Dropping everything and running
It's now 34 hours since my last drink (I think! It was around 8pm Friday night UK time). I've just woken up after 7 hours sleep, at least 4 hours more than I've been getting!
Last night my son and I went to the local theatre - about 10 mins walk away. I thought the show started at 7.30 pm. How wrong was I ! It actually started at 6.30 pm, as I discovered when I read the tickets at 6.25pm.
So, we jumped in the car (words can not explain the sheer panic and flapping going on!!) I kicked him out at the end of the lane where the theatre is, drove a little way further up and parked on double yellow lines (ie no parking at all) and ran back - getting to my seat dead on 6.30pm.
We enjoyed the show and fortunately the car was unticketed when we got back.
That all sounds very trivial (as well as emphasising my lack of organisation!) but if I was in the 'drinking mindset' we wouldn't have got there. Chances are I wouldn't have actually had a drink by that point as I knew we were going out but my 'drinkers head' would have told me we had left it too late and to not even try to get there. Followed by a trip to the shop for wine and feeling sorry for myself.
Which has got me thinking. My elderly parents live 30 miles away. My older sister lives in a town half way between them and us but doesn't drive. My dad has been hospitalised once already this year. This was during my non- drinking six weeks so I could get there straight away. This morning is the first morning since I started drinking again that I would be able to get over there in an emergency if I got a call without having to wait for the alcohol to leave my system.
So, I guess, one of the first benefits of giving up the alcohol is gaining freedom - as I can just jump in the car and go when necessary.
Sorry for the ramble, I'm thinking things through and writing them dine to clarify things to myself :-D