The Impossibility of Showing Some Restraint

There's a common truism out that saying that humans are creatures of habit. Sometimes, those habits are bad habits. Thursdays are the unofficial starting point of the weekend so it's super important to start it right. For me, this usually meant going to the weekly Tap Takeover at one of my favorite haunts. I'd typically by a flight of 5 2-ounce samples along with a few more beers. Then, I'd usually stop at a beer store where I buy a 6-pack of something to take home to drink while playing video games. Because of this rock and roll lifestyle, I often forego my daily trip to the gym in my apartment complex.

It's funny how one drink can act as a catalyst of a chain of bad decisions! It reminds me of a scene in the Trailer Park Boys' "Countdown to Liquor Day" where Mr. Lahey, a recovering alcoholic trailer park supervisor wanted to celebrate a perceived moral victory with a sip of beer. His partner, Randy, was concerned and warns him not have a drink. Nevertheless, he did and you could see the alcohol turning the gears in his head. Throughout the movie, he devolves further in an alcoholic stupor. One sip of beer. After my typical Thursday, I have my typical Friday. Usually waking up hungover, I skip the gym in the morning and I usually pick up French toast sticks from Burger King. At lunch, I'll hit up the pizza parlor and get the two slice lunch special or $7 worth of varied items from Taco Bell. I usually drink my dinner. Saturdays are spent watching soccer early in the morning where I may have a few drinks which then continues throughout the day. Same could be said about Sunday, which as of late, I've usually held off drinking on Sundays so I'm not sour on Monday.

Mondays are reserved for sobering moments, such as looking at my bank account or down at the scale when I'm weighing myself. Both are gross numbers. Being somewhat observant, I've noticed some patterns obviously. Pattern recognition is simply noticing regularities in data. That data shows the good habits I've kept through the week went out the window at 5:01 PM on Thursday. Many call it ego depletion. Ego depletion refers to the idea that self-control or willpower draws from a limit pool of mental resources that can be used up. When energy for mental activity is low, self-control is usually impaired, which would be considered a state of ego depletion.

I realized it was high time to show some restraint. There are a couple of reasons for that. First one is financial. I played a game, Figure Out How Much You've Spent On Booze. There are two ways of doing it. You can just take the average month and multiply out 12 and then by active years drinking. That's probably the way I should have done it, but I looked at my Untappd app. I had logged in 1,687 beers at the time of this piece. If each beer goes for $4.50 per beer, that comes to $7,591.50 over the course of a career. But some of those are 6 packs so I did some more math. I also neglected to include the copious amounts of domestic beers I don't log, such as Labatt and Rainier. Back to the first method, on Thursdays, I would spend $12 - $25. Fridays are similar. Saturdays and Sundays are a little more costly ranging from $20-$40. I'm looking at $65 per week and about $270 per month. Surely, these funds could be allocated better.

Health is another reason to show a little more restraint. I bought a car last year and I lost 6-mile round trip walk to and from work. Over that time, I've gained 30 pounds! If left unchecked long term issues such as liver and kidney damage, or high blood pressure or even heart disease.So instead of being a fat, pale white blob, I've decided to make a few changes. Last Thursday, I went to the gym before heading out to the bar. I feel that helped where I actually drank less. This past Thursday, I skipped the bar all together and had a few pops at home, which I paid for on Friday. I still managed to make it to the gym for a little cardio. This past Friday, I caught up with a friend and had two beers at the bar and because the debit card processing system was down, I was unable to buy beer. I had a bottle of gruit beer from Banff Brewing and I was good. I showed some restraint. On Saturday, I bought a beer I haven't had before and I'll probably just stick with that 6 pack.

I'm tinkering around with my diet and drinking because I want to get the most out of my body and life. Drinking less this weekend, I have been able to produce more work than I would have if I was piss drunk. I'm sleeping better and I'm working out more. When I go to weigh myself on Monday, I should see some improvement. If not, at least I have a framework going into the next week.

Editor's note: It is Memorial Day Monday and for all intents and purposes my weekend of restraint is over. Total alcohol intake: 14 beers over 3 days (2/6/6). Between you and I, it was a Herculean feat. I had a plan and I executed. I showed some restraint. My liver, my scale and my wallet are very appreciative. If you are reading this during Memorial Day, enjoy the hot dogs and the cold ones.