Yesterday I got a call from my Doctor’s office. I’d had a blood test the day before and the results were in. My cholesterol is a little higher than it was in 2010. So I have to watch my diet and exercise. ALSO my GGT levels were a little high. So No Alcohol Anymore!

I’d gotten really drunk the night before I got my results, so I guess I went out with a bang. But after I got that call I felt itchy and really wondered about how my liver was doing. Not as good as I had hoped, evidently. I can’t keep abusing it, it already has to deal with all the medications I am on for Bipolar Disorder, so that’s that. I’m not really too depressed about giving up my last vice. I gave up smoking cigarettes on Monday, haven’t smoked pot since January 18th, and now I am turning out to be the most straight edge person. I used to be informally straight edge in high school, I didn’t smoke a joint until I was eighteen (and it didn’t do much for me then) and I had my first drink when I was eighteen too. I knew already I was kind of crazy, and thought avoiding drugs and alcohol would keep me sane enough to get through high school. It worked!

So here I am again, quitting. Quitting EVERYTHING! Shit man, I didn’t expect this to happen to me. I have to live a totally different life now.

SO I am trying to think of what I can do now that I don’t/can’t drink. I listened to Coast to Coast AM shows on Youtube last night and scared the heck out of myself, that was fun! I forgot how much I used to like listening to it. So I tried to buy a subscription to their podcasts, but the visa was turned down. Which is weird because apparently there is money on it! So I put more money on it and will try again tomorrow.

Tonight I was bored so I hopped on the bus and did a loop on the number 6. As I went by the University I realized it was a perfectly clear sky and that Saturdays the Observatory is open. So I went back home and borrowed the car at ten and drove on down. I saw the most awesome thing! Saturn! I could totally make out the rings, it was pretty spectacular! I was impressed. Then we looked at Mars, which was a reddish brown dot, not terribly interesting. Then we looked at a Super Nova in the Summer Triangle which looked like a smudge in the shape of a ring. Apparently Super Novas look like hourglasses, but we see this particular one from underneath (or on top) so it looks like a ring! And tomorrow is the Solar Eclipse, which to us in Saskatoon will be partial. I am going to go to a lecture at 3 to get some free solar viewing glasses and then at 6 I am going to Diefenbaker Hill to watch the eclipse with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, who are setting up some telescopes. I am for sure going to go to the Observatory more often, on nice clear nights. It was very informative and cool! And to think, if I hadn’t quit drinking yesterday I would probably have just gotten shitfaced tonight!

***************** The Next Morning *************

To be honest I had considered quitting drinking for a while. I talked about it at Concurrent Disorders. I was worried about cross addiction, which is when you substitute one addiction for another. Alcohol instead of pot! It was heading that way. So in a way I am glad I have to quit. No more putting it off. It’s kind of a bummer only because so much of my socializing involves alcohol. Now I have to adjust. I read a list of things to do instead of drinking, but they were pretty lame suggestions. Going to the Observatory on a Saturday night was pretty fun though.

***************** Later ************************

There is some good news regarding my home life, but I am not at liberty to explain at the moment. Come back tomorrow for further updates!

This evening I drove out to Diefenbaker Hill and watched the Annular Solar Eclipse with special glasses. It looked AWESOME! I was impressed. Then my friends came and met me and we shared the glasses and then went to my favorite drinking hole, The Yard and Flagon, where we sat on the rooftop patio and I had a virgin cocktail (pineapple juice, 7up, and Grenadine) and a coffee and we all split some nachos. Which is how I discovered I don’t like meaty nachos. Oh well! Then around 9 something I drove home, visited Mum, and finally got a membership to Coast to Coast AM so I can download podcasts! 😀 Going to hear about The Zodiac Killer and Police UFO Sightings and some other shizzle! Exciting! 😀

So that’s the news! I am adjusting to this new life. I think I am doing a pretty good job so far of discovering new things to occupy my time. I am also going to go to coffee shops and sit alone reading all the books I half read, go to movies on my own more often, keep up with events listings in Planet S for free events (lectures, readings, etc.) and so on and so forth. So far my life has gotten richer by quitting drinking, I can use the car more often which is good! So weird to have to quit so suddenly! Oh well, I don’t think I will miss it. I might miss beer, I really liked beer. There is non-alcoholic beer though, if I get really thirsty for old times.