16th Jan - Giving Up Alcohol


"Eurghkk... I'm never drinking again". We've all said it, and we've rarely meant it (in the long-term, at least). That familiar woe when the hangover kicks in can prompt even the most ardent of alcoholics to consider a change, but as you grow older, you realise - perhaps, most importantly - how, most dangerously of all, the special sauce can inhibit your productivity. Within my own lifestyle, I've given up alcohol on a number of occasions. Not through some kind of dependance on it... I'm far from 'a drinker,' and can count the occasions upon which I've been 'drunk' on one-hand over the past year or two. Even when most started to turn to the bottle during the beginning of the pandemic, my evening boredom was always subsidised by jam & peanut butter toasties, rather than beers or vodkas. 

I'd originally given up alcohol for a large stint around 2017/18 when training for 'Tough Mudder'. For those unfamiliar with the name, the brand has grown exponentially over the past decade, with the popular endurance event putting fitness freaks through their paces across a gruelling 12-mile assault course, navigating obstacles involving climbing, swimming, lifting, and much more. I, however, am very far from being a 'fitness freak', and so knew I needed to up my game to succeed. Alongside raising £1.5k for Cancer Research, I made a series of lifestyle changes which would allow me to become more motivated, something which I was in huge need of, as I was also working 80-hour weeks at this point across two jobs. A hectic time in my life, to say the least.




Today, on 'day two' of this specific hangover, ('they get worse as you get older' is no myth!), I'm still battling the somewhat constant pendulum of nausea vs faecal discharge, caught in a paradox of starvation vs bizarre cravings. Yesterday's diet consisted of a Solero and Rolo yoghurt, whilst today, I've just about mustered up the energy to crack open a small pack of 'foam bananas' for brunch. But above all, I've had to face the extreme fear of browsing through any drunken messages sent on Friday night, and my productivity has nose-dived and crashed through the basement. In regards to the former, alcohol clearly transforms me into some kind of 'Mr. Motivator' figure, as I spent much of the evening sending inspirational voice-notes to my boss, and emailed a client a thank-you note for a guest-listing request by referring to his actioning as a 'sexy beast'. Cringe level 3000. 

On the latter, I've exhibited a psychopathic level of drive and determination during 2022 to date, wishing to achieve a number of accolades, and getting there by breaking my days down into work-led bite-size pieces. Yesterday, the completion of said tasks was ditched in favour of festering in my own squalor, and so here I am today, attempting to squeeze a double-day of action into a single 24-hour period. Stressful? Yes. All my own doing? Absolutely. This is the biggest cause of my frustration, because I can accept every headache or dry mouth, but the guilt of procrastination is overbearing, and only enhancing the nausea. If you truly want to smash 2022, and achieve every goal put in front of you, I'll leave you with a singlet of advice... 





... Being productive 365 days per year, starts... With giving up alcohol.

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