Reasons to Quit Drinking #9: You'll Get Stuff Done

They say that when you're a big drinker your world shrinks. One day you look up from the bottle and think "Is this it?"

(See my post: Let Me Not Die While I'm Still Alive).

Well, no. This isn't it. There's a whole world of possibility out there, and when you stop drinking it suddenly becomes apparent.

If you think about it, imagine you spend an hour a day achieving little because you're a tad hungover.

Then there's another two hours a day when you achieve little because you're a tad drunk.

That's three hours per day (on average), twenty one hours per week, two working days! Per week!

Imagine what you can do with an extra twenty one hours!

It often starts with the little things.

One of the common effects of quitting is your house suddenly gets really clean. Gleaming!

Partly because you have spare time, but also because cleaning is a great displacement activity. It stops you thinking about drinking and keeps your hands busy.

Another fabulous activity, for the same reason, and because it's good for the soul, is de-cluttering (see my post on Clutter).

But those things are just starter level sober stuff.

After you quit you find your energy levels start to increase (once you're past the 'I'm so tired I could get into bed and sleep forever' phase) and your neurons start firing in a way you've forgotten they could. You feel creative, imaginative and entrepreneurial.

People talk about taking up drawing, writing, knitting, running, yoga - all sorts of amazing stuff once the booze is out of the picture.

Then, once you start getting used to dealing with emotions and stuff sober, you wake up one day and realise that you've lost your sense of fear.

(See my post: Feel the Fear)

Not only are you achieving more, but you're able to go out and sell yourself. Launch a business, publish a book, find a new partner.

Then, you look back at where you've come from and you think OMG, my world is so much BIGGER than I ever thought it could be!

And all because you've made just one small change.....

Love SM x