It’s been 31 days since my last drink. Our doctors tell us not to drink. Even Lil’ Wayne raps in his special guest appearance on the Weezer song “Can’t Stop Partying” – “..party like tomorrow is my funeral, gotta stop mixing alcohol with pharmaceuticals.” I tried several times to stop drinking, but it was terribly hard. Ladies and gentleman, I’m a beer/bourbon snob. I love a nice craft brew and a single barrel bourbon (prefer Maker’s Mark), but sometimes I’d be just happy with some Kentucky Gentleman. I would often drink too much one night and wake up with a headache, or even get a headache midway through the first drink and say (to my wife) “honey, that’s it I’m not drinking anymore!” I tried this several times, but I also work with children….all day long. Further, I work with tantrum-ing, and sometimes aggressive children. Often, I would get done with work and want nothing more than a 40. I would even text my wife and say, “it’s a 40 kind of day.” So, enter the fall of the wagon. After that an occasional drink would turn into a daily drink. Then the daily drink would turn into the daily 3 drinks. I thought I was safe when I started drinking rum again. For some reason rum would never give me a hangover.

Well, we had some friends visit during 4th of July weekend. My friend Joe is the most reserved, introverted fella when he is sober. Get a few drinks in him and he is a child, not a drunk, a child. I was tasked with “babysitting” Joe while he lit fireworks. I have never been more annoyed. The following day I got my drink on. I noticed that I was not treating my wife as good as she or I would like while I was drinking. So that night, July 5, I decided would be my last drink. Along with being unsafe to mix with my medicine, I was becoming dependent on alcohol. I have no problem with anyone who drinks. In fact, I’ll gladly pour one for anyone. But it is no longer for me. I think it is important for all of us living with bipolar to constantly analyze our own behavior, as I did with drinking.