Last year, around this time, my doctor told me that I should stop drinking alcohol. Due to the fact that I pulled the short stick in the liver department, what is normal for most people is apparently already too much for me. So I was told to remove alcohol from my diet altogether. It's been a year now since that fact.
In the beginning, I actually resented this. I enjoyed alcohol, even though I didn't get drunk. I enjoyed wine pairings. I enjoyed having a little buzz during meals for special occasions. And I enjoyed the taste. I loved my negronis, not just the regular version but also its other variations. I loved cocktails. And I loved wine. But all that had to go. After all, if I wanted to live longer, then I better take care of my liver.
So I had to find other pleasure sources in life. And I think being alcohol-free is not bad either. I feel more healthy now. My weight is normal. My liver looks better. And I now have other sources of pleasure that don't have medical side effects.
Funny, I was in Mainz earlier this year, and that happened to be a wine-fascinated city. In fact, while I was there, there was a wine fair right by the Rhine. But I was also positively surprised that there were several wineries who were also offering alcohol-free wine. And apparently this is an on-going trend.
So yeah, I am alcohol-free, for the long-term. I remember having some extended periods of being alcohol-free in the past, either because I was taking some medication or something similar, but this time it is for the long-term. And I think overall that's a good thing.
