The Holidays Begin

It is the day after Thanksgiving so I am in the middle of my 1st Holiday since starting my Year of Living Sober (YOLS). Traditionally, getting off work early meant stopping for a beer on the way home (this one i really wanted)and then picking up take out or making easy, fun food before preparing for Thanksgiving. Well, I obviously didn't stop for a beer and we didn't plan for the fun food very well. So I didn't really feel like we started the holiday on Wed. Which brings me to a question that I hope some of you will answer in the comments section below. How do you celebrate holidays and special occasions without special food or special drink? I know there are a variety of substitute beverages for alcohol and substitutes for high fat or high sugar foods. But what if you want a celebration to be independent of food and drink? Food for thought.
On with my journey. Just because I stopped drinking for a year does not mean I have stopped brewing. I brewed a stout 2 weeks ago and Kegged it this morning. (Full disclosure. I tasted 1 ounce. I have not brewed a stout In years. I could not in good conscience serve a beer that I had not tasted. It tasted like stout. Nothing special but at least I know it tastes the way it should) Since I am not drinking the beer it was much easier to pick a style that was simple and mild in flavor compared to the big hop beers that I prefer.
Thanksgiving day without a beer was a new experience. It didn't feel good or bad. Just different. I missed having a special seasonal ale with dinner and an Imperial stout with dessert. But it didn't ruin the meal. Dinner was great and I enjoyed it with my very pregnant wife (who isn't able to drink anyway)

My name is Wally and this is day 83 of my YOLS.

It's been a wild ride

The last 17 days have been filled with events of significance. In that time we have celebrated our daughter's 2nd birthday, my wife's 40th birthday, and our 15 year anniversary. Add to that over almost the same time period I installed, ran and removed the biggest show I have ever designed and you can see that I have a lot going on. It has been interesting, enlightening, and in some ways uneventful to be sober through these events. In the past I would have had a beer to celebrate all of these occasions. This year I didn't have a beer at any of them. It felt strange but I am learning ways to acknowledge celebrations without alcohol (or substituting food). When you remove alcohol and food from your celebratory experience what are you left with? I have found that you focus more on the celebration and the people that are there. (I have not given up any foods but I am trying not to let any food or drink become my celebration focus)
One of my coworkers asked how it felt going through such a big event (one that we have worked on for years) without having a drink. (It is the 1st time I have done the event without having a drink at some point) I wanted to have some great insight but honestly I didn't. I had to tell him that it didn't feel that different. After loading the last trucks and driving home on a warm Friday evening I definitely thought about having a beer. But I also thought about how I am just getting started on my year. I want to see where this goes and how it feels.
This is day 38 of My Year of Living Sober.

Some things are hard

September and October are the busiest 2 months of the year at my job. I might have chosen the wrong time to stop drinking :) Long hours and long weeks make me miss a 22oz of IPA at the end of a long day. A warm, sunny, Sunday afternoon is ideal for a cold beer on the deck of Beer Revolution. But it turns out that lemonade in my back yard works just as well.
I did make a trip to Beer Revolution and it wasnt as hard as I thought it would be. Dont get me wrong. When i could smell the hops from a double IPA I really wanted one. Instead I had a very good non alcoholic beer from Germany, Erdinger. It is similar to a hefeveizen with a bit of honey flavor. I still enjoy the brewing community and lots of brewers (home and professional) drink there. In the end I left with more money in my pocket and less calories in my belly. Tomorrow is my daughters 2nd birthday and 1 of many celebrations over the next few weeks. With family and friends gathering to celebrate it is good for me to be able focus on the celebration rather than the celebrating.
This is day 21 of my year of living sober.

Football without beer?

The NFL season started today with the Dallas Cowboys playing the NY Giants in prime time. Anyone who knows me knows that I love the Dallas Cowboys. And in the past nothing has gone better with a football game than a cold beer. I have to say, thankfully, I enjoyed the game just as much as when drinking. (Of course, it helps that they won) Now granted, I was watching the game at home alone but I didn't miss the beer and didn't notice until Alisa commented on it. That will probably change when i have to go to the bar to see the games. I don't know if that means anything or not. This is day 5 of my YOLS.

The Year of Living Sober

That Title is not a mistake and that picture is for real. After reading this blog I was inspired to do it myself. In addition to being an inspiration for me it is also funny and well written. This may come as a surprise. (it did to me) But much of the writing in that blog made a lot of sense to me.
Now that I am experiencing my 1st Holiday weekend without the option of having a beer I am discovering new refreshments on a hot afternoon. (pictured is sparkling water w lime)
Although I started a few days ago Sept 1 will be my start day.
The blog that I was inspired by gives a lot of great reasons for doing this so i wont replicate them here. Maybe later in the year.
I will continue to brew as my schedule allows. (I donate the beer to local fundraisers). I don't need ro drink it to make and I usually have no shortage of taste testers :)
This is day 2 of my YOLS.