Why I Quit Drinking

I love beer. However, on my son's first birthday in October, I stopped drinking with the goal of reassessing after four months. I get asked why a lot.

After having a couple beers, I don't feel like doing anything productive. I usually drink a couple times a week. If I have my first beer at five and drink or am buzzed until bed, that's over ten hours each week where I'm not reading, working out, driving anywhere, or learning.

It affects my health, ambition, patience, memory, sleep, and bank account. Without it, I feel like I have super powers. In the two months since I stopped, I've dropped to my high school weight and leveraged my extra time to learn to swim in training for a triathlon, start lifting weights again, sign up for RAGBRAI, and receive two industry certifications.

I may drink again, I may not. So far, though, the benefits of sobriety are far outweighing my love for beer.