I’ve had a cool weekend of movies. On Friday night I finally saw Rogue One (holy shit it was basically a Star Wars junkie’s wet dream), then on Saturday we saw My Neighbour Totoro at Prince Charles Cinema in London’s Leicester Square – the undisputed greatest cinema I have ever been to (check out their amazing cult movie listings – https://princecharlescinema.com). On Sunday, after totally knackering myself with a 21k run, I had the flat to myself. I did what any proper bloke would do (no I didn’t have a wank you sadist) – I slammed on my favourite 80’s martial arts movie No Retreat No Surrender. Continue reading
No Reptiles
I got this tattoo last weekend. It’s not an attempt to openly display my hatred of snakes and lizards (snakes are cool I suppose – whatevs), but rather something that I’ve been planning on getting for a while to mark a period of positive change in my life. Continue reading
Evolution Not Revolution
Since I started talking openly about my past drinking problems, a lot of people have opened up to me about their own issues and attempts to quit. There are more people out there trying to quit the booze than I ever realised. I don’t know if I just notice it more these days, but it feels like people are starting to really look at the impact of drinking – the health implications, the cost, the relationship problems – and make the decision to go sober. Continue reading
How To Grab 2017 By The Balls
I didn’t touch a single drop of booze in 2016. It’s probably the first time I’ve done an entire year sober since about 1996 – and I have learned a LOT.
One of the biggest things I learned is that there is an immense amount of truth in the well known proverb ‘great oaks from little acorns grow’. Put simply – you just need to focus on making small changes. Over time these small changes will lead to big results, and it’s with this in mind that I reckon I can confidently offer the best goddamn advice I’ve ever felt able to impart. Tried and tested.
Life Is A Shitty Pizza
…or at least, life is a shitty pizza when you can’t control your drinking. When you stop drinking – life is a really awesome pizza.
I’m evidently not the best at coming up with analogies. Allow me to explain…
When you are a problem drinker, your life will always have a proportion of chaos. This chaos manifests itself as blackouts, missed appointments, problems at work, bad decisions, unnecessary arguments, bad relationships, and money worries. In a world of chaos you’re probably going to make a pretty shitty pizza. Your base will be a stupid shape, you’ll forget ingredients (you idiot), and you’ll probably get the passata all down your trousers. You’ll settle for bad quality toppings, like beans and processed ham from a packet. All of these small parts, pulled together in chaos, will finally produce a totally shitty pizza. Continue reading
A Sober Xmas
This year will be my second Xmas since I kicked the booze – and I seem to remember last year wasn’t entirely without struggle. I didn’t cave in and drink, but I had a few near-misses due to being at a family wedding between Xmas and New Year. I was still relatively fresh off the beertrain (toot toot), and my brother was getting married on a huge old posh estate in North Yorkshire. This was an awesome event not only because I got to witness my bro marrying the love of his life – but also because it was my first time seeing my family since I moved down south(ish) a few months prior. Also, there were family members and friends there that I’d not seen in YEARS. It was time for celebrating, partying, and catching-up with old acquaintances. This kind of socialising comes naturally to me after a few beers – but there I was talking to loud, brash, confident uncles – trying to stutter my way through the reasons that I only wanted a diet coke, please. Continue reading
Booze Makes You Fat
It’s true. It’s one thing about drinking that is never disputed. Alcohol contains calories, and if you stop drinking then you will probably lose weight – unless you replace the booze with cakes and soft drinks. Continue reading
Go Hard Or Go Home
Today’s blog is more of a pondering, based on recent thoughts about the type of person that may be predisposed to ‘enthusiastic drinking’.
After I stopped drinking, I quickly learned that I have a 2 very distinct traits:
- I’m impatient. If I decide I want or need something, then I want it NOW. I’m not good at waiting for things. This manifests itself massively when it comes to my car. If I sense something is off – for example the steering is pulling to one side – then I’ll hunt down the garage with the nearest availability to fix it, and I won’t drive that fucker in the meantime unless completely necessary. e.g. to get to work.
- If I do something then I’ll do it properly and with gusto, otherwise what’s the point? If I’m going to make music then it has to be the LOUDEST, if I’m going to watch a violent movie then it has to be the MOST VIOLENT MOVIE, and if I’m going to order a steak it’s going to be a GODDAMN MASSIVE FILLET STEAK.
[Guest Blog] The Missus
My fiancee, Em, was with me from before I made the decision to quit the lovely brown booze. She’s been there through my struggles, wobbles, and moodswings, and was kind enough to offer support by quitting at the same time as me. I asked her if she’d mind writing a blog about the experience from her side of the table, and so here you go 🙂 Continue reading
Were you really that bad Jon?
As I’ve mentioned before, I was never someone you’d probably describe as a classic alcoholic. I wasn’t a weekday drinker (or at least not for the last 6 or 7 years), and I’ve never ‘needed’ booze – not until I got started on a Friday night anyway. From that point I held it close right up until Sunday bedtime. But then I wouldn’t touch a drop until the following Friday. Continue reading
SoberPunks 