With 40+ years experience in the hospitality industry, along with a mother who was a bartender during my childhood, I’ve spent many an hour in bars and restaurant observing people imbibing alcohol. Of course, beginning as a young teenager, I also had plenty of my own personal experiences of drinking, be it shots of Jack Daniel’s around a campfire or gulps of beer during a rousing game of quarters.
Cocktails, beer and wine have been present in my life for many, many years.
This year, for the first time ever (beyond my years of pregnancy), I’ve committed myself to Dry January. You know me, always a little late to the trend if it isn’t fashion related.
I can’t really identify a single reason why I felt compelled to be a new year teetotaler, but I do have a genuine curiosity to see how my body feels without alcohol. Additionally, I have an urge to expand my practice of becoming a more conscious consumer, something that takes genuine effort and awareness in a world where self denial is not frequently exercised.
There’s no doubt that I enjoy wine with dinner once or twice a week, and the routine of my Saturday night post-shift cocktail. But, I’ve long felt that overindulging in alcohol is far too much of a time suck. I don’t have any spare hours to feel crappy the morning after having a couple of drinks the night before. I’ve got things to do, you know?
Now that I’ve brought up the topic of feeling crappy, I can confess that I’ve been experiencing some consistent discomfort in my body. My hips and glutes have each been singing to me and the song is one of stiff tenderness. It’s pretty uncomfortable and, despite my not running with any frequency and a commitment to a minimum of 4 hot yoga classes a week, my body hurts. I’d like to try and figure out why this is and eliminating intoxicating beverages seems a good place to begin.
Sleep has also been a challenge for me in recent years. While I generally fall asleep without issue, I often find myself awake in the middle of the night for extended periods of time, something I find to be very frustrating. It certainly doesn’t help that lying awake in bed, curled on my side as I usually am, causes the aches in my hips to worsen. It’s honestly kind of vicious.
Lastly, alcohol is a lot of empty calories to consume. I’d much rather enjoy a piece of chocolate or a vanilla malted than blindly add extra liquid calories. I was curious to see the relationship between drinking and my weight.
All of these reasons made this month seem an ideal time to explore sobriety.
A week in, my body continues to feel creaky with my hips being the nexus of my aches. My sleep has not yet improved, although when I do finally admit defeat and get out of bed, I definitely have more clarity and less brain fuzz. And, bonus, I’m down a couple of pounds.
Not drinking isn’t too difficult for me. Last summer, after my Cape Cod fainting spell, I didn’t consume alcohol or cannabis for at least a month. While I’ll admit to a twinge of envy, prompted the other night by my neighbors bringing a fine bottle of red from Walla Walla for a shared dinner at home, I haven’t really missed it. I’m enjoying the clarity of an unadulterated mind. It feels like a reset of my brain and body – which seems like a great way to start a new year.
Let me know if you’re looking for a designated driver. I’m available – at least for January.
DelSo 