Starting May 7, I am on a 30-day detox. I've been wanting to do this for awhile but really needed to find a moment of clarity to guide me into that moment.

I host networking events & happy hours for friends. These are places where people gather to drink and socialize. With as many events as I attend, I tend to drink quite a few nights a week without realizing it along with a glass of wine while working in the evenings.

Working out as much as I have been recently with races upcoming & summer weekends at the pool, I realized I haven't been able to lose the weight around my middle like I had hoped. All the empty calories from wine and mixed drinks have been really unhelpful to my workout routine. Waking up at 6am to hit the gym or the trails has been inhibited by my long days, social drinking and late nights. My 6am self typically loses the debate of 'to run or not to run' and I end up needing to sleep longer.

Running a company takes a lot of vision, passion and focus of which I have a lot less when I am tired from being out socializing & drinking. I need every bit of clarity and excitement to get me through each and every 15-hour day. Being at the office at 8am and networking until 9pm gets really tiring when you're not on top of your game.

I'm not doing this because I believe I've hit 'alcoholic' status, I just feel it's time for a bit of a detox. When life isn't going exactly the way I planned I would have a drink to quiet my mind and stop worrying. I should have been turning to prayer, reading or finding another way to satiate my mind. Music is the way I've always escaped - listening, playing, singing - and I don't use that to really get out of my head. Time to get back into that.

It's been 6 days and I feel much stronger, more healthy and more energetic. Time to order a 7-up with lime or a juice spritzer instead of a martini when I hit the town. I'm excited about my challenge. I'm ready!