My first foray into drinking after a dry month

I completed my dry month! Safe to say my tolerance for alcohol has been reset to zero. Here’s what my first foray into weekend drinking after going dry consisted of:

Considering I found my month of not drinking incredibly boring, this was quite an exciting weekend for me. In fact, the excitement of just being able to drink again was almost enough to alleviate the ABSOLUTE SHAME I felt for the blackout and tube incident. Just in case you think I don’t know, I am completely aware of how utterly dishonourable it is to be a lone female vomiting on the tube. My anonymity encourages me to share these details with you and hopefully make you feel better about your life.

So what have I learnt from my month of not drinking? I learnt that I like to drink. Not loads. I can do without it during the week. But at the weekend, it’s the best way to relax, let off steam, and socialise. I didn’t have these transformative realisations during my month of sobriety that I’ve heard others declare. I was just quite bored, and I slept a little better. Is it bad that alcohol is so deeply woven into how we Brits socialise? Maybe…

For my next avocation, I’m taking up daily meditation. My mind is always in overdrive anyway, but this past year it’s been especially bad. My thoughts can take me on a wild ride, so I’m hoping that by committing myself to meditating everyday I can start to retrain my mind to focus and thus gain more control over my emotions. I want to observe my thoughts more rationally and understand my inner self better, which will hopefully lead to improved mental and emotional health. So far, so good.

If you’ve read this far and you’re wondering why I’m writing about such personal things, it’s because starting a business has affected me on a personal level more than I could ever have imagined. It’s affected my mental health, my confidence, and my self-esteem. I think it’s important that founders talk about the whole picture, not just the parts of their life directly related to their startup.

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