I Quit Drinking for a Month.
A dear friend of mine recently completed a Tough Mudder and when I asked her about it, she said to me, “We’re in our thirties now. When is the last time you accomplished something you didn’t know you could?” And when she said that, it hit me -- That is exactly what I have just done in not drinking for the month of March.
This may not seem like a huge deal to many, but for me it is. Before this month, I honestly could not tell you the last time I went a day without a drink. This doesn’t mean I was raging all of the time, but I definitely came home every night and poured a glass of wine. It was just a natural habit. So when I decided to try and give that up for a month, it honestly seemed impossible.
Then people told me they didn’t think I could do it. If you know me, that’s all I need to hear to actually do something. Everyone’s least favorite example of this is that a boy told me I’d never last five years in Los Angeles, so it became imperative to me that I did. I guess I just like to prove people wrong. So, like, if you want to tell me I’ll never be a millionaire, feel free.
It wasn’t super easy, obviously, and it was incredibly boring at times, but I found that I was able to replace my desire for wine with working out. I know that’s not interesting to a lot of people, but this is about me so deal.
That being said, in the last month, by giving up alcohol and spending a lot of time exercising, there have been some noticeable changes. And when I say noticeable I’m talking like even the barista down the street commented.
Obviously, my body has changed. I just typed that it was much tighter and then laughed out loud, so let’s just say that I am visibly more fit. I don’t think this is unique to just sobriety or working out, I think it’s the combination of both. Either way, my ass looks great and I’m down a pant size.
My skin is much different. It’s not as red or puffy anymore and I look much younger. In fact, a new staff member at Soul thought I was twenty-five and a Lyft driver told me there was “no way” I was over thirty. Side note: He was telling me about his upcoming birthday and I told him thirty was a good year for me, I didn’t just divulge my age for a compliment, although that’s absolutely something I would do.
I am more productive than I’ve ever been. My dad told me I was “sharper” (such a dad word) and a friend that I write funny content for every week told me I was funnier. I know you didn’t think that was possible but apparently it is.
It’s also been brought to my attention that I’ve been much nicer. You definitely didn’t think that was possible, either, I’m sure.
Overall, I feel fucking amazing. I like how I look, I like how I feel, I like being productive and to be totally candid I like the attention. When you’re thirty two and live alone, you take it where you can get it.
People keep asking what my drinking habits will be now that the month is over. It’s nice to know that if I want to have a drink, I can, but in all honesty, I don’t really have any desire to.
