Some of my favorite memories and wild adventures were alcohol-fueled bursts of excitement and stupidity. And looking back on them, I’ll still say they were pretty awesome.
But something changed.
I’ve been doing Scrawny to Brawny, a program from the lovely fellas at Precision Nutrition. Over the past six or so months, I’ve added about 20 pounds of mass and outgrew my jeans.
And while teetotaling isn’t part of the program, I decided to take a little break.
Well, I quickly realized how integral alcohol is to our culture. It’s not just about taste (although for many it is). Drinking is — for better or worse — a rite of passage for adolescents worldwide. Men use it as a marker of prowess and masculinity. Heck, many guys outright lie about how much they drink.
Guess if they underestimate or overestimate it.
It’s also that “thing to do” — you grab a drink with your mates to catch up. Or maybe, if you’re enjoying time with a nice girl, you’ll do something upscale and get a glass of wine.
And look, I’m not knocking (reasonable) drinking. It’s fun to go out with friends and “get buzzed:” it lightens the mood, amps the energy, and — usually — leads to some interesting adventures.
Like the first time I went clubbing in Taipei.
But there are some nice benefits to teetotaling, though.
No more hangovers. No more awkward drunk moments. No more losing your cellphone in some random club. No more sitting in your car to “sober up.” No more “forgetting what happened last night.”
Oh, and you save a ton of money.
A ton.
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