I haven’t had a drink in 10 months and no one is more impressed by that than I am.
I didn’t always drink. I would have a drink here and there to celebrate or when out to dinner but I never started drinking to relieve stress until we moved to Ghana.
Trying to get used to living in a country so different from ours was difficult for me. In addition to the general situation, we brought our little puppy, Frankie, along with us. He was a handful. And I’m being nice.
Every day, David would go off to work. I didn’t know anyone and would be stuck in the house with Frankie. It all seemed too much and suddenly, a nice refreshing Gin and Tonic seemed like a really great idea. After a couple, I could nap the afternoon away until David came home and we could go out and grab dinner. And Club beer.
When we started traveling overseas, checking out the local beers became a thing that David and I loved to do. i remember the first time was in Amsterdam. I loved how the city was set up and that on practically each corner you’d find a bakery, a cheese shop, a chocolate shop, and beer. Tables with umbrellas dotted the intersections. Heineken was the beer we’d drink there.
Eventually, we made a Top 5 list of our favorite beers:
- Club Beer – Accra, Ghana
- Belekin Beer – Belize City, Belize
- Fiji Gold – Suva City, Fiji
- Tiger Beer – Singapore
- Red Stripe – Strawberry Hill, Jamaica
After we returned from Ghana, I continued to enjoy beers with David almost every place we went but I wasn’t stress drinking until I became a REALTOR. As the real estate market got crazier and the deals got harder, I started drinking. Sometimes every day.
I hated that. My dad and grandpa were alcoholics. I could see that drinking out of stress was a slippery slope. I would beg God to help me stop drinking. I’d wake up with fresh resolve and then, at the end of the day, give in and drink. The more I couldn’t stop, the more I hated myself. I pleaded with God to please help me stop.
On July 2, 2022, we went out to dinner with a couple who were some of my very favorite clients. It had been a tough day. I was so looking forward to visiting with them and just relaxing. I proceeded to drink my face off. I HATED myself the next morning. I was so embarrassed.
David said I wasn’t obnoxious but I couldn’t get past the fact that I drank way more than I should have. I was so mortified and that was the last time I drank. God did a miracle and I haven’t even wanted to drink since then.
I could not have done it without Him. He is still in the miracle business and I’m so glad to have experienced one.
I fondly think of drinking beer on a street corner, with David, in another country but I don’t ever have a taste for alcohol and I’m glad. God is good. Thank you, Jesus!