A little over two years ago, I started what I refer to as my sober curious adventures. I wondered, "What would happen if I stopped drinking?" and "How would this impact my life?" At the time, I was maybe a 1-2 drinks a week habit, and I really was able to eliminate alcohol from a place of curiosity. For that, I am eternally grateful. There have been other times in my life when I've been in a 1-2 glasses of wine each night habit, and I think had I tried to eliminate alcohol then (probably when I needed to the most) it would have been much harder. I know it would have.
As educators, we are definitely occupying stressful career space in our society, and if you're like me, you might find yourself needing some support in maintaining calm or regulation. For a while, I thought that alcohol provided me a bit of a relaxing connection. It let me turn off my school brain. Now that I no longer drink, I realize there are so many other ways to turn off my school brain that actually help me create healthy habits.
So this week I am sharing 15 of my favorite and most noticeable benefits of removing alcohol from my diet:
Improved sleep:
Improved memory and focus:
Improved gut health (less bloat):Â
Increased joy:Â
Increased presence:
Increased mental and emotional space:
Increased curiosity:
Increased trust in myself:
New friendships:
Improved existing relationships:
Improved boundaries:Â
Improved skin elasticity:
Decreased anxiety:
Elimination of soreness/aches/pains:Â
Elimination of regret:Â
If you used to drink but now you don't, what are the benefits you've noticed? If you used to drink more and now you drink less--same question! I think it's just helpful to be curious about our habits--whether it's alcohol, sugar, social media, complaining...whatever it may be. We want to be curious and notice how we feel with and without them. If you have a habit that you think may make you feel less than healthy and whole, consider some ways you might reduce the intake or output.