Quit Drinking Benefit #7: More Quality Time With Kids

Last week I wrote, "The 6 Benefits Of Quitting Alcohol For 30 Days." Today, I'd like to add one very important benefit to this list. In fact, this one benefit is probably the most important benefit of all. What is it?

7.  More Quality Time With Kids.

A pretty important benefit.

Now, keep in mind that I spent more time already than most 99.9% of dads. When my kids are home, I drop this project and spend time with them. I play games with them, take them on ventures outside. I can also add etc., etc., etc.

My neighbors and friends would attest to this in a court of law. If I ever needed it, I know they would. In fact, they have even told me so. Like, I'm just that good of a dad. Wherever my kids are, there's me. And, wherever I am, there's my kids. I'm not gloating, it's just a truth.

So, I was told, when I quit, that I"m supposed to pick a goal. Like, it's supposed to be something you want to improve upon when you quit. Sort of a purpose to quit drinking. Or, worded another way, "Why do you want to quit drinking?"

Well, I want to spend more quality time with my kids. It's that simple. Like, how do you improve upon something you're already good at. Well, I think an example will show you.

I already explained what happened on day #2. That was the day of my first temptation. So, had I drank that beer I opened, I would have had another and probably another and another. I would had never left that couch. I would have put my kids to bed, and maybe even had yet another. That's the life of a drinker.

Instead, I didn't have any more beer. I said to the kids, "Let's go for a walk."

We did. We went for a walk to the beach. It was too cold for the water. But, it wasn't too cold for the beach playground. So, we walked the mile long hike along the beach to the beach playground. We had a blast.

Many moments like that have followed in the days since. At day #45, there have obviously been quite a few of these "more" quality time with kids moments.

So, I will add this to my list of benefits of quitting for 30 days article.

6 Things That Did Not Change After I Quit Drinking For One Month

So, I gave you 6 benefits to quitting alcohol or one month. In this post, I'd like to list 6 things that did not change despite not drinking for a month. These are things other people said changed for them.

1. More money? More what? I said, "More money." How do you have more money after a month of quitting drinking?" For me, it was tough getting through that first month. Part of my plan was to find something else to do during those times when I'd normally drink. Plus, you have more time in a day. So, you have to find something to do with all this extra time. So, what I did is go shopping. I'd shop in stores. I'd shop online. I didn't buy a bunch of junk. I spent lot's less money on alcohol and junk food. But, I entertained myself by Christmas shopping. Yes. I got all it done. And, like, it costs me lots of money. I did manage to stick within the limits of my money, but I did not in anyway spend less. So, I do not have more money due to quitting drinking for one month.

2.  My liver is happier? What? How can people say their liver is happier. Last I knew, I have never had a discussion with my life. My liver has never talked to me. So, while it would be fair to assume my liver is happier with me, I have not heard it say so. So, I will not assume anything. I do have lab papers from my doctor. After I get my lab results, I think I will be in a better position to answer this question. But, even with that, my past lab tests have been normal. So, even when I get my lab results back, I highly doubt they will hint at what my liver might be thinking.

3.  My immune system is better? Like, how do I know this. I understand that drinking alcohol may diminish your immunity. And quitting can improve your immunity. I understand that. But, I still ended up with a cold during this one month stretch. It was a minor cold, but it was a cold none-the-less. So, to assume my immunity is better would be foolish at best.

4.  It helped my anxiety? Really? Like, I still have anxiety. Last night I stayed up late worrying about nonsense. I get anxious toward the end of the day. Why is this? I do not know. But, it's foolish to think my anxiety has anything to do with drinking. It would also be foolish to think it would improve with quitting.

I'm just being honest here. I'm not going to make up benefits. I'm not going to state a benefit just because other people on the Internet have said them. No, I am not a sheep.

Alcohol Free Day #44

So, I gave up the drink for two months. A challenge, of sorts. Up to last night, my biggest challenge was myself. And, quite frankly, I've handled myself rather well. Last night, though, I was in the company of drinkers. I figured at some point they'd beg me to drink.

I actually handled the situation nicely. My brother Dan said he was making drinks for his wife and himself. He gave me a tour of his pantry. He was proud that he had nearly every kind of booze I might want. "There's even beer in the refrigerator," he said.

"I'm good," I said. I imagined making a real drink. For a brief moment I pictured myself putting a can of beer to my lips and taking a sip. I imagined the cold fizz running down my throat. I imagined the cool, refreshing feeling it would have on my mind. But, the picture was fuzzy. It went away. "I'm good." I repeated.

It was odd hearing myself saying this. "I'll just have a Coke."

I opened the refrigerator. I grabbed the cup he gave me. I opened the 2-Liter bottle. I poured some into my cup. Then I picked up the whiskey bottle.

"That's mine!" he said. "Jen's is the bottle of Rum. "You can have whatever you want," he said, as though anticipating I'd give in and have a drink.

On his cue, I picked up the bottle of whiskey. I mocked pouring it into my cup. "Is this what you want me to do?" I asked Dan.

"Yep!" he said. "Do it!"

"Nah! I"m good."

And that was the end of it. I was impressed that he didn't pressure me. And the urge didn't hit me. I passed my first real test. This was a moment I typically would have had a drink. I didn't. I was, in a mild way, proud of myself.

6 Benefits Of Quitting Alcohol For A Month

So, I made it a month-and-a half without drinking. That's 42 days. It's a record for me. Woo Hoo! So, how different do I feel?

1. Pride. There's the pride. I'm not necessarily a proud person. But, going a month and a half is something to be proud of. So, I'm not going to under play the sense of accomplishment I feel. If you manage to quit doing something that's a habit for you, it's something worth being proud about. And, considering I drank since I was 18, that's a 30 year habit. It's not easy to quit a 30-year-old habit.

2. Weight Loss. I lost ten pounds. Like, I was able to give 100% to my weight loss program. Think of it this way. Every alcoholic beverage has 70-130 calories (or more). You have 2-8 drinks in an evening. You lose the ability to discipline yourself, so you tend to eat a bunch of junk. You have the urge to eat greasy burgers the next day. Now, you take all those calories out of your diet, and you're going to lose weight regardless of whether you diet or workout. Now, add in diet and workout as I have. Like, that's ten pounds lost in a month language there.

3.  Euphoria. Pride in itself brings a sense of improved well-being. An increased sense of well-being is also a benefit to exercising. So, it makes sense that you feel better overall. You have a better sense of your status in life. I'm not saying you're not humble, by no means is that what I'm saying. You just feel better.

4.  More energy. So, alcohol causes fatigue. It makes you tired after you drink. It also makes you tired the next day. This is regardless of how much you drink. And so, quit drinking, and you have more energy. And I can attest to that.

5.  More Time. You don't drink, you turn those hours that you used to drink into productive time. You also change the next mornings. No longer are you too tired to get up early. You don't have to sleep it off. So, you turn mornings into productive times rather than recovery times. This is one of the key benefits of quitting. I find that I write more. I find I feel better when I'm working. I find that I can work longer. A day has the same number of hours, but you make better use of those hours.

6.  Increased Productivity. Add increased sense of well-being, increased energy, and more time, and you get increased productivity. You can simply do way more in a 24 hour day. You can work more. You can get more done. You can make more money. I have definitely observed the benefits here.

What to make of this? This is my take on it. This is how I feel one month into it. This may not be how you will feel when you quit or a month. I focused solely on me.

Democrats Need A JFK-Type Candidate

If Democrats were smart, they would nominate a John F. Kennedy type candidate in 2020. This would be the best path to victory for their party.

Just think about it. The democratic party today is not the party of John F. Kennedy. The modern Kennedy democrat is now a moderate republican. Examples include John McCain and Mitt Romney.

These moderate democrats are actually RINOs: republicans in name only. They are only republicans because they don't want to associate with the radical left. In other words, they aren't socialists.

So, a John F. Kennedy candidate would normalize the democratic party. It would take the party back to the early 60s when it didn't really matter whether you voted democrat or republican. Both partys were supporters of America. Both parties were anti-Socialist and anti-communist.

When Kennedy was killed by a Socialist, the party migrated to liberalism. It championed against the Vietnam War. The reason for this, we know now, was because the new democratic party was pro-communism.

This was one of the main reasons Ronald Reagan -- a pro Kennedy Democrat -- switched parties. Reagan was basically a republican version of Kennedy. This was the new republican party.

There is yet another reason a Kennedy-type candidate would be a good candidate. He (or she) would be young. This would be contrary to the aging Trump. He would be well spoken and kind. This also would be contrary to Trump.

A key here is you would have two pro-American candidates. Republicans wouldn't be able to continue saying democrats don't care about their country and the law. They wouldn't be able to say democrats don't support the Constitution. They wouldn't be able to say the republican party is the party that supports communism and socialism.

They could run on supporting the wall, defending the law, protecting the Constitution (and the 2nd amendment), maintaining low taxes and cutting unnecessary regulations.

He would return differences between the two parties to what they were prior to Kennedy's assassination: trivial. For example, traditionally, republicans and democrats both came together during wars. They both came together when defending the nation and the Constitution.

Differences were trivial. For example, republicans were for higher tariffs and democrats wanted lower tariffs. Republicans protected businesses, and democrats championed for consumers. And that's kind of what Trump took the republicans back to.

So, democrats need a JFK type presidential candidate. They need a pro-American with charm. And they might win. Or, at least they'd be able to compete with a man who significantly improved the economy simply by getting getting a socialist out of the White House.

And that's my thought for the day.

One Month Alcohol Free

Well, it was a rocky ride. But, I made it. I accomplished my goal of going one month with no alcohol. During this month, there were really only four moments I almost had a drink. But, I did not. Here I will describe the first of these moments.

This occurred on day #2. Like, I thought I was going to fall off the wagon on the second day. It was after dinner. It was 7 p.m. It was September 8, 2018. I felt the urge to have a drink. So, I decided to have one. I opened the refrigerator. I pulled out a nice cold 16 ounce Miller Lite. I set it on the coffee table. I sat down on the couch. I cracked open the beer. I put it to my lips. And I sat it back down.

I describe these moments as "having that uncomfortable feeling." It's that feeling you want a drink. But, the "discomfort" comes from that voice in the back of your mind saying, "Don't do it." The conflict in your brain causes an uncomfortable feeling.

I prepared for moments like these. I stood up. I walked to the kitchen. I slid open the patio door. I stepped out on the porch, and took in a nice deep breath. I stepped off the porch. I walked all the way to the road.

And I decided I was not going to have that beer.

Instead, I went into the house and said: "Kids, do you want to go to the beach playground."

"Yes!" They both shouted.

And we went. And we had a blast. This was the first observed benefit of not drinking. If I had one beer, I would have probably had a second. I would have stayed in the house enjoying my beers.

Not drinking created an opportunity to spend more quality time with my kids. We all had a blast.

So, my initial goal is to make it two months. So, one more month. I can do this. Gulp!

Democratic Party Has Become Radicalized

Maxine Waters

So, I'm kind of getting tired of the Trump trash talk. I mean, I'm fine with trash talk. But, this kind of talk that encourages people to do harm is what I'm talking about. A good example here is Maxine Waters.

"Let's make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere. We've got to get the children connected to their parents,"

This is exactly what crazed democrats are doing. They are creating such a ruckus that people like Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ted Cruz can't even have lunch with their families. It's sad.

Then later on Waters laughed about it. She said she really meant it. It's sad. It's really sad.

Unrelated to waters, you had Majority Whip Steve Scalise shot at a baseball game. He was shot because he's a republican. If it weren't for the heroics for one man, many more republicans would have been killed by a crazed liberal maniac.

Worse, you never hear democrats crying out about this kind of stuff. They never tell people to stop.

It kind of reminds me of radical Muslims. I'm not talking about the 10% or less of Muslims who terrorize and murder people who are not Muslims.

I'm thinking the true radical Muslims are the 90% of peaceful Muslims who don't speak out about those who kill in the name of Islam. Like, to me, that's just as bad as the crime. These killers are making your religion look bad, and no one speaks out. That just makes people like me think that all Muslims are bad.

Democrats are the same way. The true radical democrats are the ones who don't speak out about those who commit all these acts of violence. I mean, many of these protests or rallies are not protests or rallies at all: they are riots.

Why do I say riots. Because other democrats with money are just paying for these people to do these things. Unlike the Tea Party movement, these "riots" are not grassroots riots. They are paid for riots. And they make the entire democratic party look rotten to the core.