I have been enjoying reading some of my old journals. There is information I wrote down that I forgot. Memories are being relived. Feelings are being remembered. Promises made were broken. It is entertaining.

I have been sober two weeks. It has not been hard so far. I really do not think it will be hard until I am in a social setting with temptation to drink. I was reading up about events in my area. Most of them are happy hour or wine tasting events. I will really miss wine. Especially a good petite sirah.

I have done a lot of winery tours. I have been to wineries in Napa, Hunter Valley in Australia, Niagara Falls in Canada, Finger Lake region in New York and one in Chile that included pisco distillery. I am not a wine snob that could pick out the fruits or descibe the woodsyness of a wine. But I like my wine to taste good. It is sad that I could easily drink a $50 bottle by myself in one night. And then still want more. I would usually start my night with the good or expensive bottles so that I would not know the difference if it was “2 buck Chuck” by the time I was drunk.

Mistake #8: I was at a friend’s wedding. Most people get drunk at wedding receptions. I was tipsy when I got to the wedding.

It was a late afternoon wedding. I started the day with brunch that had unlimited pitchers of mimosas for 2 hours. I made sure I got my money’s worth. I walked on the beach a little after brunch to sober up. But it was not gonna be enough. I drove to my hotel to change and get ready for the wedding. I was singing and dancing as I got ready. I really should not have been driving.

I was a little late to the ceremony. I had to wait outside because the bride was about to walk down the aisle. So I missed my friend’s entrance. The wedding was beautiful. It was a great ceremony where I cried tears of joy. The reception was also beautiful. The specialty drinks were red or white sangria. I drank a lot of both. I was drunk by dinner. I was trashed by the first dance. I do not remember the end of the party. I do know I got a taxi back to my hotel.

The next morning, my camera was missing. I tried to call the reception hall but I got a voicemail. I tried to call the taxi company (and was glad the number was in my phone or else I would not have known which company.) It was Sunday so no one would be in the office until Monday according to the recording. I took a taxi back to the reception hall to get my car. I looked around and asked people that were setting up for a church service if they found a camera. No luck.

I went home feeling depressed. I lost a lot of good photos on that camera. I had photos from trips and travels I took the previous months. It had a 32gb SD card. Plus it was a fairly good camera. I love my photos. Like journals, they are a great way to remember the past. They capture a moment in time. And all those moments could have been lost by my drinking.

I took a nap when I got home and swore to myself that if I find that camera, I would not drink for 30 days. When I woke up, there was an email from the bride that her maid of honor had my camera.

I did not keep my 30 day promise.