How my year has kicked off:

Today is Day 62. It has been 62 days since I had a drink after I took a decision that I needed a detox period from booze. Over the years I have talked about it but this time I decided to just do it, cold turkey, without any fanfare and without consulting anyone or making those pacts that I see other making that if caught drinking anything alcoholic it’s a 10K fine!

It’s difficult to give all the gory details so let’s just say that I was an occasional drinker and mainly on weekends so it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be though for the first three weeks I craved the taste of beer – my favorite tipple – until I discovered a beer with 0% alcohol called Bavaria that became my favorite drink. It has all the effects of any other beer except that you don’t get the buzz. You pee just as you would and it tastes pretty much the same as any other beer but has no other effect and it was kind of strange, but I persisted and today I don’t even feel like I need the taste of beer.

What I also discovered was non-alcoholic wine though why they call it wine is beyond me as it is just sparkling juice and too sweet at that. I also discovered that many pubs do not cater for the non-alcoholic drinker save for a soft drink, juice, water and tea so many times I would find myself having a soft drink or a juice if I found myself at a pub. Even the humble mocktail (a cocktail minus the alcohol) in some pubs and bars are unavailable and it seems that the non-alcoholic imbiber is neither recognized nor welcome at many joints. It made me feel like my vegetarian friends who are terribly shortchanged in many restaurants in Kenya by the absence of a variety of vegetarian fare!

While the choice to begin my fast was accidental it could not have come at a better time when the temptation is highest and invitations to all kinds of functions where drinks flow in abundance is at an all-time high during the Christmas and New Year festivities! When Lucifer is tempting you and your conscience refuses to falter to his entreaties then you know that you can soldier on and even my colleagues during the end of year party and the family reunion on Christmas Day couldn’t believe that I was not imbibing!

There are obvious and myriad advantages to not drinking that I have come to appreciate. I recall things much more easily now thanks to a clearer head unclouded by the fog of that fifth beer. I had a great difficulty remembering names and faces but this has improved over the last two months. My appetite has never been better than it has been over the past 60 odd days and I don’t miss a single meal. My sleep pattern is also great and I either sleep dreamlessly or have sweet dreams of positive things in life unlike the nightmares of old where I’d wake up in a cold sweat. My spouse however now complains that I sleep too early so I guess you can't please everyone!!

That is how I started the year 2016 that is already three weeks old and my initial timeline was to take a three month sabbatical from alcohol and reassess the situation thereafter so I still have another 31 days or so to go. I am not sure what I’ll do when my sabbatical is over and I shall take that decision when necessary to do so.

For now I am a teetotaler and loving it. I can’t quite seem to understand how people stay up until late at night imbibing on their favorite tipple and generally seeming to have a good time. You can only drink so many soft drinks, Bavarias or juices after all so I don’t have the urge to stay up later than I should making small talk as I struggle to stay awake!

So for the time being if you offer me a drink, don’t be shocked if my choice is not what you expect as there is a time and a place for everything. And for those of my friends, who have embraced this detox from alcohol thingy, hang in there and don’t listen to the naysayers who will tempt you with an alcoholic drink of your choice no matter the cost. If I can do it so can you!

And before I forget Happy New Year to all of you!!