Alcohol has become a mainstream social activity in today’s society. Whether we’re meeting with colleagues at happy hour or sipping a glass of wine with dinner, we all imbibe! (for the most part…)
Have you ever tried to cut-out alcohol? For longer than 4 days? The effects can be quite astounding!
I cut out alcohol for a month while I was living alone in So Cal. It was quite the experience! The first thing I noticed was that after work, when I normally reached for that glass of wine, I experienced a LOT of emotions! Normally, I would numb them away, but without alcohol, I was left to experience them (whether they were good or bad). And I grew a lot as a person from having to deal with these emotions head-on.
I also found that my mind functioned quite well in the evenings. I had always thought that when I got home, I was mentally and physically drained, so might as well drink! But it was quite the opposite. Aside from work, life is quiet and relaxing, so I was able to pursue my hobbies. This is the period of my life where I dived deep into yoga and even began teaching yoga – it was amazing!
The next biggest effect was that my mornings were 20x more productive! I woke up feeling energized, and rarely skipped my morning workout. I didn’t need that cup of coffee in the morning to wake me up – in fact, I gave up caffeine shortly after abstaining from alcohol, simply because I didn’t need it! With more energy, my mood became elevated and I was genuinely a happier person!
The biggest overall change was simply that I was more full of life. I had more motivation and energy to pursue the things that I wanted to spend my time on. We each have one life to live, so why not live it to the fullest?
