I decided that I was going to cut out booze for 30 days. I don’t really drink a ton anymore (sorority days seem like a distant memory), I like to go out to dinner with friends, have wine at home with the BF and have an occasional “big” night out. Being out of the country for a couple months this winter, I drank more than I thought I would. I realized that most travelers like to party. Working in the service industry again, there and here, it is also easy to have one or two after a long shift. You have been serving everyone else all night so why can’t it be your time??
A lot of people do a dry January, but since that didn’t happen I decided I could manage April. Right before the summer, weather isn’t that great yet and no big events lined up. I had been reading about the benefits (better sleep, clearer skin etc.) so I figured why not.
I started out by logging all of the times that I had to say “no.”
Day 1 Saturday April 2: Brunch in Boston at cool new spot; no spiked coffee, bloody bar or mimosa
Day 2: Sunday April 3: Out with mom, she suggested we swing by a new-ish craft brewery to grab a beer
Day 3: Monday April 4: Had a girlfriend over for dinner. Felt the need to text her “FYI, not drinking for 30 days :)” since we would normally dive into a bottle of sauv blanc
Day 4: Tuesday April 5: Dinner for my dads birthday; had to wait at the bar for 30 minutes before our table was ready; no wine at dinner (I was the DD anyway but still-I would have normally had one!)
Day 5: Wednesday April 6: Restaurant week with a friend I haven’t seen in months
Day 6: Thursday April 7: Making dinner at home with my man. Neither of us throw them back to hard but probably would of had wine
Day 8: Saturday April 9: Boyfriend got out of work early; went to visit our friend who was bartending to get dinner, had a Thai iced tea instead
Day 10: Monday April 11: Went on a walk with friend, going to grab a coffee after. Coffee place was closed. She suggested cocktail instead? No booze, drove to another coffee shop
Day 13: Thursday, April 14: Seasonal restaurant opened, home of a famous rum punch. No shift drink for me.
As you can see, the first two weeks were a little rough. Then the weekends came. Though I work weekends, I found myself still turning down plans that involved drinking. What I didn’t think would happen is that it did get easier. I actually stopped logging the times I said no because I wasn’t even thinking about it.
After the first couple weeks, it almost seemed as though I had developed a habit against alcohol (though I think that takes 21 days). I was okay not going out to bars and okay with just having seltzer if other people were drinking. Though I had some booze at home, it didn’t even really cross my mind to drink it.
Overall, I am really happy that I tried this and will be doing it again. Here are some things that I learned:
- I felt less bloated and lost about three pounds
- It was hard in the beginning but got easier by the end; I could have gone for longer!
- I felt healthier and developed more of a like for flavored seltzer
- People were supportive and thought it was great
- My boyfriend didn’t drink either so it make it easier since we live together (Thanks, Sam!)
- Most social events involve alcohol. Especially in the evening. It is great to splurge, but limiting the amount of drinking nights per week isn’t a bad idea
I definitely recommend giving it a try! I will probably do another month once the summer ends.
Korina
Korina Linda 