I Haven’t Drank Alcohol In 6 Months, Here’s What Happened

Intro

Hello friends and new readers! This blog is a change of pace from my usual art oriented content. While the title of the blog might make me sound like an alcoholic, I assure you, I do not have a drinking problem (of course, maybe an alcoholic would say that, but...). I was more on the line of “social drinker”, were I to be categorized. I would only really drink on Friday and Saturday evenings, and very seldom on Thursdays. Almost never, or rarely drank alcohol at home as well. You might ask, if I drank so little, relative to my peers at least, what is the big deal?

Writing this blog as someone whose never been worried about their alcoholic consumption, I thought I needed a space to express just how dramatic my life changed since I stopped drinking the very little that I did. It’s quite staggering. Now, don’t worry- I won’t preach to you as to why you should abandon the bottle. That’s not my place. This is more of me processing my own dialogue for those who are already on this trajectory or are curious about the benefits. So I have no intention of shaming, blaming or talking down to drink. I’ve been there and I’ve enjoyed that time very much, and if that’s where you are, cheers and carry on.

Money

When I first decided to stop drinking it was because of money. I wanted to save for a trip to Japan I was supposed to take in April, but... that’s a whole different story. Anyway, I only drank 2-3 times a week and on each of those outings, I would drink 2-3 glasses of wine. Wine in NYC bars is about $10-$15, so I would be spending anywhere between $60-$90 a weekend just on drinks alone. I’m also not factoring in late night munchies (tacos on a Friday night after drinking is divine). That money really does add up, so when I stopped, you can imagine how much wider my smile was.

Time and Energy

One of the bigger perks I’ve experienced by not drinking is that I’m not getting home by 1-3am. I get more high quality, regular sleep. After a night out, I would usually wake up by 9-10am. On weekdays I wake up at 6am so that means my weekend mornings are pretty much gone.

I would wake up feeling groggy and lazy. There was a time where I would travel about an hour to visit my family, so I would get even less sleep. Since I’ve stopped, I am back to waking up at around 6-7am on the weekends, and because of that it feels like my weekends are 3+ 1/2 days. I have been able to get so much more done with this extra time, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve been excelling in my hobbies.

Breaking out of my comfort zone

This last reason why I quit drinking might perhaps be the most important. When I was a little younger, I decided to go out to bars alone because many of my friends at the time were too busy or unavailable to hang out. This was an easy way for me to socialize and learn how to put myself in uncomfortable situations. Before I go on, I will say, drinking genuinely did help me become more comfortable with talking to people. I don’t think I would have the level of confidence I have with meeting strangers if I did not do this when I did. That said, sometimes a castle can turn into a cage.

The time I saved from drinking has allowed me to pursue hobbies I’ve always wanted. I become more of an actual person that people could relate to instead of leaning on the bottle as a crutch. I understand the importance of creating, and bringing value to other people now as well. This makes socializing more genuine. And allows my personality to shine without beer goggles. I get to embrace the challenge of meeting people sober, and to develop those skills, so overtime I will improve.

Outro

As I’ve stated, I stopped drinking out of necessity. I needed to save money for my vacation. That said, I’m so happy I stopped. It started with the caveat that I’ll start drinking again once I’ve built my money up. As time went on I thought, “I wonder if I can go the whole year”. Six months in, I’m happy to have stopped, and haven’t had the desire to drink at all. My life is a lot more packed with things I like to do and my head is much clearer. Thanks for reading!