Dry Run Challenge 2016: Complete!

Challenge: 180 days without alcohol

The Reasons

The day after Australia Day and nursing a less than pleasant hangover (though I’ve had much worse) I decided to quit alcohol for a while. I felt I’d become too reliant on it and started thoroughly disliking my drunk self. I was maintaining my beer weight from Germany and seemed to have an almost constant heartburn. My friend Jason didn’t drink yesterday as he had decided to give up alcohol until he went to New Orleans in April, just because. I thought about this today and was inspired to do the same. I also wanted to do it to help support Sarah during her pregnancy non-drinking period, by being a partner in venture and not just a drunkard relying on her forced sobriety providing a guaranteed designated driver. Giving up alcohol for a while would also help me to prepare for RUN Melbourne 2016!

The Journey So Far…

Read about the challenges and revelations of the first 90 days here

Challenges – The Back Nine(ty)

Sat, 30-Apr-2016: Watched the footy at Glenn’s house with the crew. We went over after I had a late afternoon run, so my energy was on the double-up. Tom let me smell his beer, but I didn’t miss it too much, just stuck to water. Later that night, I was still peaking while most were crashing and getting sleepy. I’ve noticed the increase in energy since I’ve stopped drinking and ironically would be the most enthusiastic for going out for a night on the town.

Fri, 6-May-2016: Yesterday was Day 100 on the Dry Run and I was mighty tempted to end it today in time for yet another function at Little Creatures: a mid-year work function. I decided to stick to the original plan of 180 days and see it though, no matter how great the temptation. Better to err on the side of caution around work colleagues too, as at this stage I may only need a beer or two before I’m off my face! The function went well and we had a big selection of food to keep everyone occupied. I drank vast quantities of water throughout the night and ended up very hydrated, bloated even. It seems drinking in these social situations is almost a reflex thing and it doesn’t seem to lessen when non-alcoholic drinks are substituted. Waking up ultra-hydrated the next day after a night out is quite a pleasant in contrast to the nightmarish “night on the beers” equivalent.

Sat, 7-May-2016: Not feeling like a beer at all at Andrew’s 30th. So thirsty, and the tap water in Brunswick is amazing! The pub feed was monstrous too, so I had the usual “body not craving beer calories” effect. Sarah and I went on to see Ball Park Music play a gig at Howler. They were amazing – no drink needed to get high on their energy and prowess!

Sat, 21-May-2016: Everyone is largely on board with what I am doing now and it’s much easier to opt for water! I felt like I was largely useless for our table at the Trivia Night for Camp Awakenings, only offering a few hard answers. I told myself I wouldn’t worry too much about the result, relax and have a good time. It was true in part – I was not hung up on winning, but I still wanted to do my best. I get really hard on myself when I don’t remember things I think I should. I think it would have been a mental disaster if I was drinking.

[!] 120 days in: The pressures around drinking are certainly more prevalent in Summer – everybody is outside, social and enjoying life. Now with the coming of Winter those pressures largely subside, but damn the weather is depressing and a good spirit wouldn’t go astray.

Sat, 4-Jun-2016: Had a good catch up with family at my cousin Shane’s 40th birthday at his house. There were only a few rounds of beers that were handed around that I had to side-step. Another cousin asked “Are you driving?” – I just answered “yes” for ease. It was true, but not the entire reason for saying no. I’ve learnt to keep it short and simple and take any easy exits. Also, I’d absolutely hate to come across preachy so I save the finer details only for those who enquire further. I don’t believe in dictating other peoples’ behaviour, and I’m certainly not here to stop anyone from enjoying a drink!

Sat, 10-Jun-2016: With the odds stacked against me (recovering from a cold, no gig friends, heavy rain) I bailed on seeing 28 Days/Area 7 gig up in Melbourne and decided seeing my brothers first gig was more important. We had a pre-gig dinner with Glenn, Gemma and Patto at The Workers Club. Large selection of meats and sides made for a very full crew. Patto is always most helpful with scouting a jug of water when he goes to get beers. After dinner we all went up the hill to Black Hatt to see Jake play his first gig with ‘The Hollow’. Lots of family were there, including Dad and Russ pogoing all night long. There were plenty of people with severe balance loss from drinking too much.

Fri, 24-Jun-2016: We saw ‘The Beards’ play at the Barwon Club. Beards and rock music have a natural coupling with drinking a beer, but by now I rarely find myself considering one. I was dying of thirst after the gig and luckily Sarah had a bottle of water in the car – it was incredible. The want for a beer decreases when I get really thirsty, as my mind maps it with being even more dehydrated.

[!] 150 days in: They only times I have been tempted to have a drink are when:

• a social event coincides with the time just after a milestone (100 days, 150 days) and I was tempted to “call it”
• times get tough/really shit (my brothers suicide, my friend losing her battle with cancer)
• the weather turned cold and our heating system broke (get out the spirits, right?)
• I discovered places that stocked long lost amazing beers (Abita, Forrest Brewing Company)

Sat, 25-Jun-2016: Patto’s 30th. The party had an abundance of alcohol, drinks, food and sweets. Once again, I was well fed and not really tempted to drink. Despite that, I still managed to bring some moves to the dance floor and have a good time. I sat on the couch and talked with Tom for a bit. Now that we are all getting older, it seems that alcohol (beer in particular) seems to act as a sedative rather than a party starter. Patto and Lucy then decided to let off a fire extinguisher to take the dance floor atmosphere to a new level, an alcohol influenced decision no doubt. So, it turns out it’s not like the movies and it took the atmosphere to an unbreathable level. I thought I’d do a ‘lack of oxygen, collapse on the floor’ skit, but was starkly surprised by the noxious feeling of sodium bicarbonate filling my lungs; it tasted like mustard and it became hard to breathe. The room cleared out and most went outside for some fresh air. Gemma was equally as drunk and channeled her energies into berating her husband for doing something so stupid. I too have been on that husband receiving end before. An impracticable-excitable drunk does not mix well with a practical-angry drunk. Her brother then quelled the situation by taking her off in a headlock.

Sun, 26-Jun-2016: Woke up feeling like absolute shite and cursed having a hang-over despite not having a drink. It was possibly due to the lack of sleep and sugar consumption of the previous night’s soft drinks and desserts.

Sat, 9-Jul-2016: Games night at Robin and Cherry’s new house. Beer pong is fun to play, but not really an option if you aren’t going to drink the beers! Played many other games, including a big round of Scrabble. I stuck to sparkling water with a bit of lemon/lime cordial. Make it look like a cocktail by throwing a lemon in it, and no one really asks if it is alcoholic or not. There were a few “Dry July” people at the party which made for some welcome solidarity. On the other end of the scale people got very loud and wild. Some were going to “hunt camels to keep everyone safe”, which was either something about Pokemon GO or some sort of coded innuendo. Fun night.

Fri, 15-Jul-2016: All the crew got “destroyed” at The Workers Club with a big BBQ spread. It was beers all round, with my envy increasing upon sighting some with dark beers. Winter time really makes for more dark beer cravings; I didn’t know I liked them so much!

Sun, 24-Jul-2016: The final day was marked with the completion of another challenge: RUN Melbourne 2016. I completed the race in good time and had a moment when walking back to the hotel where I realised that the challenge was all but done and I would be free to drink again. Aided by a slight runner’s high, I wasn’t missing it terribly though!

Lessons Learned

I am likely stating the obvious here, so think of these as a record of things I have encountered and verified to be true:

• Energy levels and enthusiasm for activities has risen, particularly on Sundays!
• Most bigger parties usually accommodate for non-drinkers
• Given Australia’s heavily ingrained drinking culture (despite the astronomical pricing) you may be revered as an incredible, but unusual, specimen if you are not drinking at any type of social function
• If you are going to quit drinking indefinitely, I’d suggest telling people you are doing it for a particular set time period. People know that something indefinite can be broken at any moment without consequence, while breaking a set goal is something that carries a bit of weight/guilt/thought.
• Be careful not to substitute increased eating, particularly junk food, in place of a social tipple. I’m guilty of sometimes doing this and will wake up the next day feeling just as self loathing and low on energy!
• Beers can’t satisfy real thirst like a cold water can
• Consequences will take a back seat in any drunken decision making process
• An impracticable-excitable drunk does not mix well with a practical-angry drunk
• Make a virgin mixer look like a cocktail by throwing a lemon in it and no one really asks if it is alcoholic or not
• Winter time really makes for more dark beer cravings
• I will be more self-aware of my behaviour when drinking in future from having observed the behaviours of others and the effects they had on people around them
• I’m feeling more inclined to swap every second beer out for a water on a “big night”
• There is absolutely nothing good that comes out of being reprehensibly tanked