Well, it has been just over a year since I took the plunge of drastically moderating my alcohol consumption and I am checking in with a progress report. Aside from the “special occasions” of vacations, I have strictly adhered to my 5-dry days a week practice and more-or-less responsible consumption on the wet days. The cardio issues that prompted this modulation seem to have resolved themselves in my favor, and my life-long high BP has now settled in at a normal-ish 115/80. Cravings for alcohol have gone from being barely hanging in there until the Friday afternoon uncorking to being able to envision complete abstinence (in the somber event that such sobriety should be necessary). I have shaved off a couple pounds but not as many as I thought would come off by eliminating 30 drinks a week from my routine. My memory and overall mental acuity are marginally better and physiologically I feel peppy, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (not that my tail was less than bushy before).

While the goal of a more efficient ejection fraction was achieved in a mere six weeks, I hoped for a bit more benefit for my efforts, especially in regard to the waistline. Now retired from the workaday world, drinking to achieve anxiety relief is now a non-issue and I seem to have broken the lazy habit of needing a glass of booze in my hand to feel at ease. To be honest, a tumbler of tonic, lime and ice cubes achieves the same effect that adding a jigger two of gin used to have. Also, non-alcohol beer options are now ubiquitous and surprisingly satisfying (although I am admittedly no beer connoisseur). The one downside is that a mere four drinks now leaves me with muddled hangover that lasts past noon, especially if one of those drinks was a largish martini. Prior to moderation, four drinks was a good start for me. No more.

If you missed it, my original post is re-blogged below. If you are pressed for time, I highly recommend skipping down to part where I share Jim Harrison’s musings on alcohol moderation.