Sober February: I did it!

I made it!! With the help of lots of mineral water, caffeine, ginger beer, and lemon, lime and bitters. (Though I found out on Friday that bitters is like 44% alcohol! I had three or four bitters a week, does that mean I have to start over? I mean, I thought it had traces of alcohol…)
These last two weeks have been up and down. Sometimes I’ve found it really hard going, and been dying for a drink. These times, surprisingly, have not really been when I’ve been out, but instead when I’ve been bored or stressed. So that’s interesting.
I’ve been sleeping for longer, and waking up feeling rested, which I’m loving. I haven’t experienced any of that ‘clear-headedness’ stuff, but I’ve been able to focus on my work for longer periods. (Or maybe I’ve just been busy.) My mood has been more even overall, but I’ve still felt stressed, anxious, sad, worried and the rest of it at times.Physical changes have been pretty negligible.
I’ve saved a lot of money! Hurrah! That’s a big motivator for me at the moment. I’ve just gotten myself out of debt and I’m now looking to start saving for some big things, so the not-drinking has been a good kickstart for those goals.
Overall, I’m glad I did Sober February. I’m proud that I actually made it the whole way through, and on a whole it wasn’t completely awful, though it wasn’t exactly fun either.
I want to carry my new good habits into March. I won’t stop drinking altogether but would still like to do much less of it, so hopefully now that I know I can stop, cutting down will be a breeze.
Also, it’s been interesting to take a break from something bad for me and see how I respond to that. I’m kinda toying with the idea of giving up something different for March… coffee or sugar springs to mind. The idea of giving up coffee gives me the heebie jeebies though! Perhaps that’s a clear sign I should do it, then?

Jenny (@jayjaycee1 )
8:49pm, 28 Feb 10
Well done Lisa! You sound like you are very proud of yourself, and so you should be. Tiggy and I are giving up stuff this month (March) – you’re welcome to join us!
Benjamin Solah
10:04pm, 28 Feb 10
If I gave up anything, it would have to be caffeine. Energy drinks are my biggest weakness.
Andrew F
10:56pm, 28 Feb 10
I gave up caffeine a few years ago. It was amazing. I had so much more energy, it was easier to get up in the mornings, and I was much less moody.
Of course, the process of giving it up took me to the other extreme first.
Johanna GGG
8:36am, 1 Mar 10
congratulations – hope you enjoy a nice drink today!
I am shocked at how much alcohol is in bitters – thought it was ok for people to drink while on their L plates and P Plates when driving – I love soda lime and bitters so maybe I drink more alcohol than I think
carla
9:48am, 1 Mar 10
congrats mate!
Danni
10:18am, 1 Mar 10
@Johanna. Given how much bitters you use, it’s amazingly diluted. I would estimate the total alcohol-by-volume to be around 0.2%
lisa
10:30am, 1 Mar 10
Thank you Danni!!
Gabrielle Bryden
10:36am, 1 Mar 10
Well done. I wouldn’t worry about the bitters (because it is the percentage of something that is such a small percentage of the total volume of drink). I find I sleep more soundly when don’t drink. I couldn’t give up coffee and it is not so bad for you as alcohol (in fact is good for some things like asthma and dementia) – depends of course on the quantity of caffeine you are getting (instant coffee has far less caffeine than the stuff you get at coffee shops).
Thuy Linh Nguyen
10:54am, 1 Mar 10
I found this awesome ginger cordial stuff which is a good replacement for alcohol (it has a nice kick to it). Not sure if it’s vegan though. I will have a look when I get home.
Thuy Linh Nguyen
1:06pm, 2 Mar 10
Rochester Ginger (Dickensian recipe with the kick of two very angry mules) – Water infusion of ginger, raisin, cowslip and elderflower with raw cane sugar, citric acid, caramel, preservative potassium sorbate…?
Vegan maybe?
Stu
3:33pm, 2 Mar 10
Hey, well done.
I thought about mentioning the bitters thing when you last posted about it, but didn’t want play the pesky pedant (I do that enough as it is)! But yeah, the overall alcohol content in a lemon, lime and bitters would be pretty negligible.
As you know, I’ve stopped drinking a few times (usually for a few months), and the only times I’ve found it hard were at social gatherings where most other people were drinking.
I found quitting caffeine much harder. Headaches and feeling listless were the main issues. But after a couple of weeks I wasn’t really thinking about it. I drank a lot of peppermint tea!
Quitting smoking is definitely the least fun though…
lisa
5:45pm, 2 Mar 10
Heh, Stu the amounts are so tiny I don’t really feel like I’ve cheated. That said, I prob would have avoided bitters if I’d known… oh well.
Think giving up coffee will be next for me… might need to wean myself off a bit first. Watch this space!
lisa
5:45pm, 2 Mar 10
Thuy Linh, sounds great! Does the caramel have a number next to it? Sometimes caramel isn’t vegan, I think…
Dave
11:34am, 3 Mar 10
Hmmm, this has got me thinking about giving up coffee for a month, especially Andrew F’s comment, since I’m sluggish in the mornings and then moody for most of the day after that.
I agree with Stu about the smoking. Since successfully giving up smoking 5 years ago, after my 87th attempt, I feel like I could give up almost anything I wanted to. Even coffee doesn’t scare me.
Lisa – so true about alcohol being expensive. Especially if you don’t drink any old rubbish but prefer your beer and wine to be half-decent. I hope you find a happy balance between enjoying your drinking and doing well in your saving