A Pint’s Worth of Perspective

Living gratefully today, I give thanks for cooler, less humid air and a pleasant visit in that outdoor air with a couple friends last evening. 

Years ago, I traded in pints of alcohol for pints (or more) of ice cream. I love my sweets. A thousand calories in a pint of ice cream aren’t good for me, but they aren’t as costly to me as a thousand calories of alcohol were in my drinking days. 

I never cared about the calories in what I was drinking. . . I only cared about the alcohol in the beer or whatever else I had in front of me. That was the key ingredient: alcohol as numbing agent.

Sure, you say. Good way to rationalize and justify eating fattening ice cream. Sure, you’re right. This rationalizing and justifying doesn’t give me a hangover though. And it doesn’t cause blackouts. It has even been known to calm me down and send me off to a more peaceful slumber. 

I use ice cream to celebrate and commiserate. I used alcohol for the same reasons, and many more, but it wasn’t long before alcohol started using me. 

Have I ever regretted eating too much ice cream? Not while I was eating it, but maybe when my overindulgence made my pants a little snug. 

Did I ever regret drinking? Most of the time. Especially as my disease progressed and I knew it had me. Regrets and remorse, escape and emotions. Repeat. 

Living gratefully today, I am cherishing the gifts of sobriety and recovery.