What didn’t you buy because of alcohol: Friday follower check-in

Was it vacations with your family? Was it upgrades to your home? Was it the dream car you always wanted? What didn’t or couldn’t you buy because of alcohol?

Earlier this week, I wrote about the staggering amount of money I’ve spent on alcohol and that process has my mind on my money and my money on my mind.

For me, it was the opportunity to save and invest all those pennies, which is something I love to do. I think about the buffer of cash and security I could have right now, and I think I’m mourning that this week.

It’s tough to think about those things, but I think it’s also necessary.

Not only is it reminder of why we need to keep on track, but it’s encouraging to think about where we could be by making one simple (OK, maybe not so simple) change in our lives

Now that I’m 50+ days sans alcohol, already I see things rapidly turning around.

Suddenly I have more money than I thought I did for life expenses, I’m back to building a stock portfolio (as difficult as that is with the market tanking right now), and my side hustle income has increased exponentially.

All because I finally decided to quit alcohol.

If you’re comfortable with it, take a moment to think about your own missed opportunities.

And then take heart: there are only good things coming for us now that we’re done with booze!

As usual, please feel free to use this post as a weekend thread to share your thoughts, check in with others and celebrate your small wins over the past seven days!

Writer tip of the week

Most of us have a tip jar here, but how many of us tip others? I’m trying to change that by tipping one writer every week. This week, I’m sending cash and appreciation to Benya Clark.

Benya was one of the first writers I stumbled upon when I returned to this platform because we evidently share a lot of the same interests (namely sobriety and success). I’ve also always been impressed with his publishing consistency!

Thanks for your contributions to the community Benya!

Programming note

I’ve decided that, with much of the interest in this account focused on sobriety and self improvement, I should have a different space for my other interests (trading, investing, sports, side hustles, etc.). If you were one of the handful of people who clicked on my content in those areas, you can now find it here: James Gordon.

Great posts from other writers this week

I always love to post my favourite pieces from other contributors I’ve read over the past week. There are so many great writers on this site! Here’s a sampling:

• Alcohol and parenting don’t mix by Clark Webb
• Three brutally honest life hacks for 30-something introverts by Deon Ashleigh
• The stages of sobriety no one talks about by Lauren Hall
• 1 year of mindful drinking taught me these 3 things about our toxic drinking culture by Breana Wallace
• You don’t have a money problem, you have a cash flow problem by Tim Denning
• I knew alcohol was damaging my liver by Gillian May
• I’ll quit tomorrow: the heavy drinker’s mantra by Paul Goodman
• Are you holding yourself back from sharing your story by Michele Maize (The Sober Vegan Yogi)
• Alcohol is the devil hiding in plain sight by Helena Anne
• Most people don’t lack motivation, they lack the ability to be excited for 5+ years by Tim Denning

If you’re still looking for something to read after all that, here are my most popular posts:

1. The one priceless book that kicked off my quit alcohol journey
2. Why I finally decided to quit drinking alcohol
3. What musician James Taylor taught me about sobriety — and myself
4. Cheryl Burke reveals key to avoiding alcohol
5. It’s hard to stay fit when drinking alcohol — just ask AJ McLean

Thank you so much for reading this far! If you enjoyed this piece, please consider giving it a clap or two so others can find it!

Have a great weekend!