category: health
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health: Sep-23-2007
My Detox Count Up
Breaking the booze, butts and bad food cycle
You may have noticed the 'count up' at the top of my site (which started running as of 12:00 AM on September 19, 2007). And you may have wondered, "What's this?" Simply put, it's counting up from my last drink. Or rather the first day following my last drink. The time had come for me to take all of that talk I've been doing lately about getting healthy to a serious level. This began with me trying to quit smoking and joking to friends, "I think I need a bigger wagon because I keep falling off the one I've got."
That joke was hiding a reality that was starting to really scare the hell outta me that went beyond cigarettes. The fact is I can't just cut back on my vices. This is because I don't ever really need to worry about getting behind the wheel to get home. So when I'm out, having just a drink or two is not even a thought in my head. I don't get so out of control that I get into fights or hit by cars or arrested, but perhaps it’s worse that I can simply drink and drink until I go home.
At least if I were to have something stop me, I’d do it less. Since I don’t, it’s something that has been eating away at my health. I is the gateway to a cycle that goes booze to butts to bad food. If I drink I will smoke. Smoking has been a bitch of a monkey on my back since I was a teenager. It’s often hard to resist the pull of nicotine but with my better judgment impaired, the smoke fills my lungs more freely.
Drinking and smoking makes me hungry. Not wanting to—or not being able to—find healthy eating options while stumbling around in the night makes for bad choices. So it’s gonna be a hamburger or bad deli sandwich or whatever I can scrounge out of my cupboard washed down with a bottle of some sugar filled, teeth and gut rotting soda. And with all of this comes my expanding gut and declining health.
Aside from the health issues, I’ve made several poor decisions in both personal and business situations as well. Forget the personal stuff. I can honestly say that bad choices will be made sober or not. It’s just my unfortunate nature. But when that starts to be reflected in business situations, then I’m in trouble. I’ve avoided gigs or chosen to go to one event vs. another based on the availability of booze instead of weighing the career benefits.
And from all of that comes my Detox Count Up. I used to call this my Sobriety Challenge, but that is too leaves a too limited description. This time around I really need to cleanse my body, mind and soul. Yes being sober is a big part of that process, but by no means the only one. To break my cycle, I have to learn to curb a great deal of bad habits. And since I don’t know how long that will take, I’ve created this Count Up.
In the past I would say, “thirty days,” or “two weeks,” or whatever. While I have put a minimum in my head of four weeks, this time around I’m saying, “Let me just do this and see how far I can take it.” I’ll be posting things from time to time since I do expect some amusing stories to arise. I’ll also not be avoiding happy hours or parties as I've done in the past. After all, I can’t really challenge myself by hiding in my apartment.
So now I have a bigger wagon. Wish me luck!
category: health | link: My Detox Count Up
Comments
2 comments for "My Detox Count Up"
September 26th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Good Luck Pansy.
That's right you're less of a man now that you don't drink!
I should know. I drink.
September 26th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Who needs luck with encouragement like that? BTW - Good Luck Pansy … great name for a band!! I should know, I'm in two fake bands now! :0p