I have had time and reason to reflect on different areas of my life, and the combination of my  health concerns and finding a benefit in writing has led to a more purposeful introspection than I imagined undertaking. There are aspects of my past that I am not particularly proud of. I am fully aware that I can’t change anything but I can use those past experiences as internal reference points to grow and help develop my awareness and self control.

I am aware of my weaknesses and how to frame them with little tweaks that make massive differences. With my previous drinking for example, I didn’t consciously think this at the time, but I know retrospectively belief that I made the personal decision to stop altogether because I had zero trust in myself in putting a “social limit” on myself. In the early days of not drinking, I made a subconscious decision that my response to being asked if I wanted a drink was I don’t drink as opposed to saying I don’t want a drink. One response answers a question, the other makes a statement. That statement massively helped reinforce my decision.