WHY I DUMPED DRINKING

Update: 2024-10-18

Description

In this personal edition of the podcast I give a detailed account of why I dumped alcohol on November 4th 2019. It wasn't because I think alcohol is wrong or evil in itself. As a Catholic, I don't believe that. The wedding miracle at Cana happened when Jesus changed six jars of water into wine, not grape juice (John 2.)

But for me it was the right decision. I didn't like how alcohol reacted to my body and vice versa. What delayed my quitting for a couple of years was my quiet anxiety that I would crave it if I quit it. The thought that I was an alcoholic was disturbing enough. The whole idea of no longer drinking made me nervous because I didn't know what my reaction would be. My dad (Jack, RIP +2018) was an alcoholic who found sobriety through AA; his father died from acute alcoholism.

I hope and pray this episode inspires you to give serious thought to dumping alcohol. I have never looked back, and actually rarely think of it.

Backstory to the reasons why I quit:

Anecdotes about my father’s (and his father’s) alcoholism
In what sense I buy the disease model of alcoholism
I loved the natural high feeling when I did the Whole 30 Diet, and dropped 20 pounds without trying
I met a Chaldean Christian at a party who told me he quit drinking as a spiritual sacrifice—a kind of fast—on behalf of souls who are away from Christ, and why it moved me
I peed the bed through the night after drinking too much over not enough hours
I had my first and only blackout during a backyard party that involved too many tequila shots
My habit of weeping while watching romantic comedies bothered and embarrassed me
My decision to change my mindset from “giving up” drinking to “getting rid” of drinking
I fell in love with San Pellegrino sparkling water, crushed ice, and lemon slices

Resources mentioned in this episode:

To Slake a Thirst: The Matt Talbot Way of Sobriety https://amzn.to/4etPo6A by Philip Maynard

Patrick Coffin:
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