Two Months No Alcohol & Counting

Two months ago, I decided to stop drinking for the near future. This is actually something I’ve been considering since I started drinking in college. I think that the timing of my recent graduation and decision to be sober from alcohol is no coincidence. It is a lot easier to stop drinking now that I am no longer attending college where alcohol is very much intertwined with one’s social life. 

So why did I stop drinking?

I’ve never overdone it with drinking, I’ve just never really loved it. I have a few thoughts on why I don’t seem to enjoy it that much. The first is that I have been on antidepressants since I was 17, and antidepressants famously do not mix well with alcohol. The second reason is my emetophobia (fear of throwing up). Due to this phobia that I’ve had since age 10, I rarely had more than 2 drinks in a night AKA I rarely drank enough to be in the headspace of “Wow this is awesome! I love alcohol!”.

For most of college I thought “Why is it that when my friends drink alcohol they have so much fun?” “Why don’t I feel the way they do when I drink alcohol?” What I’ve learned is that there are several possible answers to these questions. First of all, there’s a solid chance that your peers aren’t having as much fun as they are making it look. I think we’re all guilty of this. I absolutely remember going to many mid frat parties in college and posting videos to my snapchat story that made it look like I was having fun when I honestly wasn’t. And I think that’s NORMAL, we’ve all been there! Whether it’s in the content you post or the stories you recount to friends, I think all of us can embellish from time to time. It’s important to just be aware of it and remember that social media is not real. The next answer to these thoughts is that alcohol affects all of us differently. Whether it’s due to the medications you're on or just the type of personality you have, you may not feel the same way your friends do when drinking alcohol. That's not a bad thing at all, just something it might take some time to come to terms with.

Additionally, I would argue that alcohol is more ingrained into our culture than any other drug. It’s depicted in many tv shows, books, movies, and songs (most times in a positive light). This makes it hard for people who get major FOMO (fear of missing out) like I do to feel like it’s valid that they don’t want to drink! I can confidently say that, for me personally, the societal pressure to consume alcohol is one of the strongest pressures that there is. However, the more I listen to my intuition telling me that I don't want to drink right now, the more confident I feel in my decision.

Now, I don’t want you to think I’m saying alcohol is evil and no one should ever drink it. It’s totally okay if stopping drinking isn’t for you. The purpose of me writing about this topic is that it is an important part of where I'm at in my life right now and I want to create a community with those of you who might feel the same!

One other thing I’d like to say is that I did not set out for this decision to be permanent. I could very well decide that I actually do want to consume alcohol every now and then sometime in the future. All I know is that for now, being sober from alcohol feels very right to me and I want to continue to explore it.

Okay so let’s get into it using the only way I know how… a CLASSIC pros and cons list.

PROS OF NOT DRINKING:

More money. Uh-huh. This is pretty nice, I can't even lie. It’s like a 24/7 happy hour. My mocktails are constantly half the price of my friends’. I’ve also realized that a lot of what I like about drinking is the experience of going to a new restaurant and ordering a cute little drink while catching up with a friend. Kind of WILD, I know, but you can actually still do this without alcohol?! I don’t know why this never occurred to me but there are SO many options for mocktails. A lot of restaurants in Miami, where I live, even have a mocktails section on the menu.  My current favorite non-alcoholic drinks are virgin Lychee Martinis and Pineapple juice with Tonic water!

I feel better. That’s right. No more headaches, hangovers, upset stomachs, random bruises from who knows what… need I go on? I feel so much more in tune with my body and I just overall feel GOOD.

No more hangxiety.  As a very anxious person, I do NOT f*ck with hangxiety. That stuff sucks and I’d like to avoid it at all costs. Case in point. For those of you that don't know, hangxiety is short for hangover anxiety and refers to the anxiety some people experience following alcohol consumption. It describes the sense of worry, stress, and unease that can occur alongside the physical symptoms of a hangover.

Weekend mornings. Who knew a Saturday morning pilates class could feel so good? Or what about a Sunday morning farmer’s market? Instead of spending my weekends staying out super late and paying for it the next day, I’ve found things to do on weekend mornings that I enjoy even more than spending the night at a club that I didn’t really want to go to in the first place.

Better sleep. The quality of my sleep has gotten so much better. I wake up less in the middle of the night, my body actually gets tired when it’s time to go to bed, and naturally wakes up in the morning as well. I feel more on schedule and overall like I have a better routine that both my body and I love.

Overall health. Alcohol has been linked with several different types of cancer, liver disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, weakened immune system, digestive problems, depression, anxiety, and memory problems. During the last two months I have specifically noticed that I experience bloating less often and have less brain fog! Source.

Safety. A lot of things can happen when we are not aware of our surroundings and our decision making abilities are hindered. While alcohol isn’t always the cause of these accidents, not being intoxicated helps us maintain awareness of our surroundings and avoid unsafe situations. While this is important for everyone, I think that for women, this is especially reassuring. When I am out with my friends, it’s comforting to know that at least one of us is sober and can make sure everyone is okay and safe.

CONS OF NOT DRINKING:

The assumptions. Yep, they’re not fun... The classic responses I’ve gotten when telling people I stopped drinking is them (1) assuming I’m an alcoholic, (2) assuming I am judging them for drinking or think I’m better than them because I don’t drink, (3) assuming I am not fun to be around and for lack of a better term… a party pooper, (4) assuming I don’t want to be invited to events that include alcohol.

The way I’ve decided to deal with this is by saying or doing these things: (1) “It’s not a big deal, I’m just not super into it.” (2) “Feel free to drink if you want to! I don’t care at all.” (3) encouraging myself to let loose around my friends when they’re drinking and match their energy (I’ve noticed in these cases I start to feel like I’m tipsy in a placebo effect kind of way), (4) reiterating that I’d love to go out with them or do a happy hour etc.

For me, the pros for not drinking far outweigh the cons. While I don’t know how long the sober lifestyle will be for me, I can confidently say it has taught me a lot about myself, and I am feeling better than ever! As of right now I plan to continue not drinking until February, but I do have a sneaking suspicion that I might never want to go back.