Pokemon Go and Quitting Booze: Week 1 Results

After a particularly nightmarish hangover, I quit drinking.

I wish there was a more interesting story but that’s it. I went to an amazing dinner party, hit the pinot hard, had the most spectacular vom since uni and rolled double one on the hangover dice.

I’m not a drunk, nor was I out of control in any fashion. I was your average come home from work, drink 3–4 beers to unwind, go to bed mildly tipsy kind of drinker. No one likes to think of this person as an alcoholic, because if that’s the case, I know a lot of functioning alcoholics. But the pain of this last hangover was so visceral and the waste of a day so apparent that I decided, as of a week ago, to ‘mostly’ quit drinking.

Let’s unpack the ‘mostly’ part. I am set to never have anything more alcoholic than rum balls ever again. But if, say, a friend brings over a bottle of wine that costs more than I make in a month, I’ll probably at least try it. The main reason I’m quitting drinking is to lead a fuller, more productive life, but I still want to experience cool and unusual things.

Sidenote: Pokemon Go came out a few days before my hungover nightmare. My findings may well be the result of Pokemon Go-related hour long walks. I nominate myself as the first professional (BFA Film and Television Second Class Honours) to note the therapeutic benefits of Pokemon Go for combating substance abuse (reference needed).

Quitting Piss Week 1 Results

I can happily (and with great relief) confirm I am not a too-far-gone, out-of-control drunk. I have not experienced any of the shakes, nightmares or body horror usually associated with going dry. Maybe it’s the memory of the hangover, but I experienced very little desire to drink anything. What I realised is that maybe it wasn’t the alcohol I was addicted to, but the act of consumption itself. Instead of pale ales and red wine, I’m now smashing sparkling water, ginger beer and coffee. Read into that what you will, I can’t remember what Freud said about oral fixations but it’s probably something gross. Still, as long as I have Coles-brand fizzy water and distant-memory-of-ginger soft drink, I should be okay.

Sleep has improved dramatically. Previously I would wake up at 3 am, hereby known as Shit Hour, no matter how tired I was when I went to bed. There in those creeping hours my brain would dig up every worry, bad memory and scrap of dread and present them for my consideration. Do I have enough money? Do I play video games too much? Remember that embarrassing thing from 8 years ago? Shit Hour has all but vanished. Whether this is thanks to chasing imaginary critters through Brisbane or not drinking brain and liver poison every night, I’m not sure. In any case I’m better rested, which has probably coloured the rest of my experience.

I am faster. I had three or four job interviews this week (for one job which I later turned down. Not bragging, it just wasn’t for me) and can say quite openly that I was on fire. With nothing clouding me, my thoughts connected faster, I spoke with clarity and probably annoyed everyone with how chipper I was. More broadly, my reflexes, decision making and observational powers felt more switched on. By the way, if anyone reading this feels I’m bigging myself up, don’t worry. Quitting drinking hasn’t made me into Steve Rogers. If anything, I feel like cutting booze has put me on par with everyone, instead of half a step behind.

I’m more relaxed. Just to give you some insight into my situation, I’m in the process of starting up as a freelancer after being made redundant from an okay but not super-healthy job. On any given day my mood swings between ‘Thank god that’s over, I needed a break!’ to ‘Oh shit I need to find work now!’
Both are helpful frames of mind and I let them come and ebb as they please. I’ve applied for bulk jobs, am giving my website a do over, working on friend’s projects and am most importantly, relaxing. In a way, my impromptu tee totalling has come at an excellent time. I’m far from becoming a zen master, but breathing deeper and feeling more in control has made me calmer and probably easier to be around in a time of transition.

Although I freely admit, all of this might not be just because I quit drinking...

Last weekend I got the Pokemon Go medal for walking 10 kilometres. I am a man-child and all it took for me to get more exercise was a free Pokemon related app. There is the very real possibility I have merely swapped drinking for another addiction. Is this a bad thing though? Between Pokemon Go and joining a cult, I think this is the better option. Today I caught an Abra and fifty Zubats.

Over all I would give Not Drinking For A Week 10 out of 10 and will consider doing it for the next few weeks, possibly forever. I’m also aware that one dry week does not mean I have conquered my admittedly mild alcohol addiction. Next time I’m at a party and smell a spiced rum cocktail, a coffee stout or anything made by Wirra Wirra, I may well snap. Hopefully when that happens, an Eevie will appear nearby and I will chase it into the night.