Things I learnt from being sober 🍵

It’s been 1 year since I quit drinking for good. I’ve never abused alcohol, yet it was totally acceptable for me to have a glass of wine at a dinner party or to go out on the weekend. Throughout my entire life, there’s never been a moment without alcohol. First, you drink to make friends in college. Then at work. Then you go out and drink just for fun. Alcohol is a social glue that helps people make friends more easily. Alcohol is liquid courage for some. I did enjoy my “party era”, but I’m enjoying my sober era even more.

What can you expect from quitting alcohol?

Some of the obvious side effects of quitting drinking can include weight loss, better sleep, mental clarity. I’ll be honest with you I had no weight to lose and my sleep routine was perfect even before that. However, I’ve noticed other things after I got sober.

I don’t need alcohol to have fun. I am fun and honestly fun for me is different now. When I was younger going out and drinking was a way for me to make friends and feel less lonely. But now I am enjoying my “me time”: I’d rather watch a movie or learn something new than waste my time on meaningless conversations. Being sober taught me to accept myself for who I am. I don’t need to hide behind alcohol. And if people don’t like me for who I am, it’s their loss.

I’ve learnt who my true friends were. When I was in Canada, all my friends were super supportive, some were not drinking with me. Not a single person told me “maybe you should have some” and everyone was respectful of my new lifestyle. I didn’t know who I was without drinking and partying, so being sober helped me find who I really am.

I discovered new hobbies like running, I started reading more. It is much easier to build habits once you’re sober because you don’t have excuses like “I’m hungover” anymore. I used to love clubs, but now I’d rather stay at home cause I can’t stand the drunk crowd. My hobbies & interests changed (or went back to what they used to be). I’ve always wanted to draw and play the piano but never had time or patience for that. Now being sober I still don’t have patience but I do have the time and I’m learning to do those things and enjoy the process.

My body is in the best shape it’s ever been. I make more conscious food choices. I don’t binge eat. I was one of the people who gets really hungry when they drink. And that’s totally fine until you count all the extra calories you’ve just eaten. Now it all makes sense to me why I was gaining weight (spoiler: it’s the charcuterie boards that you eat while sipping on your wine). I definitely got stronger. My endurance got much better, my gym performance is better. I’m not a pro athlete but I can do much more than I used to (aka nothing lol)

I’ve also noticed a bunch of health benefits:

• Anxiety is gone. I get anxious when flying but that’s it. there’s no more constant buzz inside of me. I never have a moment of “maybe I said too much / was too much”.

• Heartburn is gone. I’ve been suffering from heartburn for years and I’ve always had something to blame. I even went to a doctor to check if I had acid reflux. she prescribed me pills and they helped but the heartburn was still there sometimes. it’s only after I quit drinking for good, I realized what was causing the heartburn. I haven’t had a single heartburn in a year

• Binge eating is gone. no more junk food cravings because I get all my macronutrients from the real food

• I got more mental clarity and less brain fog

And the amount of money you save by not having a cocktail here and there… (my app says it’s 9k EUR 💀)

Overall, over the past year, I changed a lot. My life might seem boring to some people but I’m happy with it. I’d rather spend quality time with myself or my friends reading a new book or watching a TV show than going out and getting drunk with people I barely know and barely wanna know, talking about nonsense for hours and then suffering the day after. I used to like that lifestyle but it doesn’t spark joy for me anymore.

If you’re starting out on your sober journey, I wish you the best of luck. It is tough but not impossible. I believe in you!

Cheers (with kombucha),

Yulia 🍵