Octsoberfest Week 3

Summary: 7 cigarettes smoked, 4 alcohol units drunk, 0 doses anti-smoking drugs taken, have stopped Eating All the Things.

Madrid, 2007. Photo by S. H. Aeschliman.

Can we focus for a moment on the fact that I was mostly really good this week? I mean, aren't cigarette cravings supposed to go away after 14 days? But they did not. And yet every day I continued to say "no," even though I really wanted to say yes sometimes. Even though, if the world really does end on December 21, 2012, I will be really pissed off that I went through all this effort to make decisions that were in the best interest of my long-term health at the expense of immediate gratification. The one good thing about this week was that my appetite seemed to go back to normal. I stopped Eating All the Things and even lost a couple pounds.

But then, you know what? It was my friend's birthday party on Saturday, and it would have been a totally different experience for me had I gone out to celebrate and not drunk any alcohol or smoked cigarettes. I'm not saying it necessarily would have been a bad experience, but it wasn't the experience I chose. "Moderation in all things, including moderation." So before I met up with my friends I made the conscious decision that I was going to make an Octsoberfest exception for that one night. And I can't say I'm sorry in the least.

What I noticed:

• That first sip of beer sent magical bubbles tingling through my whole body.
• The first couple drags of that first cigarette were wonderful.
• In both cases, the novelty wore off quickly.
• I slept pretty deeply for about four hours, and then I slept like crap for the next two hours. This, despite the fact that I did not get the least bit drunk. (I was, after all, the designated driver.)
• The temptation to smoke and drink today was no stronger than it had been on Friday.

I could blame my lapse on my friend. Or I could blame it on wanting to tell a good story--after all, if the protagonist doesn't encounter a set-back now and again, it's not very interesting, is it? But the truth is that I did it for myself. No, I can't say I'm sorry, but I don't intend to extend the exception, either. I'll refrain from drinking alcohol for the rest of the month, and I'm still quitting cigarettes.