The Next Big Thing

It's been coming for a while. Both wifey and I agree on that.

For some time now I have had niggles here and there, the first one I can remember came back in 2010, at the DRC, which was an Avocet work trip to Bali to attend a mining conference. We spent approximately ten minutes at the conference in three days. Most of the rest of the time was spent drinking.

At the end of that, while waiting for our flight at the airport, my body was speaking to me. It wasn't particularly happy. But what did we do that night after arriving back in KL? Well it was the work Christmas party wasn't it? Another big one. Since then, certainly not every day, but often enough, I have had a niggle here and there inside. So yeah, I call it my body talking to me. I haven't really listened though.

See apart from enjoying a drink, well I love to eat too. Living in Asia? That was heaven. Luckily I am not a super sweet tooth, but still, I do enjoy a bit of chocolate or ice cream, like my salty snacks, and love my food. Put that together with drinking, and a more and more sedentary lifestyle as I have gotten older, and well, the recipe is there for health issues. Apart from the general overdoing it aspect, alas these things run in the family too - diabetes, heart trouble, alcoholism, obesity. It's a real shit actually - if only life allowed us to partake as much as we wanted to.

Anyway, so further to that 2015 medical, I know what I need to do. Wifey and I have partied hard and long for a good 10 years. Long Island iced teas at Chillis in the early days, cocktails at Hard Rock in NYC and Penang, drinks on the rooftop at the Hong Kong Peninsular Hotel, beers all over the central and western USA, cartons on the balcony in KL, drinks with family out the back in Barooga, you name it, we've drunk it. We've had a ball.

But the time has come for me to stop drinking. So I have. Today is Day 4, and already this is the longest time without a drink in over 10 years. Never say never, but as my family and I have agreed, I need to ensure I am here for the long term. I need to continue to provide for my family, and to be here to love, support and enjoy them. When the kids grow up and go do their own thing, well wifey and I have plans for that. Then we'll get back to our old merry ways and enjoy the rest of our lives doing as we please.

Hey, I know people will say just have a couple, moderation and all that jazz. It just doesn't work for me, much like it didn't with smoking. I have to give it up altogether.

I am very comfortable with this decision. I need to value my health more than I have been doing. It's not just about me, I have a responsibility to my family. I need to do this.

I look forward to recovering my health. I'll keep you updated.