It’s November! Sobertober is over. I made it.
The hubster has a 30-hour shift on call today (and part of tomorrow), so to celebrate my achievement, I’m finishing off a box of wine while watching Lifetime alone.
Jokes.
By the time October ended, I forgot I hadn’t had a glass of wine in a month.
More jokes!
I had half a glass of wine and shortly after wanted to go home and sleep. I’M A WILD AND CRAZY-FUN TIME, KIDS.
I won’t lie, it was delicious. But, I also won’t lie that this month of not having alcohol has certainly made me revaluate my habits—the good and the bad.
The good
- My skin has improved a bit. I’m usually the pinkish-red gal in photos. Blame my Scotch-Irish heritage, but it seems regardless of the foundation I use, I’m red. Full disclosure: I have a bit of Rosacea on one of my cheeks (yes, only one…) Not drinking has has taken that down enough for me to notice. Score!
- I’ve banked 24 miles running the last 3 weeks of October alone. Not feeling like crap in the mornings helped me get my bum out of bed.
- In general, I feel healthier. This could be a mental thing, but hey, who ever said I wasn’t mental? (hey-o!)
- That bill at the restaurant? Cut in half. Nooooo, we don’t order tons to drink…usually. Have you SEEN prices in South Florida? That martini I ordered is the same price as my tacos. Mmmmm…tacos.
- That glass of wine or nice bit of whiskey after a long, stressed-filled day at work was freakin’ “too easy.” And I’m glad this month made me realize that. Initially, I distracted myself by diving into writing or just whipping up dinner. But quicker than I realized, I didn’t need that distraction. It just became a habit to not use my go-to liquid relaxation.
- Those crazy ideas and inventions that I come up with and usually blame on alcohol? I still have them sober. Luck you guys!
- Call me a control freak, but I enjoyed being in control of my schedule and not letting alcohol dictate it.
The bad
- My bad ass alma mater, Michigan State, won a pretty big rivalry game and I wanted to make all Spartans proud by having horribly cheap beer to celebrate. It just felt so right. But, I didn’t.
- The peer pressure is bad, you guys. I’m in my 30’s and you people have a knack for making it be “weird” to not drink. I survived though. Drinking water during happy hour also meant explaining I’m not pregnant without immediately wanting to flip the bird.
- I broke a nasty habit of drinking diet soda a few years ago. It’s back as a replacement. Not as bad as it used to be, but the very last bottle of Diet Coke is in my fridge right now. Back to carbonated water for me.
- I didn’t lose a pound. Shocking, right? Things fit better, but I wasn’t counting on any major weight loss anyway. It’s par for the course for me.
My takeaway
I think it’s a good reality check to rebalance some thing every once and a while. After a tapas and wine filled vacation to Spain and Portugal, I listened to my body and tried something I thought may help. I’m glad I did because it definitely brought some perspective. I’m going to integrate not reaching for a glass of wine just because I want one when I’m tired and stressed. I can go out with friends and not drink and still have a good time and laugh…especially at explaining that I’m not pregnant for the umpteenth time.
Being in control is a powerful thing. I like that.
I also like tapas and wine.
A fine balance is key.
What do you guys think? Is it something you would try for a month? How did my sober gals do this month?
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