A lot of you have been asking how my first week sober has gone. I decided to do dry 30 and stop drinking for a month because I felt like alcohol was keeping me from being as productive and creative as I want to be. You can listen to my podcast episode about it here. I really didn’t like that almost all of my social interactions were focused around drinking plus I was spending way too much money going to happy hours and brunches. I am also on a fitness journey (you can join me if you’re looking for a great program and accountability check-ins). I had already cleaned up my diet and started doing regular workouts.
My new healthy lifestyle was making me feel better and better and I started to play with the idea of giving up alcohol. A couple weeks ago one of my best friends graduated and my schedule was filled with dinner celebrations and lots of cocktails. The week was so fun but left me feeling exhausted and my anxiety was through the roof. I knew all of the alcohol I had drank was having a negative impact on my mental health and it wasn’t aligned with the healthy lifestyle I wanted to live. I was sick of feeling tired and crappy and I decided to give up alcohol and try to do dry 30. For daily updates be sure to follow my stories over on Instagram. Here’s how my first week went.
Exercise
I have been working out a TON and it feels so good. I even started running again and jogged three miles the other day. That’s wayyyy further than I have jogged in a really long time. I’m really loving focusing on my workouts and making my body stronger. I already notice that I have way more energy now that I’m not going out to happy hour. It’s just easier to work out every day when I’m not going out and drinking alcohol at night.
Sleep
Drinking really effs up my sleep schedule. Even though I don’t stay out late when I drink alcohol I just don’t get quality sleep. I’ve really been loving getting into bed early with a good book and a clear head. When I go to happy hour I tend to get in bed early but I just watch crap on Netflix. I love feeling like I am ending my day more intentionally. Even though I wasn’t drinking every single day before I was drinking a few times a week and it was enough to mess up my sleep schedule. I just feel way more rested overall and I’m not needing to take naps and I feel more energized in the morning.
Diet
I did a really good job of eating healthy all week. I had a small piece of cake at my Dad’s birthday party but other than that I have been sticking to super healthy food loaded with lots of veggies. You can check out the healthy veggie nachos I made the other day here. It’s a lot easier to cook when I’m not tired from having drinks the night before. I always find if I go out for drinks I just want to eat a lot of junk food the next day. Giving up alcohol has really helped me stay motivated and focused on getting healthier and I found it was a lot easier to stay committed to a healthy dieting this week. Plus I wasn’t trying to eat tons of pasta or chips when I got home from happy hour. I’ve also been drinking a morning protein shake that is also packed with nutrients/vitamins/minerals etc. It was recommended to me by a friend and at first, I was a little skeptical but now I am completely hooked. I wasn’t sure if I would order it again because it was on the pricier side but honestly I can’t be without it. Plus if you add up all the money I used to spend on alcohol without even thinking it probably comes out even cheaper.
Socializing
I’ve been really enjoying spending a lot of time by myself and focusing my time on finishing projects for my blog, reading lots of books and writing in my journal. Spending my time this way has felt really aligned with my goals and values so far. It has been hard not seeing my friends but I really wanted to get through this first week sober before I tried to go out with my friends. All of my social interactions revolve around getting drinks so I’m still not really sure how often I will see my friends during my month of sobriety.
Overall I’m really happy with how this experiment is going so far. I have a lot of fun going to happy hour with my friends but it was really impacting my mental health and I definitely feel better without it. I’m still not sure if I would give up alcohol forever but I definitely think cutting way back is a good idea for me. Focusing on getting healthy, exercising and only eating healthy food feels really good to me right now. I’m excited to see how much I accomplish by the end of this experiment.
