I can't believe I'm saying this...

I'm thinking about cutting way down on my drinking.

(Pause for reaction.)

Yeah, I'm serious. I have a few reasons for this, and they are as follows:

1. It's expensive.
2. It doesn't help when I'm trying to run the next morning.
3. It has become my job.

The expensive thing is self-explanatory, but seriously, I spend a lot of money on this little hobby of mine. Like most other things that I like, I want the best, so I (almost) always get premium drinks, and I stopped being a light-weight a long time ago, so it adds up quickly.

I may or may not have mentioned that I'm training for a marathon, but now you know. I was trying to run this morning after having a VERY good time last night, and I was struggling. I swear I thought I was gonna die. I can't do that to myself, or I'm never gonna reach my running goals, which are a higher priority for me.

The last one is hard to explain. A wise man (probably more accurately described as a "wise-guy") asked me recently if I drank socially or if it was my job. I thought about it for a long time because I'm not a raging alcoholic or anything, but I decided that people expect me to drink. They expect me to drink good stuff, and they expect me to drink a lot of it. It's the precedent that I have set. Of course, I'm not one to do things because people expect me to, so after reading Rachel's blog, (where she mentions doing something unexpected) I decided to cut back. I know that "cutting back" sounds like a soft commitment, but I'm going to really try to do it.

I want to end up as a "social drinker." If I'm out with some friends and we decide to have drinks as adults, then I will be happy to pick up a glass, but I want to cut it out of my lunches (yes, I drink at lunch), I want to stop spending so much money on it, and I want to quit drinking earlier in the night than I have been. This little boy needs to get to bed so he can run before it gets blazing out.

Thoughts?