Final April, I made a decision to take a 30-day break from ingesting. What I didn’t count on was how that one small resolution would quietly reshape the best way I transfer by my days, join with folks, and present up for myself. At first, it was simply an experiment. It was a option to reset after a season that felt somewhat too full, somewhat too quick. My pores and skin was infected, my power was shot, and I used to be caught in a loop of late-night snacking and stressed mornings. I wished to really feel higher in my physique and clearer in my thoughts—particularly as I navigated a breakup that I knew I didn’t need to blur with a buzz.
However letting go of alcohol wasn’t so simple as saying no to a drink. My default was at all times a glass in hand—at dinner, at concert events, after a protracted day. It was baked into my routines and tied carefully to how I noticed myself. I’d taken sommelier programs. I knew methods to pair wine with meals, methods to discuss it, methods to make it a part of a second, and integral to every journey I booked. So, sitting down at a restaurant and skipping the wine checklist? It felt off—like I used to be lacking part of the expertise or part of myself.
Function picture by Michelle Nash.
However over time, the discomfort gave option to one thing else: house. With out the predictable rhythm of a drink to lean on, I began to note what I truly wanted on the finish of a tough day—possibly it was relaxation, or connection, or just quiet. I bought interested by how I felt once I wasn’t continually recovering from the evening earlier than. The fog lifted. My pores and skin began to clear. I wasn’t dragging myself by mornings anymore. I used to be truly rested.
That quiet readability—together with the shocking satisfaction I felt—was sufficient to maintain me going. I wasn’t chasing some good model of myself. I simply felt higher. And for the primary time in a very long time, that was sufficient. Because the months handed, I stored ready for a second to reach the place a drink would’ve made the expertise higher, both extra enjoyable, extra particular, or extra price it. But it surely by no means got here. And once I imagined buying and selling my peace for a hangover, or my presence for a blur, the reply turned easy: I didn’t want it anymore.
Greatest Learnings and Surprises
Once I first determined to give up ingesting, I assumed the modifications can be easy. I anticipated to really feel more healthy, sleep higher, and expertise some readability. However what actually stunned me have been the deeper, sudden shifts that got here alongside the best way.
1. I turned extra in-tune with myself.
The primary massive realization was that alcohol wasn’t simply affecting my bodily well being—it was influencing how I confirmed up on the planet. I assumed I wanted it to unwind after a protracted day or to be social. However with out it, I discovered myself tuning in to what I truly wanted: relaxation, house, and connection, with out the haze of a hangover or the social strain of becoming in.
2. Alcohol isn’t my id.
I additionally realized how a lot I’d tied alcohol to my id. For years, I assumed having a drink in my hand was what made me enjoyable, partaking, and “cool” in sure settings. I now know that I can have simply as a lot enjoyable—in all probability extra—once I’m absolutely current, with out the crutch of a drink. The liberty of figuring out I will be me with out counting on alcohol is empowering.
3. My physique cherished the change.
One of many greatest surprises, although, was how a lot my physique cherished the change. I by no means anticipated my pores and skin to clear up or my power ranges to skyrocket. I didn’t understand how a lot psychological readability I used to be lacking, or how refreshing it might be to get up feeling restored as a substitute of dreading the day after an evening out.
4. It wasn’t as onerous as I assumed.
One other sudden realization? I had made the whole lot really feel more durable than it truly was. I spent a lot time worrying about how it will really feel, how I’d navigate social conditions, or what I’d be lacking out on. However in actuality, the method wasn’t practically as troublesome as I’d imagined. It’s been a lot simpler to indicate up as myself with out alcohol, and the moments I as soon as feared have turned out to be simpler—and extra pleasant—than I assumed.
I wasn’t chasing some good model of myself. I simply felt higher. And for the primary time in a very long time, that was sufficient.
5. I saved cash—and time.
However there’s extra: I by no means anticipated how a lot time and money I’d save. I hadn’t realized how a lot my routine—eating out, grabbing drinks, or attending occasions—was draining each my checking account and my schedule. With out the impulse to exit for drinks or make last-minute plans, I’ve discovered extra time for actions that truly nourish me, and my pockets is definitely happier too.
6. No one actually cares (in a great way).
After which there’s the shock that’s in all probability probably the most releasing of all: Nobody cares as a lot as I assumed they’d. I used to be satisfied that not ingesting would make me stand out in a room, make me appear completely different, and even awkward. However the fact? Persons are extra targeted on themselves than I ever gave them credit score for.
As soon as I began quietly sharing bits of my journey on social media, one thing sudden occurred—I noticed I wasn’t alone. Folks I had at all times seen because the lifetime of the get together, the cool, effortlessly social ones, reached out to say they weren’t ingesting both. Some had walked away from alcohol after fighting it, whereas others, like me, merely wished a special form of life. Both method, it jogged my memory that we’re all simply figuring it out. And it felt actually, actually good to know I wasn’t doing it alone.
A Few Questions I Get About Not Ingesting
Many individuals are interested by my resolution. Lots of people surprise if I’m nonetheless social, or if I miss having a drink in hand, and right here’s the factor: I completely thought I wouldn’t be as enjoyable, or as outgoing, or as social with out alcohol. Would I truly get out on the dance flooring? Would I be as humorous?
I’ve realized is that it’s not the drink that makes the night—it’s the connection. Seems, I’m much more enjoyable once I truly keep in mind my evenings, and I’m much more partaking once I’m absolutely current. The conversations I’ve had since I’ve stopped ingesting have felt even deeper, extra significant, and extra genuine. And waking up refreshed, figuring out I’m able to tackle a exercise or a productive day? It’s a much better excessive than something I might’ve gotten from a drink.
I’m typically requested if I’ll ever drink once more. The brief reply is: I haven’t but encountered a second that feels definitely worth the danger of not feeling my greatest. So, for now, I’m not . That doesn’t imply I received’t change my thoughts down the street—it simply means, at this level, I’m not keen to commerce a short lived buzz for the knowledge of feeling lower than nice the subsequent day.
The place to Begin if You’re Sober Curious
There’s no single blueprint for altering your relationship with alcohol—what labored for me might not be just right for you. This journey is deeply private, and that’s what makes it so highly effective. For some, it would begin with curiosity. For others, a second of discomfort, a life shift, or just a need to really feel higher.
I started with a 30-day break. That was the one aim. No long-term commitments, no massive declarations—only a window of time to see how I felt. That gave me the house to note what alcohol had been protecting up, and what life appeared like with out it.
For those who’re questioning the place to start out, possibly it’s simply that: a pause. A second to verify in with your self. You don’t must have all of the solutions or map out a yr. You simply want somewhat willingness to see what may be potential on the opposite facet of 1 completely different selection.
A New, Alcohol-Free Starting
This has been a journey of studying to hearken to myself, to honor my wants, and to embrace a life I by no means thought was potential with out alcohol. Every selection, each “first,” has jogged my memory of the energy I didn’t know I had—and that’s guiding me now in methods I hadn’t anticipated.
The query I proceed to ask myself is, “What else in my life have I been holding onto, satisfied that it’s needed however might not truly be?”
Deciding to not drink has been a each day selection, a gradual overhaul. Socializing with out one thing in hand wasn’t at all times simple, particularly once I not often went out with out it earlier than. However with every new alternative, I’ve seen that I don’t want alcohol to navigate the world, and I’m nonetheless capable of take pleasure in life absolutely. It’s about embracing the current, with out ready for that short-term buzz, and discovering pleasure within the readability that’s left behind.