My Name Is Sarah And I'm Not An Alcoholic But It Has Been 365 Days Since My Last Alcoholic Beverage…
In December 2017 I was asked, “What is the one thing you could do to improve your well-being in 2018?” The answer came to me immediately – “Stop drinking alcohol”.
In late 2017 I had noticed a real trend among the social media ads targeted at me (Healthy Mum and lawyer ones mostly) having photos of drinking being a reward after a hard day of parenting and lawyering. I got on board too and would too have a glass of wine to relax.
I haven’t ever been a big drinker but I had noticed if I did have a glass of wine or two I would:
1. Make bad food choices (think hot chips);
2. Be significantly less motivated the next day.
As someone who attends a lot of social events for work, I also noticed myself having a drink a few times a week as a matter of social cohesion, rather than because I felt like a really wanted or “needed” a drink. Following these realisations I chose to give up alcohol as a New Year’s Resolution for one year, starting on 1 January 2018.
How was it?
The first couple of months were pretty tough. I missed having picnic wine with my girlfriends in summer, I was building new habits and also feeling like an outsider too – saying no to a drink at a social event is a skill, and I have noticed that all the way through to December I have been using the ‘excuse’ of my goal as to why I am not drinking. Most people accept it, but some do challenge it! It made me realise how unusual it is to turn down a glass of bubbles of wine at an event.
After about three months I noticed that I didn’t have the habit loop associated with drinking, specifically the feeling on a Friday night where I would need a drink to relax or as a reward after a long week was gone. During these same three months I noticed that I had crazy sugar cravings, all I wanted to do when I got home from work was eat something packed with sugar – think a packet of Skittles or a block of chocolate. After three months or so the sugar cravings finally subsided.
The summer feels came back in winter, where I longed for a glass of red with my steak, but after 6 weeks of steaks in winter, this feeling went away.
There is one event that stands out this year where I did really feel as though I was missing out, and I cursed my goal! A group of friends were having dinner at Café Sydney, a restaurant in Sydney that looks out over the Harbour Bridge, and they had organised a degustation with matched wines. I felt as though it really would have enhanced the experience to have joined in with the drinks on that occasion. But that is just one meal where I really felt that I missed out, out of 365 days and over 1000 meals during the year.
I recently came back from a week of getting to know my brand new baby nephew in New York and over dinner on my first night home, I was eating dinner and said to my husband, Dave, “I could really do with a glass of wine!” The medicinal relaxation effect of a drink was what I was looking for in this moment.
Insights
I feel quite noticeably healthier and happier. I have noticed that my relationships are stronger and my productivity at work has improved. My fitness is better. I ran a 12 kilometre race for the first time this year. My finances are stronger than a year ago and, importantly, I no longer feel like I’m missing out when everyone else is drinking.
What’s next?
In 2019 will I have a drink?
I will! I will only drink when I want to enhance an experience (like the one at Café Sydney!). I will be more aware of when I feel like a drink or am wanting a relaxant – and ask myself what has brought me to this point and what I can do right now to feel better that’s a better health choice as well as what I will do differently next time so that I don’t set myself up to feel like I need a drink to get through the challenges in my life.
In 2019 and beyond I will use alcohol with a view to being the best version of myself for my team, my community, my friends and my family.
