Finally, the day had come, the day I was going to get to see Solomun live (a DJ I like a lot). I had been waiting for this concert for months, and it was finally here. But there was a problem: a month earlier I had received the results of some studies, which said my kidneys might not be working properly. I was in the middle of recovery. I had to change my diet completely. I stopped drinking as well – all of it so they could retest me in a month to see if I just needed a change in my diet or if my kidneys were actually damaged.
This basically meant that I could only drink water at the concert, and nothing else, no exceptions. It had been easily over a decade since the last time I was completely sober at a concert, but I was determined to have fun and got creative. I thought: “I’ve done meditation for a year now. I know the power of the mind. I wonder if I can pretend I’m on ecstasy and simulate the effects in my mind?”.
I decided to go by myself in order to remove all temptations. I drove to downtown Los Angeles, got to the concert and started my experiment. The opening DJ was playing and I just enjoyed the music and I took it slow, just people watching, moving to the beat, sipping on my water and walking around a bit. Didn’t feel the need to drink any alcohol, so far, so good. But then Solomun started! Time to really get to work, so to speak. As always, the set was amazing; one great song after the other. With my eyes closed I just danced without a care in the world, letting the music guide me and just enjoying every beat and sound. I was surprised by how much fun I was having and how I didn’t need any substances. When it was all said and done I ended up dancing for 6 hours straight. As I was walking to my car, I felt this happiness and satisfaction for having accomplished my goal, while having a night I would never forget (and a great morning without a hangover).
Lesson: who knew that we don’t need any alcohol or substances to have a great time. Your body, mind, and wallet will thank you.
