A New Year's Resolution

I am a beer drinker from way back. I fondly recall the first taste of cool barley and hops that I sipped from a paper cup at the officers club at Altus Airforce Base in Altus Oklahoma (offered to me by my pediatrician of all people, and during a Boy Scout trip to boot). Since then, I have drank beer on two continents, in four contries, and at least three dozen states. I have sipped pilsners on Waikiki and toasted the birth of a prince heir with pale ales in the shadows of Big Ben. I have sampled beers from exotic places around the world and even made my own from time to time. I am a big fan of beer.

My daughter knows this about me and loves to cultivate my happiness by fetching me a cold one from the refridgerator when she perceives I have a need. Recently when I asked her for the favor of getting me a Budweiser, my son perked up and asked, "can I have a beer too?" Since my son is just ten, this is a bit young for drinking beer even for my notoriously open minded views. Even though I'm sure he was asking in jest, his question prompted me to think about the example I have been setting for him. While he may be a bit young for drinking now, it occurs to me that it won't be too long before someone will offer him a draught of temptation. I have never presumed that I could control the choices my kids make in life; my strategy from day one has been to give them the tools they need to make good decisions on their own. With a new year arriving, my choice was clear.

My New Year's resolution for 2010 is to forego any alcoholic beverages for one year; no beer, no wine, no whiskey, nothing.

I announced this resolution on Facebook, and several of my friends offered their encouragement and asked me to keep them posted on my progress. While I appreciate their goodwill, I really think posting updates is not in keeping with the purpose of my little project. I want to show my son (and my daughter too, although she is probably still to young to be strongly impressed) that part of being an adult is having the capacity to make a commitment and to stick with it, and that it is okay to choose not to drink. Dwelling upon my resolution by making constant updates on progress would imply that giving up alcohol is difficult, and for me this is not true. Since it would undermine my intention to pine about how I might want a beer, I don't intend on doing that. I hope my friends understand that I won't be posting updates because there will be no news to update.