Alcohol, I thought, would be my biggest impediment when I started managing nutrition. If there was anything that would be able to rear up and defeat me, this was it . . . or so I thought. About, six or seven years ago, my wife and I decided that having one drink every evening wasn't such a bad idea. In fact, there are so many studies that have such nice things to say about that habit. I cannot even remember when that one drink turned into two, and two drinks turned into three and a half. Add to that, the weekend dinner invites, casual parties, and other festivities, where counting drinks is considered to the trait of a sociopath.

So, when this journey began, for me, it was about getting through a cozy, tempting evening, parked in front of a favorite TV show, or sitting with a book in hand, and not lifting the crystal ware with the ambrosia in it. But, I knew I had to do it. . . stay away from it *completely* for at least a few evenings. First, it was only Mondays. Then, it was Mondays and Tuesdays. And, so forth.

But, on those days that I would allow myself a drink, all kinds of mind games would win over me right after I had consumed the first drink. And discretion would tend to fly out of the window. However, once I began the practice of Intermittent Fasting, something in my body chemistry began to change. Alcohol appeared to begin to lose its shine to some extent. And, I was simultaneously elated and dejected (if you can believe that). :-)

Now, I *never* drink during the week. It is challenging because my wife still does. She is very opinionated that way. :-) During the weekends, when I go to a dinner party or a get together, I delay having the first drink until I am about fifty per cent into the evening. I tell my friends/acquaintances that I had just ingested a medication; I need one hour or so to before I can drink alcohol. Then, I try to take the first drink very, very slow.

Even so, after the first drink, discretion still grows wings! But, these days, there is less time for it to do major mischief.

So, there you have it. . . . . a lot more than you asked for, I suspect.

Well, I drank very heavily throughout university (surprise) and it contributed to my weight gain. I have also made a lot of poor decisions due to alcohol, have trouble controlling the amount I drink, that sort of thing... after moving to Chile, I was drinking at least three drinks every day, frequently alone. These are habits that I'm working hard to kill off.

Now, I'm a bartender, which has actually been a big help... I can hang out around the bar scene in such a position that it is actually quite easy for me not to drink. I absolutely love craft beers and almost certainly go over calories when I do drink them, but I've decided to be open-minded and appreciate wine and whiskey more. I always, always, always count the calories... now, I view it a lot like sugar. Amazing in the moment, nutritionally pointless, and detrimental to my long-term goals.

My big goal is to be able to cut myself off: up to two servings of alcohol for a normal night, four when I'm partying, and seven for those once-in-a-blue-moon blowouts. Limit drinking to three or fewer nights a week. This probably sounds like a lot to many people here, but I like alcohol and I like parties. I don't want to have to quit drinking entirely, but I am working hard to cultivate self-control.