Yesterday I went to see The Batman. It was the first movie for me at a theater since I quit the booze. And it was the first movie for me at a theater where I wasn’t drunk. I was able to watch the whole movie without falling asleep and snoring. If you know anything about the movie then you know that the runtime 2h 56min. Once you include previews etc. you are looking at over 3 hours of sitting in a dark space. This is the type of theater where you can order food and drinks. Which were my favorite theaters when I was always drinking. And they still are for all the fond memories over the years. Albeit there were plenty of disasters too.
One of the first questions I ask servers now is if they have any non-alcoholic beers. I asked the young lady that question and she replied that they did. Pepsi products. I’ll take a water, thanks. We perused the menu and got our orders ready. My wife pointed out that they did in fact have an NA option: a Lagunitas refresher. I know Lagunitas is famous for very alcoholic IPAs so I decided to order their NA option. A few minutes later a male server comes up with my glass of what looks like a real beer. Red flag. I was already anxious about the young lady getting the wrong thing for me since she had no concept of NA beers. I let the liquid barely touch my lips but in that instant I knew. I felt the burn of the alcohol on my lips. I knew she would get it wrong and she did. No big deal. I’ll just walk down and let the server know. I asked him if this was alcoholic. He confirmed. I told him I actually wanted the NA version. He apologized. A few minutes later he brought the correct beverage. It was my first Lagunitas NA. It was nothing like beer but it did taste hoppy and bubbly. Plus, zero everything. A great discovery to my arsenal of NA beverages.
But that is not the point of this writing. The point here is the effortless self restraint and caution towards the alcohol. I could have drank the glass and then probably ordered more. Because I can’t have just one. I could have lied to my wife and kids. But didn’t. I was true to my mission of not ever drinking alcohol again. I was proud of myself for being honest. I find now that alcohol is no longer the center of my universe, honesty, integrity, and keeping my word to self and others is central to my existence. Life is beautiful without alcohol. Oh yeah, and the movie is pretty awesome too!
I will be 9 months sober at the end of this month.