Hello World!

I will start by saying that I am not an alcoholic.  I want the world to understand that alcoholics who try to fight their addiction and are able to overcome it have my utmost respect.  I am not claiming to be one, and therefore I will not compare myself or my situation to that of an actual alcoholic.

That being said, I am also certainly not the kind of person who rarely drinks.  Since sometime around March it is safe to say that I have only experienced 4 or 5 days that were completely alcohol free.  Most of the time it is only two or three beers, or a glass or two of wine.  Weekends or holidays it can get to 6-10 drinks in a day.  Then there are the nights that shoot into the teens, and these occur every few weeks or so.

I also want the world to know that I have quit drinking three times before.  The first two times I made it 6 months, and the third time was around 3 months.  Each time I learned more about myself and the world around me, so I plan to share a number of things from those occasions as well.

--Ground Rules--
1.  No drinking means no alcohol, period. This includes difficult situations like New Years Eve, wedding toasts, even celebrating a newborn child.

2. No other drugs.  There are probably things for alcoholics that would serve the same purpose as a "nicotine patch" would for smokers.  I will not be using anything like this either.

Thats all I can think of for rules.  I hope you find this entertaining and educational.  Seeing as how it is only August 22, I think I will pour me some wine.  See you soon.

Wes W. Whalberg