Ok, my 30 days being completely sober was actually pretty fun (well, at times), but when I was the only one drinking water at the pub with my friends, this gif definitely popped into my head once or twice. Here’s the thing, I don’t have and have never had a problem with drinking. The reason I wanted to try out not drinking for 30 days was because I really wanted to do a sort of cleanse after drinking beer everyday for three weeks in Thailand, and doing a bit of damage to my liver during Christmas party season in December. I also wanted to put more focus on eating healthy, exercising regularly, and losing some weight (muffin top and Thai beer belly be gone!), and I knew that I couldn’t do that if I allowed myself to continue drinking as often as I’d been in the previous two months.

It’s funny actually, when I got back from Thailand I told one of my close friends about my decision to not drink for 30 days, and she told me she had just finished a 25-day no drinking ban of her own. This definitely made me feel pretty good about my decision, but I’m telling you, saying no to alcohol for 30 days was way more challenging than I’d thought. First off, I can count at least 10 instances in which I had to say to no to a drink. That’s how often drinking comes up in social situations, and I’d just never realized it before! And I’m not part of any club or party scene either. But still when your main friend hangouts are going to a restaurant or pub, of just going to each others houses, drinking comes up almost every time!

So, what was my experience like besides feeling like the odd man out for an entire month? It was actually really positive. I’ve been more productive, more motivated to exercise and make meals at home, and have had plenty of energy after hanging out with friends instead of feeling tired and tipsy. Sure, there were a number of stressful times when I yearned for a glass of Chardonnay, but that also made me realize that it’s probably not a good thing to crave alcohol when I get stressed out. Instead, whenever one of these cravings occurred I would either go for a run or make myself a cup of tea, and both always did the trick.

Moving forward, I’m going to be making some changes to my life in order to implement what I’ve learned from this experience. First off, I’m not going to drink during the week. The work week is when I’m the busiest or most stressed out, and I know alcohol would just slow me down and waste my time. Also, when I drink I’m not going to have more than two drinks per day. This is partially because I don’t want to drink to get drunk, but also because drinks are filled with calories! For instance, if I was to have 3 glasses of wine on Saturday, and another 3 on Sunday, at 125 calories per glass, I would have consumed 750 in empty calories. One of my 30 minute runs only burns 380 calories, meaning I would have to run twice a week just to burn off those wine calories. Ya, I don’t think so. I want to run to get more in shape, not keep my current shape.

So cheers to a new, less tipsy me! I’m gonna miss doing any of my wine or beer reviews on here, but maybe it’s for the best that I don’t consume a bottle of wine by myself for the sake of this blog right?

Have you ever abstained from drinking for a long period of time? What was your experience like?

-Mo’ Houses out!