Round 2: Let’s get ready to rumble!
15/03/12 • 3 Comments

The irony of all of this is that I rose to the challenge and agreed to do another HSM whilst under the influence As I’ve reflected on why I’m going to do this again, I’ve come to realise that Round 2 is inherently different. Last time, it was all about me and my own journey. There was a lot of unknowns. I was personally challenging my own ability to go against the tide and see what life would be like without alcohol for 3 months. Doesn’t sound like much, but the transformation I went through mentally, emotionally, physically and financially is something I still think about most days, some 10 months later. So this begs the question, why put myself through this again? What more could there be for me to learn? Well the answer to the second question is fairly easy: Who knows what I could learn second time [...]

I tag you in the name of Teetotalism
29/03/11 • 5 Comments

Personally, I’d much rather be known as a Nephalist. Or more accurately, perhaps one who is abstemious. Others seemingly categorise me as: ape, barmy, bats in the belfry, batty, berserk, bonkers, cracked, crazed, cuckoo, daft, delirious, demented, deranged, dingy, dippy, erratic, flaky, flipped, flipped out, freaked out, fruity, idiotic, insane, kooky, lunatic, mad, mad as a March hare, mad as a hatter, maniacal, mental, moonstruck, nuts, nutty, nutty as fruitcake, of unsound mind, out of one’s mind, out of one’s tree, out to lunch, potty, psycho, round the bend, schizo, screw loose, screwball, screwy, silly, unbalanced, unglued, unhinged, unzipped, wacky. Which ever way you put it, it seems as though everyone has something to say once you tell them that your not drinking. This week I thought I would share with you a couple of the interesting characters I’ve met and conversations I’ve had along the way. Welcome to day [...]

Alcohol is everywhere
15/03/11 • 6 Comments

Ok, I’ve going to be brutally honest here. I have to admit that I thought that this would be relatively breezey and that I’d get through my HSM none the wiser. After three months, I’d essentially one day go “oh it’s the 1st of June… maybe we should go for a pint to celebrate or something?” (cos that kind of seems like the sort of thing that you would do after not drinking for three months). This might seem weird, but since I started my HSM, I cannot help but be see reference after reference to alcohol almost everywhere. Take these examples (to highlight just a few): – Work meetings (at the pub, or a bar, or over food…) – On a plane (love ya Qantas) – Texting a friend only to find that your discussion quickly leads to ‘let’s catch up for a…. muffin??’ – Trip to Melbourne where [...]

And so it begins
02/03/11 • 1 Comment

Part of me wonders whether this transformation is less about an individual’s inner journey and perhaps more about an inner journey fueled by external influences.