Sobering Up

That title makes it sound like I have a drinking problem.  I don't.  But I quite easily could, so I've decided to give up drinking for a while.  I've done it before - in 2008 I stopped drinking for nearly four months.  This time around I have a different motivation.  My dermatologist has put me on a four month course of antibiotics to try and get a handle on my rosacea, which has been getting worse over the last year.  Technically, I don't have to stop drinking alcohol, but she said it was advisable, so I've decided to.  I'm also trying to save money and pay off my credit card, so not forking out all that money for booze each week is an extra motivator.

Of course, I have had a few trip ups so far, but I'm not beating myself up over it.  The way I see it, if I can manage not to crack open any of the multiple bottles of wine that have been sitting in my fridge for almost a month now, I'm not doing too badly.  Now I just need to work on my sugar habit... another recommendation from the dermatologist.

I've been doing a quite a lot of reading lately - I think this is a direct result of becoming somewhat of a hermit (note to self: learn to socialise in non-drinking forms).  One of the books I've had on my shelf for a while but never got around to reading until recently was Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project.  I stumbled across it on my last day in NYC last year and since then I've been following her blog and subscribing to her daily email alerts.   Each week she features different people, asking them about their "happiness".  Last week she featured a writer named Caren Osten Gerszberg.  Caren's answer to one of the questions resonated with me... I could've written her answer almost word for word:

Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your happiness?

Yes. I grew up surrounded by anger and stress, which took up a life of their own in my life, and thus in my head. As cliché as it sounds, sweating the small stuff used to interfere with my path to happiness on a frequent basis. In recent years, I’ve learned how to meditate, breathe deeply, and be more accepting of myself and others, which has afforded me greater access to happiness. I’m no expert, but feeling the positive impact inspires me to continue the journey.

There was a link in the article to Caren's website, so naturally I clicked across only to discover that, among her many projects, she is a co-founder of the blog Drinking Diaries. It's been a particularly fascinating read given my current circumstances and I think will be quite useful in keeping me on track for my goal.

Now, does anyone have any good suggestions for tasty non-alcoholic drinks which don't involve high-fructose fruit juices or soft drinks?  Soda water with a squeeze of lime juice is quite possibly the most boring drink ever invented.

x

My Life (summed up in a single image)

I feel the need to write something, if only to move that slightly depressing piece I wrote last week further down the page.  Trouble is, I have no idea what to write.  Very little inspiration.

I had planned to "do stuff" today. "Stuff" along the lines of going to the gym and go to the movies. But I woke up this morning feeling a bit meh, and scrapped those plans in favour of a day of doing some laundry and reading.  High stakes excitement right there people.  Don't you wish your life was like mine?

I did do a bit of university research though.  The deadline for applications is 28 September, so the clock is beginning to tick.  The course I'd really like to do (at RMIT) is only offered on a full-time basis, which has thrown a spanner in the works somewhat.  It would be almost impossible to keep my current 3-day-a-week job and do the course, so I've had to expand my search and am now contemplating a part-time BA at Melbourne Uni.  Six years of part-time study is better than the next six years of no study... I think I'll just jump in.

Having said that, it does make me wonder just how appropriately this picture (which a friend had on his facebook page this morning), sums up my life...

Sure, a lot of things in my life which began with this philosophy turned out well, and I'm sure returning to study will be one of them.  However a large number haven't worked out quite as well... hence the hesitancy.  But hey, life is short.  Why not live by this principle?  The good in my life has far outweighed the bad.

Right. Back to the research.

Speaking of studying, have you seen this?  The delightful Melba alerted my attention to it in a post the other day. Yale courses, available online. FOR FREE. So good I decided to link it twice. Awesome. Thank you Yale.  And thank you Melba!