The last time I had alcohol

There was a day in October 2023 when I had my last sip of alcohol.

I don’t remember the exact date, but I remember the setting. I had just finished a good late afternoon run in Dana Point, California. On my way back home, I stopped at Albertsons, a local grocery store, to grab a cold IPA. I’d done it countless times in the past — enjoyed a beer after my run. If I had no beer in the fridge, I’d make an errand to get it. I’d often also buy wine, usually a bottle of Chardonnay. A run. A beer. Dinner. Half a bottle of wine. Day after day, year after year — such was my evening routine, plus or minus. Sometimes I’d just have wine, no beer. I greatly enjoyed my evening drinks.

During 2023, I had already been drinking less. There were many days when I’d skip my evening drinks. At the end of 2022, I attempted a dry few weeks and discovered it wasn’t difficult to change my habits. I was then on and off with my evening drinking.

So that night, I arrived home and started drinking my beer. I didn’t finish it. Whenever I experimented with different beer brands, I’d finish my bottle or can even if it turned out bitter, but that night I just didn’t enjoy it at all. I had my dinner and a cup of green tea.

At the time, I didn’t know it would be my last drink. About a month later, I ran a 10K Turkey Trot Thanksgiving race. Coincidentally, it was also in Dana Point. I left a post on social media, bragging about my 35-minute result from the race, my nutrition, and how I’d stopped drinking.