So I'm a touch late putting this one together, partly because the last few months have been crazy and also partly because I wasn't quite sure what to write. As the year has gone on the tokens have become normalised not just for my friends but for me as well so I've had to reflect a little longer to check if I had anything to report.
Token use declined slightly over the last few months as I thought about what events the end of the year had in store that would warrant token use and to be honest it's been really nice cutting back some of my drinking a little further. To have a reason (outside of I don't feel like it) to only drink one night of the weekend has been great. Not because friends will hassle me, as they now understand the #tokenlyf but for myself to not have a drink for no real reason on a Friday or Saturday and wake up feeling worse for wear.
Tokens were well spent in July and August with a few massive life events that called for a few tokens and glasses (bottles!) of champagne. Firstly Woody and I moved into our new apartment which has been fantastic and secondly (and a huge surprise to me!) we got engaged so life's been pretty lovely of late.
September tokens were well spent enjoying mildly warmer weather in dreary old Melbourne watching the AFL grand final and enjoying 'the most fun drink' which for those of you who are not aware is a Pickle-back. Google it if you're not familiar but I can guarantee it tastes like a cheeseburger. I also headed home for my cousins engagement party which ended with my sister and I in the 'bar' at my aunt and uncles house making a range of 'Perktails' and 'Perky Spritz's' for a range of family and friends. Unfortunately for us we shouldn't give up the day jobs just yet to become mixologists, there were not a lot of happy customers after trying our creations...... Luckily this night ended up scraping in as a "yay" and not a "nay" as I somehow managed to miss what I was certain was going to be an epic hangover.... maybe the Perktails aren't so bad after all.
Token days off were spent at yoga, playing hockey, getting back into running and cycling, chill nights at the pub or at the movies with pals and unfortunately finding new ways to manage stress. Work from July-Oct was out of control with the usual winter influx of sick people in hospital combined with staff shortages and extra projects which led to me often feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Now I'm fairly used to not drinking during the week now so I wasn't necessarily gagging for a drink (most days) but I did have to think about managing my stress levels in a new way. One day this culminated in me wandering the streets of my new neighbourhood with some great tracks blasting through my headphones and looking mildly crazy half walking half dancing through the streets. Something I could highly recommend as I felt about a million times better once I got home! I think I still have a ways to go here but something as simple as going for a walk or going to yoga certainly helps and is important to prioritise things like this even if all you feel like doing is curling up on the floor.
As the end of the year approaches and I'm on track to get in under 101 tokens (74 at the end of September) people have started asking me if I'll do it again next year. This has been a tough one and I still haven't made up my mind. Doing something like this over the course of a whole year has made me rethink my drinking habits and hopefully make long lasting change for the future so I flip flop between wondering if I need the token community and actually having to physically keep track as the extra motivator or if I can keep it up myself. Some days I think definitely not as I do still miss the odd mid week/Sunday afternoon glass of wine and would like to get back to having that in my life but that could be a slippery slope to getting back in bad habits and drinking 5 nights a week not being sober 5 nights a week. So I have a few months left to decide what's the best way forward but either way I'm so glad I took up the challenge this year for my health but also for starting the conversation with friends and family about how, when and why we drink.
OK this one's short and sweet but I'm keen to document the entire process to look back on where my head was at during different parts of this ride. I'm excited to see out the year, finish the token challenge in style and be reflect on the year that was, see you in December.
Token use declined slightly over the last few months as I thought about what events the end of the year had in store that would warrant token use and to be honest it's been really nice cutting back some of my drinking a little further. To have a reason (outside of I don't feel like it) to only drink one night of the weekend has been great. Not because friends will hassle me, as they now understand the #tokenlyf but for myself to not have a drink for no real reason on a Friday or Saturday and wake up feeling worse for wear.
Tokens were well spent in July and August with a few massive life events that called for a few tokens and glasses (bottles!) of champagne. Firstly Woody and I moved into our new apartment which has been fantastic and secondly (and a huge surprise to me!) we got engaged so life's been pretty lovely of late.
September tokens were well spent enjoying mildly warmer weather in dreary old Melbourne watching the AFL grand final and enjoying 'the most fun drink' which for those of you who are not aware is a Pickle-back. Google it if you're not familiar but I can guarantee it tastes like a cheeseburger. I also headed home for my cousins engagement party which ended with my sister and I in the 'bar' at my aunt and uncles house making a range of 'Perktails' and 'Perky Spritz's' for a range of family and friends. Unfortunately for us we shouldn't give up the day jobs just yet to become mixologists, there were not a lot of happy customers after trying our creations...... Luckily this night ended up scraping in as a "yay" and not a "nay" as I somehow managed to miss what I was certain was going to be an epic hangover.... maybe the Perktails aren't so bad after all.
Token days off were spent at yoga, playing hockey, getting back into running and cycling, chill nights at the pub or at the movies with pals and unfortunately finding new ways to manage stress. Work from July-Oct was out of control with the usual winter influx of sick people in hospital combined with staff shortages and extra projects which led to me often feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Now I'm fairly used to not drinking during the week now so I wasn't necessarily gagging for a drink (most days) but I did have to think about managing my stress levels in a new way. One day this culminated in me wandering the streets of my new neighbourhood with some great tracks blasting through my headphones and looking mildly crazy half walking half dancing through the streets. Something I could highly recommend as I felt about a million times better once I got home! I think I still have a ways to go here but something as simple as going for a walk or going to yoga certainly helps and is important to prioritise things like this even if all you feel like doing is curling up on the floor.
As the end of the year approaches and I'm on track to get in under 101 tokens (74 at the end of September) people have started asking me if I'll do it again next year. This has been a tough one and I still haven't made up my mind. Doing something like this over the course of a whole year has made me rethink my drinking habits and hopefully make long lasting change for the future so I flip flop between wondering if I need the token community and actually having to physically keep track as the extra motivator or if I can keep it up myself. Some days I think definitely not as I do still miss the odd mid week/Sunday afternoon glass of wine and would like to get back to having that in my life but that could be a slippery slope to getting back in bad habits and drinking 5 nights a week not being sober 5 nights a week. So I have a few months left to decide what's the best way forward but either way I'm so glad I took up the challenge this year for my health but also for starting the conversation with friends and family about how, when and why we drink.
OK this one's short and sweet but I'm keen to document the entire process to look back on where my head was at during different parts of this ride. I'm excited to see out the year, finish the token challenge in style and be reflect on the year that was, see you in December.
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