Sober Train A-Comin’ (Part 1)

I made a decision early this year to stay sober – alcohol free – for an extended period. I made the decision for a few reasons. So far so good – but, it hasn’t been that long just yet.

I took my last tipple on a deck at Yamba on the 9th of January. It was a good swansong - moonlight beaming across the water, breeze off the ocean and a good late night conversation with my dad and my brother over a few drinks, which we don’t get to do all that often.

Given the fact we had plundered the contents of the esky before going home, I think my last drink was a lukewarm, organic apple cider that my brother’s girlfriend had somehow snuck into the supply chain. It was horrendous and I only lasted a swig on that before it hit the ol’ bin in disgrace…

The challenge at this stage is to make it to my birthday - 9 April - without indulging. So a few months… I enjoy a good red too much to ditch it forever, but I think the challenge and experience will be illuminating... I’ll re-evaluate after that.

Bob Dylan wrote the album “Slow Train Coming” – his most “religious” album – in the aftermath of some religious experiences at a time when he was in personal crisis.

At the time, Dylan’s marriage had collapsed, he was getting the worst reviews of his life, his touring was being met with ridicule and his health was poor. The week before his profound experience, a member of the crowd at one of his concerts had thrown a silver cross on stage. Not one to normally pick things up off the stage, Dylan did this time and he kept it.

The following week at another show, he felt terrible and thought to himself – “Well, I need something tonight that I didn't have before.” When he looked in his pocket he had the cross. Later, in his hotel room, Dylan is said to have witnessed a vision of Christ; as Dylan himself recalls it: "Jesus did appear to me as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords ... there was a presence in the room that couldn't have been anybody but Jesus... put his hand on me. It was a physical thing. I felt it. I felt it all over me. I felt my whole body tremble.”

The experiences of this time renewed Dylan and, it is widely believed, probably saved him from an “early grave”. They led to his writing “Slow Train Coming” and took his career in a new direction with a newfound enthusiasm.

Sometimes a challenge or an inspiration - however profound or simple, can make you look at the world with different eyes. It need not be “divine” as in the above example. It could be something very simple. But it is a conversion nonetheless. A conversion in thought or from a routine – perhaps a very stale routine.

For these next few months I will be looking at the world with exclusively sober eyes. It is a change of view. It has already been a bit of a challenge. For instance - I would have really liked to have had a couple of cold beers on Australia Day. I almost succumbed… I really like wine with food. I like having a spirit to relax and write sometimes.

My main goal is for it to be a productive time. I think alcohol can be very positive in a social context – it loosens people up and is oftentimes good for lubricating conversations.
But it also “takes” and can suppress productivity and destroy opportunity. It’s a powerful drug – frequently underestimated and easily abused.

I think the charges levelled at wider Australian society and perhaps the younger generations in general regarding a “binge culture”, are legitimate. Much like the hard drinker who reluctantly accepts their problem, Australians hate to admit it, but in truth, it’s blatent. I’ve looked at this a bit already in terms of reading. It will be good to explore it on a personal level. My own drinking has been “substantial”.

Another goal during this period of sobriety is to be observant. I will use this blog as a bit of a platform in this respect.

The feeling of not having any alcohol in your system is a good one. You do feel, physically, much better. That’s another part of the challenge on a personal level – with a desire to do more serious training again to get myself back into old fitness levels (and clothes sizes!), alcohol related sluggishness is one less thing...

I was also further encouraged down this road, by the thoughts of a mate, Dave Butler, who has also recently undertaken a booze sabbatical. He is participating in a movement called “Hello Sunday Morning” in which drinkers take the challenge of going sober (most for considerably longer than I am) while documenting their thoughts and impressions. You can read Dave’s blog at: http://hellosundaymorning.com.au/?cat=174

As a muso, Dave spends a lot of time in what I would consider to be one of the most “free” environments in our culture: that of the live rock concert. Having spent a bit of time in this space myself, I know how conducive it is to behaviour like heavy drinking.

The temptation to drink is omnipresent in our social environments I think, but is also more pronounced in some occupations and scenes. I’ll try and broach this in my next blog, among other things, from aboard the sober train …