March 26, 2024 - Day 8/93 Talk Tuesday
Great job making it through your first week of sober spring! It's crazy how fast the time seems to have gone by when you stop to look back on how far you've come already.
For those of you who feel like they are doing alright so far in the challenge with no major cravings or any relapses, I say don't lose your momentum and continue to rely on those positive distractions, support people, and personal goals to keep you focused on the prize. If you aren't feeling as confident about your journey thus far, keep reading through till the end of this post where I'll share some word of encouragement to you.
For today's Talk Tuesday, I wanted to share with you three big things I notice have been different about my day-to-day life since beginning sober spring last week.
I've been drinking tons of coffee
There is no way around this one. Even though I am already someone who drinks plenty of coffee through the morning and sometimes an occasional cup in the afternoon, this past week, I feel as though I've increased my daytime coffee intake by at least a cup and I have definitely poured myself more than a few nighttime joes as well.
By the way, the coffee mug that you may have seen on my first post, Welcome to Sober Spring, has a story behind it and I mean it when I say that it is my favorite coffee mug.
Long story short, I bought this mug when we pulled into Panama while I was deployed on a Coast Guard cutter on a counternarcotic south patrol. Since then, I've taken it with me on every deployment after. It has been with me to foreign countries and distant islands, it has sat on my desk at different duty stations, endured late night cases with me, and now, it is my go to coffee cup at work every day.
I panicked one time because a SAR survivor who had been brought back to the air station after being rescued was given a cup of coffee by one of the aircrew members on that case. He happened to grab my mug from the cabinet. The next morning when I found that my mug was not where I had put it last, I searched the station high and low and asked all the shops if anyone had seen my cup. Luckily, one person recalled seeing the previous night's SAR survivor with it. My heart sank because I assumed my beloved mug had gone home with the survivor, an errant and mistaken souvenir to accompany his story of that one time he was rescued by the Coast Guard.
But that was not the case! Word spread to the aircrew member who gave my cup to the survivor and he located it in a dishwasher in another part of the building. Success! My cup wasn't gone after all! He apologized for the trouble and I returned my well-traveled and memory filled mug back to its rightful spot in my hand, full of coffee.
I've Gotten Back Into Podcasts
One thing that I didn't expect is that now that I find I have more time to do things around the house, or to myself in the form of exercise, I've rediscovered the thrill of listening to podcasts while working, driving, or hitting the gym.
One of my longtime favorite podcasts is My Brother, My Brother, and Me. It's a humorous "advice" show hosted by McElroy brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin. Much of the humor stems from the three brother's propensity to poke fun at each other while giving rather horrible life advice to people who email in questions to be answered on the show.
I first listened to this podcast back in 2015 when I had to make a long drive from North Bend, Oregon, up to Portland in a night. I downloaded a couple of episodes to my old phone and connected it via AUX cable (remember those?) to the crappy Corolla I owned at the time. I remember laughing in the car all the way to Portland and feeling like I couldn't get enough of these guys.
Years later, I'm still tuning in to MBMBAM every week as they release new episodes. I also subscribe to their other associated shows like Sawbones, Shmanners, and Wonderful! They hang out with me while I do all sorts of things from paint walls to clean gutters to doing math homework.
Another podcast I've been digging lately is Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth, with Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews, and Doug Egge.
In this podcast, the hosts, who are each successful body builders and fitness coaches in their own lives, speak on topics of health, fitness, conditioning, and lifting in a way that lay people can understand it.
The latest episode that i just listened to titled, Seven Habits of Truly Healthy People, the hosts talk about the ways that "healthy" people act and take care of their bodies that goes beyond typical diet and exercise. Though I won't give away all the secrets, some surprising ones I found interesting are to spend lots of time outdoors, disconnect from all media, and to volunteer your time.
This podcast has done a lot to shape how I view myself and how I utilize my gym time and I think anyone who committed themselves to working out more during sober spring should absolutely give this podcast a listen. You won't be disappointed.
What are some of your favorite podcasts? How about relationship, or tabletop games, or history podcasts that you like? Let me know in the comments below.
Waking Up Refreshed and Clear Headed
Out of all of the immediate physical benefits of abstaining from alcohol may give you, by far, the best is being able to awaken each morning with a better attitude, a non-foggy mind, and more willingness to get up and get moving right away. Ultimately, this leads me to feel sharper, more ready to work out, less sluggish, and less discomfort.
To add to those other benefits, a lot of people report feeling like they sleep better at night when they have not had any alcohol. Now, what other wonder drug or daily routine do you know of that makes you feel just like I describe here?
Closing Thoughts: It's tough, don't give up
For those who may be at this point in your sober spring journey and still feel like every day is a struggle, remember that you are not alone and you are doing great things that will change the course of your life. So many people are in the same boat as you. I once had a dear friend whom I deployed with over a summer several years ago aboard a ship. He had always been known as a pretty heavy drinker and at that point in his life, he was not quite ready to make any changes. After our first week underway, he turned to me and said, "Wow, man. You know, I was just thinking, this is the longest time straight I've gone without drinking since I turned 21".
My friend was almost 30.
But he did make it that first week. Willfully or not, he freaking made it. And that is the attitude that I challenge you to have if you are struggling. Just freaking make it. One more day. Just go one more day. But also, go easy on yourself. Even if you relapse, that doesn't mean you're a failure. It means you're expanding what you believe to be possible about yourself. If you fall off, immediately get back on. Remember, 92 out of 93 days sober is still a win. A huge win. So, chew through one single day at a time.
Challenge yourself to go to bed sober just for tonight. Before you know it, the end will be here.
One week down. We've got this.
Thanks for joining me for today's daily feature post: Talk Tuesday! I don't get paid for any of the outside links I provide. They are simply there to allow you to discover the things I like and find noteworthy. If you enjoyed this post or have thoughts to share, I'd love to hear from you. Comment on this post, send me an email, or shoot me a message on Instagram. Don't forget to subscribe to my email list to stay updated on future posts. Your feedback and support mean the world to me!