A few months ago I decided to drastically cut back on alcohol. Ultimately I decided not to go cold-turkey but instead to limit myself to half of a glass of wine per week. I found this was my personal sweet spot where I still got to enjoy my drink of choice, but I was drinking such a small amount that I was still able to see big, positive changes to my health. Then a few months later the holidays came and I was drinking constantly at one celebration or another (why does being in a festive spirit makes us throw healthy choices out the window?). After the holidays I went back to cutting back on drinking again. After two rounds of cutting back my alcohol consumption, here’s what I’ve learned:
I’ve been fortunate enough not to struggle with addiction, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not impacted by a culture that has an unhealthy view of alcohol.
When I cut my drinking down to almost nothing, I started to realize patterns in when I would typically have a drink. Like many other people, I would drink to “unwind” from a stressful day at work or when I was anxious in social situations. While these may be socially acceptable reasons to drink, it made my realize I was being impacted by the cultural narrative around alcohol. A healthier response would be to confront those feelings directly, rather than dealing with them through a substance. I think it’s worth asking yourself when you want to reach for a glass if you really want to savor and enjoy the taste of that drink or if you’re drinking to avoid a problem; because if you are, then you should probably shouldn’t drink.
Social pressure is real.
Honestly, this was the most challenging part. Once I made the decision to quit, I was committed, and I found it really easy to stop drinking. It was the social pressure that made it difficult. Even some of my closest friends thought I was crazy for going sober, because I wasn’t an alcoholic. But there was more indirect social pressure as well. I was still receiving invitations to events that included wine tastings, and I work at an organization that makes a large portion of its revenue off of alcohol sales so I’m surrounded by alcohol marketing constantly. It made me realize sometimes I don’t really want a drink but I take one because it’s available or because the people around me are drinking.
You’re more productive because you have to be.
I learned very quickly that not coming home to unwind with a glass of wine–which usually lead to me watching TV and doing little else each night–meant I had to find something to do with that time. Having to fill that time lead to me doing so much more in a day. My house became cleaner, my to-do list got shorter, and the things I’d been wanting to do like reading I began to have time for.
My energy increased (and so did my mood).
I feel more like myself than I have in a long time. Since I’ve basically stopped drinking I’ve had so much more energy to do things I used to be too tired for. I was eating out all the time because I never had the energy to cook after work, even though I love cooking. Now I get so excited to come home and cook at night. It’s become a creative outlet for me. And I just feel so much better day to day. My mood has really improved since I cut back on drinking. I feel so much happier all the time.
I’m saving so much money!
I was going out for at least two cocktails every weekend and buying at least two bottles of wine each week. If we say the cocktails average at $10 each and a bottle of wine $11.99 each that’s a savings of $43.98 a week or $2,286.96 a year! What a nice chunk of change. That $2,286.96 could be a vacation! Obviously there are ways to reduce your alcohol spending by only drinking at home, but cutting back drastically can really help your wallet.
I’m sleeping better.
Sleep is important for your well-being. I noticed that after a week or two of not drinking I started sleeping so much better. My sleep was much deeper, I found it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep, and go back to sleep after waking up during the night. I woke up in the morning feeling well-rested when I used to feel tired even after a full night’s sleep.
So, rosé all day? No way! But maybe one glass a week. Or whatever feels right for you.
You don’t need to stop drinking to be healthy, but it might be worth it to think about cutting back. If for nothing else it’s good to cut out drinking for a time to show yourself that you can. I saw a lot of positive changes in my life as a result of cutting back and I hope you do too!
Wishing you a happy, healthy week!
Livvy