I was on the fence if I should share this experience because people have feelings about this topic. It brings up stuff for people and I guess I worried it made me sound ”lame” or ”boring” but I figured why not. I haven’t had a drink in over a month (well I did have 1/2 a spritz last month at a party, but decided to stop there). Otherwise I haven’t had a sip of alcohol since Quinn’s birthday party August 14th.
I’ve never been a big drinker, so this is not a drastic change for me. I didn’t/don’t have a problem with alcohol and would consider myself a moderate drinker (probably about 3-4 drinks a week). All this to say I didn’t take a break from alcohol because I felt like I had a problem with it. It honestly just kind of happened.
I got way too tipsy at Quinn’s birthday party and got really sick. I was frustrated with myself afterwards and alcohol honestly did not even sound appealing for 2 weeks. It was easy to refrain from it. Then I got a cold before school started and I was trying to avoid drinking to get healthy in time to start my new job. Then I just kind of got in a groove of not drinking and liked the way it felt.
I have recently listened to a few podcasts about the physical and mental side effects of alcohol (here) and the idea of taking a break from alcohol and social implications (here).
Even though I was not a big drinker prior to this break I have noticed some changes in my health and mood and felt like it should be shared.
- Decreased anxiety
- More patience with my family
- Less breakouts/clearer skin
- Better sleep
- Less brain fog
- Less puffy/inflamed
As summer was winding down my anxiety was getting pretty bad. I was not sleeping well, I was short tempered, and moody. Cutting out alcohol and stopping melatonin has improved my sleep. I enjoy my sleep cocktail of magnesium, L-theanine, and CBD in the evening (talked more about it in this post). I’m sleep really well right now. I’ve also noticed how much more calm and balanced I feel. I’m a more patient mom right now (most of the time lol). I’m also noticing less breakouts. My skin is the best it’s been in a while thanks to giving up dairy again and the amazing ladies at Sapien, but I also think no booze is also helping it.
It’s funny I was listening to a podcast about taking a break from alcohol and he talked about how most people don’t even enjoy the taste of alcohol do it to be social and fit in. While I do enjoy certain wines and champagne, I don’t LOVE the taste. Sometimes I’m in the mood and it does sound/taste good, but right now it just does not. I realize I mostly have a drink to be social or take the edge off in the evening (which I’m learning just backfires).
Will I be sober forever? 100% not and that’s not the goal. There is no goal really, but to just listen to my body and make healthy decisions for it. I don’t think about drinking as black or white because again alcohol is not a problem for me. Right now I don’t feel like it and I’m enjoying the health benefits of not consuming it. If I’m in a situation where it sounds good and will be fun I likely will have a drink.
A big part of taking a break from alcohol is just coming up with new routines/alternatives. Most evenings I do have a CBD gummy (green queen is my fave) and drink a Poppi drink while making dinner.
xx, A
