes but mostly good changes and who doesn’t like change anyway? No one. That’s who!

On an unrelated note, I’m currently scouring the internet for the cheapest flight for my European adventure.

The goal:

• Earn/save $10 000 (already saved $2 500)
• Spend 6 months in the UK/Europe
• Consolidate my Italian language skills
• Go to Reading Festival (huge music festival held annually for the last 30/40 years)
• Go to Oktoberfest in Germany and La Tomatina in Spain
• Spend time in a Kibbutz in Israel (technically not Europe but this is my goal…I make the rules)

If anyone has any tips or must-do’s please share.

Peace my sober friends

Gabe

This week I was listening to Everything To Nothing by Manchester Orchestra, one of my favourite albums of 2009

My name is Gabe, first time caller, long time listener and I am about to begin my HSM journey. I’m 18 years old, a University Student, music fanatic (bordering psychotic) and a social drinker.

I’ve been drinking for a few years now and I’m curious to see things from the other side. Almost all my family and friends are quite partial to the occasional drink so I had a comfortable introduction to drinking.

The first time I had a good crack at the drink (excluding the thrill of a .089mL sip of Dad’s mid strength beer) was in a Pub in Italy. I was 15 and a bit years old and on a school trip through the country (Before anyone asks, the school teachers on the trip did not solicit this chapter of the trip, though it would’ve been memorable if I had in fact been doing keg stands with my personal development teacher). Me and a friend sampled a number of cocktails on the menu and blissfully sang and danced our way home.

For me it was a very strange but exciting feeling and experience. Personally, I have found that in most of the drinking experiences which have followed I have tried to recapture this or a similar feeling and to no avail.

I will be off the booze for the next three months and will use this time to save money, hopefully become a more healthy person and gain some perspective on the role that drinking plays in my life and those around me. I am planning to go to the UK/Europe for 6 months in June, so taking the HSM journey will help me in saving for that trip.

I would imagine the main challenges of undertaking the HSM journey will be giving up the time spent with my friends out at pubs/clubs and avoiding 3am phone requests for taxi services.

If anyone has ANYTHING they want to ask/share with me please don’t hesitate.

Bottoms up

Gabe

PS: Whenever I post something here I will most likely be listening to some type of music. I’ll note the album/artist at the bottom of each post so that if you want to remind me how crap my music taste is or talk anything about music you can. This post’s soundtrack was the seminal punk album London Calling by The Clash.