12 Days Changed Me, I Hope

It has been 12 days since I've had a beer¹. If you know me, you’re probably saying “yeah, right.” It’s true. I ended up participating in my first ever cleanse, which of course did not allow alcohol. It was a real challenge for the first 2-3 days, but after that my mind and body adjusted. For ages, I would typically consume 3-5 beers/night during the week; more on the weekends. It was habit. I wasn't getting inebriated, but it would probably be fair to say I had, or potentially still have a problem. Fortunately, the 12 day cleanse I did through Nourish Northwest with Olivia Martino provided me with a new perspective. Over the past 2 weeks I have noticed a definite increase in my energy level and I have had far less ups-and-downs throughout the day. I’m not blaming my love, beer, for bringing me down before, but it was certainly a contributor. Prior to the cleanse I ate pretty well, but I’m sure eating cleaner and cutting out caffeine played a role in giving me some of that get-up-and-go.

So, what does all this mean? Well, I know I sure saved a lot of money the past 12 days not buying beer and going out. I also realized I missed going to beer places and the beer community more than beer itself. Did I just say that? F, I had to pass on PDX Beer Week and The Fruit Beer Festival all in the name of nuts, grains, fruits and veggies. As hard as it was to remove myself from the familiar, I believe the 12 day program brought to light that at my old-as-shit age, I need to slow down. In my 20’s and 30’s I was invincible, but now in my early 40’s, I am not. My new goal is to reserve drinking until the weekend² . If there’s a beer event during the week that I’m interested in, sure, count me in. On that note, I can’t wait to have my first beer in almost 2 weeks this Saturday.

One of the great recipes from the program: Moroccan Roasted Vegetables

¹ I wrote this article about a week ago. Yes, I’m happy to have beer back in my diet! =)
² I have not been drinking as much during the week. I will have 1 or 2 pints on occasion.