I sort of quit drinking on accident.
I would have described how I drank as very responsible, most of the time. Alcohol by its very nature affects our ability to make sound decisions, so obviously there were times I went overboard and felt physically and emotionally horrible afterwards.
I actually started the process of learning more about the effects of alcohol because of my role as a nutrition coach. I had a client who hit a plateau and I wanted to know how much drinking 1 or 2 times per week could affect her progress. A mentor of mine recommended This Naked Mind. In the beginning of the book, she makes the claim that you won’t want to drink at the end of it. And I thought, “haha, SURE.” While I was pretty good at moderating my drinking, oftentimes when I was abstaining I did it out of discipline—not because I wanted to. I didn’t really believe that could change. I had a trip to wine country coming up in a few weeks. I thought, “well, I’ll just take a break from drinking until then.”
I was probably halfway through the book before I knew I wasn’t going to drink on that trip—or maybe ever again. And the author was right. I went to wine country with a friend, visited wineries, had a great time, enjoyed the scenery and conversation, and didn’t drink. I didn’t miss it.
About three weeks into not drinking, I realized I felt lighter. And in continuing to read, I learned that my brain wasn’t working overtime to counteract a depressant with stimulants—only to be left chemically imbalanced. I think I was living in an alcohol-induced low-grade depression for most of my adult life, even only drinking once or twice a week. When I stopped, I started to feel more like myself again.
If you’ve been feeling off lately—or you’re just curious—here’s where I’d suggest starting:
You’re not committing to anything huge. You’re just getting a clearer picture of what alcohol is actually doing for you. This past year has still had its challenges, but I know—without a doubt—they would’ve been harder if alcohol was in the mix.
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