Dry January Update

I mentioned a few blog posts ago that I took up the Dry January challenge—giving up alcohol for the month of January. I stumbled coming out of the gate. The first three days were fine, but on the 4th and 5th days I drank alcohol again. But then I stopped again. Today is the 21st and I haven’t drunk alcohol since the 5th. I want to at least make it to the end of January, and if I can do that, I may never drink alcohol again. At least that’s the plan.

I began drinking nightly to get to sleep. I had very bad insomnia, lying awake all night until the sun came up. So I was self-medicating. But now I’m not drinking, and last night I didn’t bother going to bed. I wasn’t sleepy at all, and I felt filled with energy. I watched a little TV then made two or three videos and published them to YouTube. At 4 AM I went out to the garage and took the battery charger off my Jeep. (The battery had gotten so run down that the engine would barely crank, so I had put the charger on it at 10:30 AM the previous morning.) I checked the oil and added half a quart of 10W-30, which is all I had on hand. The engine coolant reservoir was low on antifreeze, but I couldn’t find the antifreeze I had on hand so that was postponed. At 4:30 AM I pulled on a hoodie and walked down the street to my friend Butch’s house. The air temperature was 21°F and a brisk wind made the temperature feel like 10°F.

I spent two hours visiting with Butch. I felt energized and not at all sleepy or tired. When I walked back home, the night felt even colder. The temperature always falls as sunup nears.

Around 10:30 AM I decided to drive to Food Lion. I walked to the garage and got into my Jeep, inserted my key into the ignition, and turned it to Start. The engine cranked like the Jeep had a new battery! I drove to the store, bought what I needed, and returned home. The car’s battery performed like new on both engine starts, going to the store and returning.

Now it’s almost 4:30 PM. I haven’t slept in at least 42 hours and I’m beginning to feel fatigued. I don’t care when I sleep, be it day or night. I don’t care whether I get 8 hours, or 6 hours, or just 3 or 4 hours sleep. It only matters to me that I sleep a few hours each day. If I can do that, I’ll be satisfied.

It’s 4:30 on this January afternoon. Dusk will fall soon. The sun will set today at 5:21 PM. By 6:30 PM the sky will be dark. Maybe then I’ll lie down and try to get a few hours of rest.