I took my last drink two and a half years ago today.

And I had no idea at the time.





With a just slight hangover, nothing too bad, because let's face it, seasoned drinkers don't get bad hangovers, I decided I needed to curtail my drinking for the sake of losing weight. 






We were at friends'  house.  They were good friends - real grown ups - they always had a big bottle of Smirnoff  Raspberry Vodka on hand for me.  (And to any snob who may be reading this, I quit following the stats, but for many years Smirnoff won all the vodka contests.)  I humored them and let them think that I actually mixed it with diet lime tonic, which they also always had, as well as limes.  The good thing about clear mixers with vodka is that you can't tell how strong the drink really is.  Clear is clear.  If you muddy it with cranberry juice, the amount of the vodka will be revealed for the world to see. 


They made my drinks in the appropriate glassware for cocktails.   As the ice cubes clinked in the short glass, and the little pieces of lime pulp loosened up, we took pen to paper.  I knew it all off the top of my head.  They say if you ever want to know how to lose weight, ask a fat person.  I knew my stuff. 




Not counting the more than once in a while glass (bottle) of wine while making dinner, or a beer (or three) at a restaurant (never wasted money on watered down drinks out, unless it was a top shelf margarita with two extra shots on top),  I would go through a 1.75 bottle in two days.  That's about 59 ounces at about 64 calories an ounce.  This equals 3776, which is about 4000 calories, or 2000 calories per day.  To lose one pound, you have to burn off 3500 calories.  If I gave up drinking just two days per week, one pound would just melt away each week. 


Just two days a week!  In a year, I'd be more than 50 pounds down! 


I had no idea as I was perfecting my diet plan du jour that I would be enjoying my last cocktail.  I certainly didn't think that 912 (but who's counting?) days later I'd be writing about it and telling friends who are struggling that "it's just a feeling and it will pass." 


But here I am!