Post Non-Drinking Stint Summary

Tried a wacky personal challenge during the 2005 holidays: no alcohol throughout the holiday season, starting Thanksgiving, ending New Year's Eve. The following are some key results/take-aways:

Pros:
1. Tolerance has dropped a couple notches (read: cheap date)
2. Newfound appreciation for Diet Pepsi (was hardcore Diet Coke purist) and black tea (preferred green tea before)
3a. Didn't have to constantly refill the beer inventory in the fridge (it's a bitch trudging up 2 flights of stairs with a case of suds)
3b. Still have a full bottle of ibuprofen (handfuls of which were typically popped as a pre-emptive strike against a raging hangover)
5. Skimmed a couple pounds off the pot belly

Cons:
1. Tolerance has dropped a couple notches (read: cannot form full sentences after drink #2)
2. Have discovered there are a few people who are tolerable only when I am drinking
3. Could not enjoy the effects of beer coat during the cold nights

On the whole, there were a lot more positives than negatives, so I think it was a useful and healthy experiment in social alcoholism. It's good to be able to partake of the drink these days--I still think I have the tendency to overdo it, but I think I may have pared back on the frequency. Moderation. Willpower. Growth. Yea, right.