Dry January Follow-Up

[Murdoughnut]

I'm about 36 hours from having actually completed dry January for the first time ever, and had some thoughts I figured were worth sharing/discussing.

My wife and I decided to actually commit to Dry January this year after listening to this podcast on our drive back from Texas over the holidays. It's worth listening to, but it's very sobering (pun intended). Like many people, I felt like my having a drink two work nights a week, and maybe 2-3 drinks over the weekend was "moderation" and was keeping me safe. The host of the podcast is a neuroscientist, and basically describes what alcohol physiologically does to your body, and after listening to it, I realized that even at that level, I was a "chronic drinker." I suffer from general anxiety disorder (I don't fly commercial ... or at all at the moment, so I can admit that), and my wife and I both struggle with our sleep patterns. We took on Dry January as an experiment just to see how we felt at the end.

Here's my analysis of the results:

The Bad

• My baseline anxiety has increased as a result of not drinking. The first week was the hardest, and felt myself easily becoming enraged, and actively thinking about how just two ounces of bourbon would settle me down (my go two in the evenings). This had become an automated process, but now that I thought about it, it became clear I was self-medicating, if even at a low dose. By week two I was starting to get minor heart palpitations, which I've had in the past. After four weeks, I'd say it's still elevated, though this was to be expected based on the podcast, and it supposedly takes several months for you body to re-baseline.
• I'm an introvert at heart, but typically can be very social at events, parties, etc. I discovered why that is, and a lot of it has to do with alcohol coming to my aid. I attended a work trip last week that included a happy hour social event the first night. Drinking ginger ale, I realized I had no real interest in talking to anyone, and ended up heading to my room after about 45-minutes. Same for the next night, where friends were going out and I made an excuse and went to my room at 6:30, got takeout, and watched Office reruns.

The Meh

• My sleep hasn't substantially improved as of yet, nor has my wife's. Could be that we need more time, or perhaps it's the anxiety causing sleep issues that are overriding the benefits of not drinking.
• Much like a smoker, I realized I needed something in my hands more than I needed alcohol. I've turned to drinking sodas occasionally, which I don't otherwise do (unless it's for a mixed drink). Also mixing cranberry juice with sparking water.

The Good

• By week three the mental fog I've been living with for many years has significantly lifted. You know how sometimes you're driving down the road and you perk up and realize that you don't remember driving the last few miles? That's how it feels, except it was impacting my productivity at work significantly.
• Speaking of productivity, in the last week I've gotten noticeably more focused at work, and it shows in my productivity. I'm getting sucked into fewer YouTube rabbit holes, and staying on task more so than I have in years. I feel more motivated at work for sure.
• I have lost a few pounds, but that was mostly weight I had gained during the holidays, so it's too soon to tell if it's the impact of less alcohol, or returning to a baseline level of eating/snacking, but I'll take it for now.
• I don't really want to drink anymore. That first week was hard, but after a month, my body seems to be telling me that the benefits of not drinking outweigh the benefits of drinking. Again, this is tied to my life stage - easier when you're a 43 year old married parent than a 28-year old on the dating scene.

My wife and I have talked about it, and while we don't plan to give up drinking, we believe this experience has shown us the value of cutting back our drinking significantly, and the plan is to only ease back into it in February. No more drinking during the week (except for when traveling), and more nursing one drink at events/parties and then switching to something non-alcoholic. We're still holding out for the sleep benefits, because that alone would lead either of us to give it up altogether.

Not preaching by any means, just wanted to throw my thoughts out there for the good of the community.

 

[tlove482]

Thanks for the detailed write-up. Very interesting stuff.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

I take a month off here and there and would agree with most everything you said. I’m sure there are fantastic benefits, but I haven’t found any earth shattering differences in only a month.

 

[JDean3204]

I stopped drinking a few years back. It was the best thing I’ve ever done for my health, the longer you go without it the better you feel in many different ways. I still feel weird in certain social situations, but what I gain outside of that anxiety is worth the sacrifice.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

I’ve never even tasted a beer/wine/alcohol my entire life. I don’t know what I’m missing, but figure I’ve gone this long without dabbling, so not worth starting.

I never saw my father do it either.



Recently, I learned he does occasionally drink. Took me by surprise. Rare, like in a cruise ship or a formal dinner somewhere. There is no alcohol in my parents home. Still, it did surprise me. We grew up with no exposure to it and just told to avoid it, so I did. Even in college with multiple opportunities to drink, I passed on it.



Murdough, thanks for sharing this journey. Good luck for February, keep it up.

 

[Beaker]

I commend the effort to evaluate your habits and see if they are aligned with living your best life. This is something that we all need to do, continuously, and it extends well beyond alcohol. Here is to the pursuit of virtuous rather than vicious circles.

Also, I have found that a side benefit of drinking infrequently is that you can afford to drink better. If you only have a couple of drinks per month, they might as well have been aged at least 18 years.