March 19, 2024 Day 1/93 - Daily Log
I'm glad you found your way to my blog! My name is Dustin and we're going to get close over the next several months, so settle in and get cozy. Today is the first day of our challenge and it started off cold and cloudy. My pic of the day is of my favorite coffee mug while I'm standing on the airport ramp where I work. I got that mug in Panama several years ago and it has traveled the world with me. Today, it helps me greet the morning of day one.
I'm primarily keeping this as a personal journal of sorts documenting my days as I go through sober spring this year. If you don't know already, Sober Spring is an annual sobriety challenge that begins on the first day of spring and ends on the last day of summer.
How it Began
My relationship with this yearly challenge stems from a moment in 2023 that took place on the first day of spring. A friend of mine found out about some horrific life changing news and as a group, a few of us guys huddled around our buddy as he dedicated himself to abstaining from alcohol from that day forward until he could find some inner peace with his situation.
Every few days, in solidarity with our newly-dry friend, we would text each other and ask, "you still sober?" Or, "just get through the first few minutes if you want a drink. I promise the desire passes."
Each day was met with new realizations in our lives, like how one of the guys found it surprising that he felt like he had more time to do important chores on the weekends when he wasn't drinking. Another described the ease at which he was waking each morning, ready for the day.
Personally, most days, I found that getting through another day without a drink was actually quite easy. I was living the old saying, "it's easier to not start than it is to stop." However, I felt challenged quite often.
Why Sober Spring Was Good For Me
I, myself, realized that without even thinking about it, I had been setting myself up to only be able to enjoy certain moments if they included alcohol. Dinner out with my fiancé? Better start with a taster flight. Sunny day on the beach? Did I remember to grab a trash bag for my empties? Finished a hard workout or completed a difficult run? A cold beer makes a great cooldown beverage. A nice evening walk around the neighborhood with my kid and the dog? How about a little pre-game first? (Yep, super proud of that one).
And during the ensuing weeks, I learned to re-write these habits. I learned to sit in the uncomfortable irritation of having to do things sans alcohol. Before, I may have not believed that I could do those things without a drink, but I soon learned that if I just sat and allowed the impulse to want a beer to pass, it would only take ten to thirty seconds max to forget about the craving, then I could go on about my event without a second thought and feel perfectly happy. I was not beholden to to alcohol, and neither were my friends! I felt great after every win and convinced myself that this was easy.
Then, just two weeks prior to end of sober spring, the airport happened. I think I'll save that story for later.
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