Another day of crazy holiday retail in the books. This time last year I was drinking heavily to relieve the stress and "relax" quickly after work. Not drinking has allowed me to sleep a little better and of course, not feel like dirt waking up the next day. My anxiety levels are way down from last year.It sounds funny to say it, but I never before considered how stressful being an alcoholic really was. Life is so much easier to deal with when you are not either smashed or trying to recover from being so every single day.