How My Life Improved When I Stopped Drinking Alcohol

In the words of The Faces' 70's smash hit, Ooh La La, 

"I wish that 

I knew what I know now 

when I was younger.”  

 It’s just so true, isn’t it?  Hindsight is 20/20, always. These words ring particularly true for me as it relates to my relationship with drinking alcohol.  It’s been over 6 years since I began to explore an alcohol free lifestyle, but the benefits to both my physical and mental health have been both BIG and pretty immediate.  Here’s a list I put together about some of things that improved in my life when I stopped drinking alcohol: 

1.  SLEEP!! Who doesn't want to improve their sleep, am I right? I didn't realize it at the time, but those 3 am wake ups I had most nights after drinking was (shocker!) directly linked to the drinking.  Even just one nightly serving of alcohol can disrupt and decrease the overall quality of your sleep.  Alcohol reduces the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep you get. REM sleep is key to processing new memories, learnings and motor skills.  Lack of REM sleep can also make you feel drowsy and affect your concentration during the day.  This chronic lack of sleep even after just one drink, negatively effected my energy levels and mood, making it much easier for me to overeat in attempt to make myself feel better the next day.  And let's just be honest here, a good nights sleep can really solve alot of your problems.  

2.  Improved skin and digestion. I  typically have very dry sensitive skin, rosacea, and in the height of my drinking during college - I had some serious digestive issues.  I now know these issues were exasturbated by alcohol.   Alcohol is a diuretic and dehydrates the body.  Furthermore, when you drink, the liver stops everything it’s doing (like digesting your food!) and sends out the full court press to rid the body of alcohol, which can seriously mess up your digestion.  And like magic (but not really, because our bodies are seriously amazing when they are working properly!)  - this going alcohol free thing gave my body time to recover and rehydrate, resulting in more supple skin, remarkably less facial redness and a complete reversal of my digestive issues.   

3.  My energy levels skyrocketed.  In addition to that full night's sleep, I also saw a marked increase in my energy levels throughout the day.  When our bodies have to stop everything they’re doing to process and rid itself of alcohol, all the systems in the body are taxed.  When I eliminated the stress of alcohol on my system, and everything began to function as it should, I had more energy to enjoy some of my new and renew old hobbies like yoga, meditation, lifting weights, reading (oh my god - the countless books I have read!!), and nature walks. And let’s face it, there really isn’t much else I’d rather be doing.  

4. Maintaining a steady weight.  You’ve probably seen the memes, if you had an all consuming crush on Jordon Catalano   in My So Called Life, how’s perimenopause treating you?  As we get older and our hormones start fluctuating, we tend to put on weight more easily.  This was most definitely the case for me - and I was on the hamster wheel of putting on winter weight, shedding some in the spring and then starting the cycle all over again to varying degrees for YEARS.  Since I stopped drinking, I have been able to keep off the same 10-15 pounds I would gain and loose over the course of the year.  

5.  And lastly and perhaps most importantly, I am confident and comfortable in my own skin.  I am not sure that I truly could have said that before.  I probably thought I was, but  as I look back now, I now know what true confidence feels like.  

It seems elementary, but when you stop drinking - things that you would normally do drinking - well, you have to do them sober.  This feels uncomfortable at first, but as you get a little time under your belt, it’s actually a HUGE confidence boost.  Had a bad day?  Oh well, I am not drinking my way through that one - I am going to pick a more positive way to handle my feelings.  Had a great day?  Instead of celebrating with a drink, celebrate with a mocktail, genuine connection with friends, a soothing night sleep, and wake up feeling even better than you did the day before.  If you can get through your roughest day and your best day and not drink, well - I would venture to say you can do anything at all!  

Going alcohol-free can be super hard and even harder to do alone.  It’s easier to be successful with the support of a like minded community.  So if you are curious about exploring your relationship with alcohol in a no pressure, supportive environment, please consider joining me for The Dry January Adventure, starting January 1st, 2025! You can check out all the details on the Three Birds website and feel free to reach out with any questions. I hope you'll join us!