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If you’ve been here a while, you know that I don’t really drink alcohol much anymore.
I’ve probably enjoyed enough alcohol for two lifetimes, honestly.
I didn’t um… moderate well when it came to alcohol.
A few years ago, as I was working on my own health, I started noticing how crappy I felt whenever I had a beer or a glass of wine.
I like feeling sharp and clear and energized, and anytime I drank alcohol, I felt the opposite of that.
At a certain point, I just kind of lost the taste for alcohol. I realized how good I felt not drinking alcohol, and how it just wasn’t worth feeling like crap for the sake of drinking a beer, social pressure be damned.
Funny enough, I’m not alone. Lots of folks are doing “Dry January”, and “sober curious” is a trend on social media.
There are even non-alcoholic bars popping up around the country to cater to people who want the experience of going out with friends, but without all the baggage that comes with drinking alcohol.
This isn’t about beating alcohol addiction, that’s a much different beast.
But alcohol is a legal, socially acceptable drug / neurotoxin that nearly everyone associates with relaxation and having a good time. And you get funny looks when you tell people you’re not drinking.
When was the last time you went to a function that didn’t have alcohol?
If you’ve been thinking about cutting back on drinking for a while, but maybe didn’t know where to start or what to say if someone asks you “why”, there’s plenty of reasons to take a break.
5 benefits of taking a break from alcohol
You’ll lose weight. Alcohol is burned as fuel before glucose, so when you drink you won’t be using much glucose as energy. This means that glucose will stay in your blood or eventually get turned into fat. You also tend to make poor food choices while drinking. Alcoholic drinks are rarely paired with healthy veggies and meat.
You’ll have less brain fog. Alcohol is a neurotoxin, and it takes a while for your body to clear it. Alcohol dulls your senses and slows your cerebral cortex, and not just while you’re drinking. Both short and long term, alcohol can cause memory problems and lapses in attention.
You’ll sleep better. Drinking disrupts time spent in deep sleep, and can cause us to wake more frequently. Though you might fall asleep faster, the quality of the sleep is poor and you won’t wake refreshed. Even just a couple of drinks close to bedtime can make us spend less time in deep, quality sleep.
You’ll have a stronger libido. Alcohol disrupts regular sex hormone function, increasing estrogen and decreasing testosterone. This can lead to erectile dysfunction and breast development in men and missed periods and infertility in women.
You’ll be happier and less anxious. Alcohol reduces the number of neurotransmitters in our brains, and we need those to help fight off anxiety and depression. It also causes chemical changes in your brain that can lead to negative feelings. Often, people who drink alcohol are more prone to mental health issues, and people with mental health issues are more inclined to drink alcohol.
You might be saying, “well, I just have a couple of drinks at night” or “I only drink on weekends”, but in truth, even what you might consider a “moderate” amount of alcohol may still be having these negative effects.
So if you’ve been curious about maybe trying a dry month to see how you feel, now you have some solid, science-backed reasons to tell your friends when they ask you “why?”
And if you need some extra support, or don’t think you can do it on your own, there are great resources out there, like my friend Alison at Teetotally Fit.
If taking a break from alcohol is tagging along with a change in nutrition and lifestyle habits, I’ve got you covered, too.
My 6-month, 1-on-1 nutrition program will give you the support and accountability you need to stick with your “dry period” for 30 days, or more!
And of course we work on getting you back your energy and libido, improving sleep and losing that stubborn weight. It’s a ton of personalized, 1-on-1 work that gets you the results you’re hoping for.
I’ve got a spot with your name on it!
Ready? Let’s go!
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