Motivation!?

Its becoming apparent that when you say you are going to give up drinking for a certain amount of time people ask you why. This isn't just like 'why are you going to the shops?' its more like 'Why would you want to jump off the bridge?' I find this really funny. People assume that if your wanting to not drink then you must have a problem. Truth is if you cant or wont consider giving up I'd say it's you that have a greater problem. To all those people who couldn't give up drinking for just a year I say "Why?" (obviously I'm not having a go at people with real issues with alcohol...its the ones that claim not too that I'm asking the question 'if you dont have a problem how come you cant give up?" ).

I don't think I have a problem with alcohol, certainly no more than any of my friends or family (a lot less in most cases actually!), instead I have a 'reason' for giving up, or in fact I have a list of reasons/observations. Here's some of them:

• To see if I can (if I cant I really would have a problem ;-)


• To challenge myself (I like doing that. I dont like not wearing a t-shirt in summer so to get over my self conciousness I walked naked in Newcastle for 4 hours as part of an art project (see picture))


• When I quit smoking nobody asked why!


• Because it annoys other people. Its like your attacking thier way of life (sad and also I've been guilty of this...sorry Sean!)


• Because its opens up a whole new world (like this New Year where I can drive to see everyone I want too


• Because I often think what will people in 100 years think about us. Like when kids cant understand we once thought the earth was flat, I think in 100 years we'll look back and laugh at those primitive fools who appear in the Internet Archives on TV shows called 'Binge Drink Britain'


• Because if one day I have kids they will not grow up seeing their parents binge drinking.

This last ones important to me. I don't know if I'll ever want kids but if I do it will be in the next 6 years (before I'm 35) and I wont be one of these parents who wonders why there children are messed up when they didn't do everything they could to give them every chance in life. That means eating right, exercising, reading as often as I can and generally setting a good example.

In summary don't ask me why I'm doing this unless you want a long drawn out answer that will imply you have a problem for not doing it yourself ;-)