I’m not saying that you should quit alcohol, and I’m not judging anyone who drinks, but I quit alcohol.

I drank very little. I maybe had a couple of beers or a couple of drinks over the weekend. Then I decided to cut back further, and those same drinks became once a month, if that.

Then last year I had a—we’ll say—discussion with my doctor, who wanted me to add additional prescription medications to my daily routine. I did not want to do that, and I shared that with my doctor. She persisted. At the end of the conversation, I told her that if it made her feel better, she could write the prescriptions, but I had no plans to fill them.

That discussion sent me on a 12 month quest to remove foods and beverages that were not serving me well, and alcohol was one of those.

I didn’t drink a lot. I had a few beverages a month, typically on the weekends over dinner. If I went out with friends, I’d have a couple of beers, maybe an Old Fashioned cocktail, but I always felt quite poorly the next day. I figured it was the sugar. But, at any rate, I did not feel well, and I needed to clean up my diet or risk having more discussions with my doctor.

So I decided that I would quit alcohol for the next 12 months.

I made it the majority of the way through the year, and then I caved at a dinner. I had two Old Fashioned cocktails. Then, a couple of months later, a friend had a birthday party at a brewery. I had three beers there.

The following day, I realized that my yearly physical was coming up in a few short weeks. I had been working toward several goals, and then I realized that I had broken my no-alcohol goal. I had five drinks total for the year. And while five drinks over the course of a year is not a drinking problem, it was five drinks more than I had promised myself.

I failed. I had made a promise to myself to live with intention, and that intention was no alcohol over the course of the year. The whole reason I created this case study is to hold myself accountable, and I had not delivered on that promise.

The following weekend was another birthday party with a room full of people who drink. I promised myself no alcohol. This time was different because I had to start over, and I did not want to feel the disappointment of failing to be disciplined enough to finish what I had started.

As of June 1, 2026, I started another 12 months with no alcohol.

And, as predicted, the group started pouring shots in celebration. I sat on the other side of the room, away from the group. They began looking for me to do the birthday celebration shots with everyone, and I politely declined.

“Ah, come on. Do a shot with us.” they exclaimed.

“No, thank you. I’ve made a decision not to drink anymore,” I said.

The requests persisted, but I stayed steadfast in my decision.

No alcohol.

I didn’t want to let them down by not celebrating as they were. I wanted to be part of the group, but I also didn’t want to feel poorly the following day. Nor did I want to let myself down by caving to groupthink.

I had made a promise to myself, and I knew how I had felt a few weeks earlier when I realized that I had broken that promise.

All is well. I didn’t drink any alcohol at that party, and all of June and July 2026 have been alcohol-free. The goal is no alcohol through June 2027 for next year’s physical, but to be blunt, I’m done with alcohol.

There was a time many years ago when I used alcohol to deal with stress. Sometimes I’d have a drink after work to take the edge off, and most of the time I’d go out for dinner and drinks on the weekends to deal with the stress of my career.

There are better ways to deal with stress.

Over the course of a long career dealing with other people’s trauma, alcohol ended up being a way to take the edge off.

These days, I use circuit training. More to come…

Make it your Absolute Intent to be better today than you were yesterday.

My circuit training buddies. Garage gyms are the best.

NOTE: I’m not an expert in anything. These musings are simply a case study to hold myself accountable to live intentionally. I want to be the best version of myself.

It is my belief that if I focus on the five pillars I developed for myself, then finding a balanced life should be easier. My musings are based on my life experiences and the need to live with intention.

I welcome thoughtful comments.