AUGUST CHALLENGE:Alcohol

I think I have said before, I need goals.  


Short term, disciplined, to the point goals.  And I especially like when I can check things off my list.  


It is for this reason that I am giving up alcohol for 30 days (33 to be exact).  


Now, let's get one thing straight... I am not an alcoholic.  I have never been an alcoholic, and have no real thoughts of becoming one anytime soon.  I drink occasionally on the weekend, and Love red wine.  SO why have I chosen this? 


Well, here's why.  Between weddings, fourth of July, and all of the wine festivals I have attended in the past month, I am starting to notice the some changes around my mid-section that I am not so found of! Plus there is not a whole lot about it that is good for you (Lie: Red wine is chocked full of anti-oxidants, and my family swears by it... but this i not what I have been drinking recently), and, point blank, it is just straight UP embarrassing to be in a hot yoga class and sweat the chardonnay from last night's dinner with Dad.  


Plus, I am SUPER looking forward to a vacation at the end of the summer (labor Day weekend, to be exact) is going to mark the end of my drinking celibacy.  I only came up with this idea a few days ago (in hot yoga) that I would give it up for all of august (and then some).  It will be a challenge, mainly because when you say "don't think about alcohol" what is the first thing you think of? That's right.  Plus, august will be hot, and Lemonade is so delicious with a little vodka in it :)


Let's set a few more ground rules: If i go out to a place where alcohol is present, I will tally an estimate in what I think I might have drank at the establishment, and be keeping a tally of what I save by NOT drinking.  This money will go into my savings.  Any drink I crave will be researched (no dissertations, just a quick summary), and in the event I lose weight, I will be weighing in every sunday.  How's that for a project?


I googled "why do people drink alcohol?" and most of the hits from "studies" and informal polls say: for socializing.  Hmmm... This makes sense, but I remember their being a time when it was not so hard to socialize without alcohol... so what makes it so magic? I hope to find out this august.  I also plan on posting more alcohol related facts, traditions, or maybe even some recipes.  The second most popular reason people drink (according to .com's and informal polls) is because they like the taste... which made me wonder who they were polling, because if it were 19-25 years olds as one site reported, I am calling shenanigans and tom-foolery right now on them! I did NOT like the taste of alcohol (except a good Cabernet) at 19.  


TO reflect on the sociability aspect of it, let's talk about my last drink.  Last night I went out to mexican food with my Dave and his Parents.  It was Mexican food.  And guess what I had? Yup.  House margarita.  If you know me you know I don't drink beer, so margarita is the next traditional drink of choice in American Establishments.  I am not really a huge margarita drinker.  I grew up on them and I think at family gatherings I got enough "tequila-ritas" (as we called them) before I was even 18, let alone 21.   It is also for this reason that I am particular about my margartias.


This one was NO GOOD! Had I thought about it, it was maybe the worse Idea for a last drink.  So why was a drinking it??? Sociability, baby!  Don't get me wrong, Dave and his parents are great, but when the three of them get together, all they talk about is... airplanes.  And not that I don't like airplanes, but don't breathe them the way they do.  And all the jargon that goes on is like a different language.  So.... sip sip sip! after you get almost to the bottom it is not so bad! And now I can not feel so bad for not keeping up with the conversation, because now my brain is moving pretty quickly through other notions... and it doesn't MATTER that I am in Natalie land... I have nothing to contribute to the airplane conversation anyways.  I big bowl of tequila makes me socially acceptable.... and ready for bed!


Sidenote: If you are trying to lose weight, margaritas are the WORST way to go... One margarita (frozen) is in and around 250 calories!!!!! that is one that is 6ish oz.... NOT the FISHbowls they normally give you in restaurants... those are about 400... Just saying.  


Cheers!