I’ve abstained from alcohol for 102 consecutive days. This is the longest streak I’ve had in my life other than from the ages of 0 to 19. The previous high was 100 days, but I quit after that because I thought, “Hey, I can do this.”

Note: This is NOT what I look like at the current time.

Why the change? The person I could become under the influence is not someone I want around my family.

Some people can moderate or stop after a few, but I am not in that group. I’ve tried moderating and setting limits. For the first couple of weeks, I stick to it, but then I slack. One more? Sure. How about one more? YEAH! You want a shot for the road? You’re twisting my arm. Sure.

I think the most difficult part of this whole shift is accepting that I cannot crack moderation. I have a tendency to not accept reality for what it is and shape it to what I want. For a lot of my life, that worked. This time, it’s a no-go.

Overall, I’ve not had booze for 132/214 days of the year (or about 61% of the year).