Dry January – Hit the Road, Jack!

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Here we go, 2020! There’s something about this new year that has really inspired me already. It’s as though I’m literally being pushed forward into the ring, gloves on, ready to fight, by an incredible force of nature. I’ve had a wonderful life so far, don’t get me wrong, but as many other mothers of grown children might experience, there have been some significant changes since our 4-pack all became young adults with their own agendas that I guess I just wasn’t quite prepared for. Where’s the freakin manual for that sort of shit anyhow? That’s a topic for a future blog….

So who am I fighting? Well, it’s more of a question of what, not who. What I’ve decided is worth fighting for is my health and happiness; my sanity, dignity and inner peace. I’ve raised my kids, sacrificed (gratefully) more of my time, energy and sanity than I ever knew I was capable of. I can honestly say that I’m very proud – not just of my kids, but of myself and my husband, my rock & soulmate, Dave. But there’s something I’d like to change.

Let me tell ya a little bit about myself…

Besides being a mother & wife (27+ years!), I’ve been a certified Personal Trainer for the past 16 years. I eat healthy, balanced meals that I prepare at home at least 70% of the time. I’m very active on the daily – not just in my fitness profession, but with my own personal workouts and other activities. These include many outdoor adventures (hiking, biking, jogging) that I usually drag Dave along for. I don’t smoke or do drugs (ZERO meds!). But my biggest vice would have to be my love of beer! Not just any beer these days – Dave & I have become very fond of craft options. We make it a point to check out local breweries when we travel, or try different varieties on the menus of the bars and restaurants we visit. (Many of our bike ride adventures “might” have included some stops at Michigan microbreweries and wineries….) Fun times! But people that know me as a personal trainer are often surprised that I would imbibe in such caloric, alcoholic beverages. Secret’s out!

So… lately I’ve come to realize the rather significant role alcohol has played in our lives. This is partly due to the kind of people we’ve hung out with over the years. This goes way back to high school years (1980s – yikes!). Weekend kegger bashes were never too hard to find. And we were able to either purchase alcohol ourselves or ask an older sibling or “runner” outside the store to grab us something. We hung out at night in parks or drove around with open beer in the car (good grief!). And the funny thing is, if the cops caught us, they would just take our beer (oh man!) and tell us to go home. No real consequences….

Are we drinkin or are we leavin?

anonymous inlaws

Society has also influenced the notion that drinking is the norm, and the center around so many social activities. We drink to “celebrate” birthdays, holidays, graduations, promotions/new jobs, sporting events, etc. We also drink to temporarily “escape” our emotions & stress stemming from the loss of loved ones, jobs, divorces, finances, etc. If you run a 5K in Chicago (or many other cities), guess what you are likely to get at the finish line? An ice-cold brewski! (Which is usually followed by a trip to your cooler or a bar to celebrate some more!)

I first heard of the Dry January Challenge just before NYE’19. That was my “push” to embark on this journey with the hopes of learning something about myself, as well as resetting my own relationship with alcohol. With that being said, I believe that by taking some time away from it, I’m also expecting to see and feel some positive changes in my overall health. I’m not expecting miracles. I’m not doing this to “punish” myself for being a bad girl (especially over the recent holidays!) but to challenge myself to be a better version of myself.

Honestly, I don’t intend to give up alcohol for life, but I’m hoping this experience will help me to be more mindful of when & how much I imbibe in the future. Today is Day #8. So far it’s been a success! Stay tuned for my report on the first week as a Dry Janner!

    Dry January – Final Thoughts

    Today is February 1, which means I’m “free to go” & jump off the wagon. Yep, I made it through the month without even a sip of alcohol… and I’m still around to talk about it. So here, hold my beer.

    Well I woke up this morning, I got myself a beer

    Roadhouse Blues, The Doors

    When I woke up this morning, I did not get myself a beer. In fact, it’s now late in the afternoon and I’m still “dry.” There’s a very good possibility a few beers will be included in my evening plans. But this is the first song I thought of this morning (Roadhouse Blues), which includes the lyric above. I really felt the need to go down in the basement and dig this out of my classic album archives, so the photo you see here is actually an original “hot off the press.”

    Dry January – it’s not just for alcoholics. It’s not something you consider doing to punish yourself. It’s also not something that’s as particularly easy for the average “social drinker” as some might imagine. There were moments I felt “strange,” uncomfortable, and even a little perturbed at times. While on the wagon, I went downtown to a concert (& spent the night at a hotel – I could’ve drank as much as I wanted!), out to eat several times at places I would normally have a drink, and celebrated my son’s college graduation party where I felt “tested” multiple times. I think it’s mainly the idea that you “can’t” even though in reality you certainly “could”.

    When I decided to partipate in the Dry January Challenge, I made sure to tell others early on. I went a step further and created this blog to really go public with it, partly because I enjoy writing and wanted to share my journey, but also because I knew if I said it (publicly making my intentions known), I would have a better shot at sticking with it. As I suggested in my first post, when you really want to achieve something, it’s a great idea to let others know to really solidify your goals. You might also be pleasantly surprised at the support you will receive. Even if you don’t find that you are receiving support, you benefit from hearing yourself say it, and then you can just make it your bitch!

    Overall, I do feel refreshed, accomplished and strong. Yes, physically and mentally strong. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my choice didn’t have much to do with dieting, as I don’t diet. But it sure did boost my energy level and motivate me to get to the gym more often and work much harder. In the first week, I shed about 4 lbs. The scale didn’t change much after that, but I feel that my body continued to make healthy changes and my clothes are fitting nicely. I feel stronger than I have in quite some time, and it’s only been one month! I’m sure my gains were enhanced by not drinking alcohol, which can actually contribute to muscle loss. This just motivates me further in continuing to challenge myself, physically & mentally.

    So tonight I will celebrate my “gains” with a few cold ones, but thanks to this whole dry experiment, I now see things a little different when it comes to partying. I’ve learned that I can still have a good time without alcohol, but I really don’t like not having the freedom of choice. To me, there are benefits to enjoying beer or wine in moderation, and I plan to pay much more attention to the amount I imbibe in because I sure like how I feel now! Cheers!

    • Aint no hollaback girl!

    The Thrill is Gone

    You can’t always get what you want

    But if you try sometime, you just might find

    You get what you need.

    Song by the Rolling Stones

    Hello again! It’s been awhile, but I’m happy to report that my “Dry January Challenge” game is still strong! Today marks 24 days without even a taste of alcohol, and no I haven’t killed anyone or questioned my own survival. But I have to honestly say the energy and excitement I had about all of this in the beginning has basically lost it’s luster. As the final weekend of this challenge has arrived, here is my current insight & attitude.

    First of all, shout out to me for not caving in and for sticking to my goal! Yeah me! Second, sorry about that, but sometimes we need to self-praise, especially when we start to feel the doubt. This past week, I couldn’t help but to compare the idea of this challenge with the many typical fad “diets” that many people subject themselves to for whatever reason. As I mentioned in my debut blog post https://kellyjobrownfit.wordpress.com/2020/01/08/dry-january-hit-the-road-jack/ I typically eat healthy, balanced meals mostly prepared by me, and I have always been quite active throughout my life. Therefore, I’ve never found a need to “diet” or otherwise completely eliminate certain foods that I actually enjoy (unless they don’t agree with my digestive system). Oh, and I also mentioned that I really like beer… and wine… and margaritas.

    For some people with certain medical conditions or food intolerances, certain dietary restrictions are vital to their wellbeing. Unfortunately, due to all the hoopla about things like gluten and carbs, not to mention total daily calories in general, many people feel they have to eliminate or drastically reduce so many foods or food groups simply because they’ve been duped into thinking that by doing so they will achieve their weight loss goals and be a happier person. Such drastic measures can affect your overall wellbeing in so many ways (including physical, emotional, social, & spiritual). I’ve sadly seen this often enough in the past 16 years as a personal trainer. I’ve had clients ask me about certain fad diets & my answer has always been the same – Stick to what nourishes you, slow down & enjoy what you like to eat or drink in moderation while staying as active as possible. Although it’s very important to be “mindful” about what you eat, your relationship with food shouldn’t suck. Guilt and sadness that could result from such heavy restrictions and deprivations will eventually do more harm than good, no matter what the scale tells you. A healthy mindset mixed with realistic dietary “guidelines” (including the foods you love, at least in moderation) that you can actually follow and enjoy for the long term is what I would consider a “healthy diet”.

    So what does all that have to do with my Dry January Challenge? It feels like a crappy diet!

    Tune in next week to hopefully find me in better “spirits”! Cheers to another weekend!

    Image result for Dr. Evil No alcohol Meme

    nourish your body & soul
    (photo credit: Katelyn P. Brown)

    Dry January – Funny Shit

    Maybe?

    Well hey there, it’s “Day 17” and I’m still cruisin along in the wagon, no beer on board (or any other kind of alcohol). More than 1/2 way through “Dry January” and no, I haven’t fallen off! By the way, I’m glad you’re here, but I wish you were beer.

    So not a whole lot has happened this week to report, but just thought I’d leave you with some Friday night entertainment!

    You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning!

    Lots of drunks

    There’s a ton of songs that have everything to do with drinking, for sure! Alcoholic beverages are prime in the entertainment industry in general. Here are lyrics to some of my faves. See if you can name that tune! (Answers at the end of this post). Cheers!

    1. Now this type of shit happens all the time. You got to get yours but fool I gotta get mine.

    2. Could be holding you tonight, Could be doing wrong or start doing right. You don’t care about what I think…

    3. I don’t ever wanna drink again. I just, oh, I just need a friend. I’m not gonna spend ten weeks, have everyone think I’m on the mend.

    4. We’ve lost our good old mama, and must have whiskey, oh you know why.

    5. Nothing to show but this brand new tattoo. But it’s a real beauty, a Mexican cutie. How it got here I haven’t a clue.

    6. These days we go to waste like wine, that’s turned to turpentine. It’s 6 a.m. and I’m all messed up.

    7. Take another shot of courage. Wonder why the right words never come. You just get numb.

    8. Now I really love how your easy to stack, but I really hate how your easy to crack. ‘Cause when beer runs down the front of my back, Well that my friends is quite yucky.

    9. The Cuervo Gold, the fine Columbian. Make tonight a wonderful thing (Say it again).

    10. Will you have whiskey with your water, or sugar with your tea? What are these crazy questions that they’re asking of me? This is the craziest party that there ever could be.

    Tyrone, my Irish African Grey (a few St. Pat’s ago)

    Tune in again next week to find out how weekend #3 went! Have a happy & safe weekend!

    ANSWERS (lyrics above):

    1. Gin & Juice, Snoop Dogg

    2. I think I’ll Just Stay Here & Drink, Merle Haggard

    3. Rehab, Amy Winehouse

    4. Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar), The Doors

    5. Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffet)

    6. Turpentine, Brandi Carlile

    7. Tequila Sunrise, The Eagles

    8. Red Solo Cup, Toby Keith

    9. Hey 19, Steeley Dan

    10. Mama Told Me Not to Come, Three Dog Night

    Dry January Challenge, Week #2

    • All last night, sat on the levee and moaned
      Led Zeppelin

    Well here I am, almost at the end of week #2! This past weekend was a mixed bag, but mostly good. Anyone from the Chicago area knows we have some crazy weather, and this weekend was no exception. It started out with a torrential downpour that lasted through Friday night into Saturday morning, only to turn into freezing rain and snow by Saturday night.

    Shortly after going to bed Friday night, my son informed me about the water rapidly seeping into the lower section of our garage (which leads right into our house), and the new waterfall-like event we had going on in the basement. The rain was considerably heavy for several hours, and our entire yard was flooding. Of course water found it’s way into my home. Dave & I got up & spent the next 2 hours or so in a humble attempt to at least mitigate the incoming water somewhat – he mostly handled the garage & I took on the basement. Buckets, mops & shop vacs, oh my! You just can’t win with Mother Nature. Damn, I really needed a drink now! Dry January my ass!!! But as I told y’all before, I’m not drinking this month, so that wasn’t an option. We threw down a bunch of towels & old rugs, and surrendered for the night/morning. Sleeping didn’t come easy, as I was all agitated and worried about what I’d find when I woke up.

    The next morning… (cue the organ and the sounds of the angels): basement was dry-ish, garage was fine, and I was alive & well! We had some cleaning up to do for sure, but I felt very thankful overall. So now on with our regularly scheduled program….

    “When I die, I hope they don’t cremate me ‘cuz I’ll burn forever.”

    Harry Caray

    We had tickets to go to House of Blues to see one of my favorite bands of all time. Well actually it was a tribute band for LED ZEPPELIN! I took my Zeppelin T-shirt through some rockin’ renovations so I’d look even cooler than I am. I gave it some non-sewing alterations (because sewing is not a skill I currently have) – fringed sleeves & bottom, an off-the-shoulder neckline, & some cropping to make it look rock-ready! Since the weather was still sucking pretty bad, & the forecast warned it was going to suck even more, we booked a room downtown so we wouldn’t have to deal with driving our sober selves home later through the land of ice & snow.

    After checking in at the hotel, we stopped at a Mexican place along the way to the concert for dinner. When I initially thought about writing a public blog about my journey through this month sans alcohol, you can bet that I did some soul searching and wondered if I’d have the guts to be honest about everything. Well I’m not here to pretend – that would totally defeat the purpose. Besides, this really isn’t like other social media where you seek a max amount of like-button reaction on fakeness, “look how pretty & awesome we are…” (ah, another future blog idea!). Nope. I’m about to tell you how much I wanted that margarita with my fish tacos! I mean, how else does one eat them? Except of course with a Dos Equis or Corona. But the salt, the lime, the pretty glass, the Coronita diving into it like it’s here for the beach party. And then of course the Tequilla! Nope, not today. H2Only.

    After dinner, we began making our way towards the House of Blues. It was cold, extremely windy & snowing. We had plenty of time, and normally we would stop in at one of the many taverns we passed along the way to warm up and enjoy a beer or 2. This part felt very weird too. We did stop at Harry Caray’s though. I hadn’t been in there in years, and we decided to get out of the elements for a bit and check out the multitude of pictures and other memorabilia hanging on the walls. How many people pay attention to all of that stuff? I mean, you may look around near the area you end up sitting/hanging out, but there are sooo many photos throughout the place of so many different types of people! Something I also thought about later that I found ironic is that Harry, “the Mayor of Rush Street” was known for his love of bars, Budweiser and entertaining us with his often inebriated commentary and 7th Inning Stretch at Wrigley Field. Before we left, we took a selfie with him.

    • Booze, broads and Bullshit. If you got all that, what else do you need?
      –Harry Caray

    It’s been a long time since I rock & rolled at House of Blues Chicago. What an amazing place! The architecture was stunning. We toured all throughout the place before staking our standing grounds for the concert. There are so many different bars throughout the venue, including the restaurant and bar right when you walk in, the Foundation Room and the VIP Lounge upstairs. And I wanted to drink in all of them. During the concert, they were serving big-ass beers & White Claws (23oz). We asked about any non-alcohol options but they didn’t have any. We are not pop drinkers, so we were back to H2Only (actually I ordered a Club Soda with Cranberry, which seems to have become my January juice).

    We found a decent spot for the concert just off the main floor, next to Lt. Dan (not his real name) & his highly energetic party pal. We had some laughs, but it was hard to hear/understand them at times. I guess you could say we weren’t quite on their level, nor most of the others around us! The Zeppelin tribute band we saw was stellar! They even looked very much like them! The place was super crowded, so we weren’t at liberty to really venture around once the band started. We had to be standing in the same spot for over 3 hours! Luckily we were by a big pole which offered a little relief to lean on. So it was probably a good thing we weren’t drinking – no need to fight to get to the bar or the bathroom! After the gig, we found a place to sit in the restaurant bar, and we listened to another band play a few songs. I enjoyed another delicious ClubSoCran while getting some relief on my legs & feet!

    Sunday Funday came next. We enjoyed breakfast with our city-dwelling daughter, visited a western retail shop, and then went to the Boat & RV Show at McCormick Place. Dave & I stopped at the original Aurelio’s Pizza for dinner on the way home. All in all it was a great day! I didn’t really care about not drinking, except when we were at the pizza place. It’s funny how I’m seeing a pattern when it comes to dining out. Mexican = margaritas. Pizza = beer! Old habits are hard to break. But Aurelio’s did have a non-alcohol beer option that I thought was pretty tasty!

    • Germans actually make 0.0% beer? Who knew?!

    Tomorrow marks the end of Week #2. I’m finding that the weekends are definitely the only time I really feel challenged with this dryness thing. I’m sure summer would be much more difficult, as there’s nothing like an ice-cold beer (or 2) on a hot summer day after working in the yard all afternoon! Maybe I should start a Dry August Challenge? Now that’s just crazy!

    Have a great week, & check back soon for more on the life & times of Dry Kelly Brown!

    PS, if any of my fellow readers are participating in this Dry January Challenge as well, we’re almost half way there. We totally got this!

    Dry January Challenge – Week #1

    In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, and in water there is bacteria.

    Benjamin Franklin (or someone trying to be Ben Franklin).

    Alcohol does indeed play a major role in society, and it seems to have been this way for a very long period of time. It’s no stranger to religion, art, and entertainment of all sorts. Some say that the Egyptians have been noted as being the first humans to discover and use it (c. 3100 BC). Just imagine them all getting lit and dancing to “Walk Like an Egyptian,” or packing the cooler for fishing & chillin along the Nile River.

    For those that missed my first post here yesterday, I’ve taken on the “Dry January Challenge,” abstaining from alcohol for the entire month of January. So as of January 1st (approximately 2 a.m.) this girl’s been on the wagon. I’m curious about what this ride will be like, and I’ve decided to share my journey with y’all!

    I love big beers & I cannot lie.

    Yes, especially the crafty kind. I enjoy many colors and styles. But I also enjoy wine – a soothing pinot noir or cab in the winter time takes the chill off. Oh, and then there’s well-salted coronitas margaritas whenever I go to my favorite Mexican restaurants! So I kinda figured the struggle may get real with this challenge since my husband Dave & I love to go out on the town, mostly on the weekends. But so far it’s day #9 & I’m doing fine, and I’d like to share how my first week went down.

    Day 1: I didn’t even talk about it. In fact, I hadn’t mentioned to anyone that I was planning to do this at all. I spent the morning in bed recovering from a long night of NYE partying. Then, feeling a bit disgusted with myself, I asked Dave to go for a nature hike with me and get some fresh air. I felt dehydrated from the night before, and still anxious about telling anyone about my decision to “try dry.”

    Day 2: Googled an article about the Dry January Challenge while sipping my morning coffee and sent it to Dave as I left for work. It was time to verbalize my new goal. Whenever you have a goal or change you want to make in your life, try to be sure to tell others (spoken or written) as soon as possible. It’s a great way to motivate you to actually act on it. When you speak it, you “own it.” Works in a lot of situations. So just make sure you think about all the “why’s” beforehand. Don’t worry about the “how’s” because that comes to you gradually at a later time. And there’s a good chance that whomever you first share your goal with will be your best supporter(s) and help you in some way. That’s exactly what happened to me, because Dave decided to join me in this challenge! That day I also shared my goal with some clients who I’ve found are always an inspiration to me and would also be supportive. I had some trouble sleeping that night – tossing & turning….

    Day 3: I think I met my first “resistance” from a friend today, but I didn’t take it personally. They said this would happen – not everyone will fully support you. It’s ok, we all have our own struggles. So now it was Friday night; I was really happy to stay home! I snuggled up on my couch & watched a great documentary on Linda Ronstandt (“Sound of My Voice” – I highly recommend!). Wow, I really underappreciated her talents back in the day! Talk about a woman with goals! Later, when I hit the hay, I had some trouble sleeping again.

    Day 4 (Saturday): This was the most challenging day so far, because Dave & I went out to meet some friends… at a BAR. I felt tired, probably due to lack of sleep the past few days. There was a fun band playing though, and I had a good time watching others get lit and act stupid! It’s amazing the awareness you have when you’re the sober one at the bar! One thing I have to note is that most white people really do not dance well, especially when intoxicated! What the hell are they pointing at all the time? Just curious. Hey, there’s “Elaine”! (Seinfeld) Dave and I both felt weird about not having a drink in our hands – talk about habits! So he ordered a fake beer (nonalcohol Coors) and I opted for a Club Soda with a splash of cranberry & a lime, which was actually very refreshing! We stayed out until almost midnight.

    Day 5: Sunday Funday! It was a really gorgeous day out today in “Da Region”, especially for January! I woke up feeling really good. Dave & I decided to go hiking at the Indiana Dunes. The first few miles were kind of quiet. Then we went on another trail and began to have great conversation about things. We talked about how we each felt so far in this non-drinking challenge, which was pretty much the same. We also went further in depth about the stigma, social pressures, & habits we humans all encounter and live with. One thing that came up is the fact that it’s much harder for a guy to tell people about how he isn’t drinking at this time than it is for a girl. I guess men are expected to drink a lot more, but it’s more acceptable (& sometimes expected) that the women don’t drink alcohol. One of the many stereotypical phenomenons I guess. But I also believe that we all have our own issues, and perhaps sometimes we aren’t ready to face them head on, which makes it unlikely to support someone else who’s trying to make positive changes. Anyhow, we had an awesome day. Ended up at a relaxing and delightful Asian restaurant on the way home and enjoyed a great meal and hot tea! My fortune cookie offered me this:

    • Well Gosh Darn It! …& I will!!

    Days ,##6-9: Over the the next few days I woke up each morning feeling refreshed, energized and much more focused than usual. I felt more on the top of my game at work, more fully engaged, creative, & motivating to my personal training clients. My own personal workouts have been much more productive as well. My stress level has plummeted (except for maybe some moments trying to figure out how to blog, lol!).

    As I mentioned in my 1st post, I generally eat healthy and am very active. I haven’t changed my eating habits since I started this challenge, but as part of this “experiment” I decided to weigh myself last week to see what effect eliminating alcohol would have on my body weight. I lost about 4 lbs in 1 week! I think the combo of less calories from alcohol mixed with much more productive workouts from all the energy I’ve gained are definitely factors. So far I’m liking this, and I’m excited about the weeks ahead!

    Next week I’ll tell you all about my weekend, which will include a rockin concert in Chicago and some other fun things I have planned! I hope you have an awesome weekend too!