In January last year I decided to quit the booze for a month. тАЬNew year, new teetotaller meтАЭ was my motto. So once the clock struck midnight I put down the champagne and resolved to rid the alcohol currently residing in my bloodstream after a month of too much December fun.
And you know what? It was hard. I missed a nice glass of wine at the end of a hard day. I missed a just-because Aperol spritz with friends on Saturday afternoon, and I missed that giddy feeling you get when you attend a dinner party that has more wine bottles than participants.
But I survived. I learnt that I could have fun in situations where IтАЩd normally drink, I discovered that karaoke with friends and Mariah Carey ballads make you forget youтАЩre sober, and found out that there’s a whole world to explore between the hours of 7.30 and 11 on a Sunday morning.
So, will I do it again? To be honest, I donтАЩt know.After a month of not drinking, I just didnтАЩt feel healthier. I hadnтАЩt lost any weight, my skin wasnтАЩt glowing, I didnтАЩt feel more energetic and I donтАЩt remember sleeping better. Despite my sacrifice, I didnтАЩt notice a difference.Disclaimer: my alcohol consumption wasnтАЩt that massive to begin with. IтАЩd have a couple of glasses a week and then the occasional blowouts on weekends especially when weddings, engagement parties and 30ths featured in my evening plans. I am also pretty active and would go to the gym most days. Diet-wise, IтАЩm conscious of what I eat but am not immune to a pizza binge on Friday nights.
So was my month of sobriety a complete waste of time? тАЬAbsolutely not,тАЭ says Dr Tony Bartone, general practitioner and Vice President of the Australian Medical Association. тАЬYou may not see obvious benefits, but there are lots of benefits going on underneath the skin.тАЭ
It all comes down really to what your degree of drinking is before you decide to quit.
тАЬEssentially if youтАЩre a mild drinker or just a social drinker, youтАЩre not going to see tremendous signs of improvement in the short term, but what you are going to see are benefits down the track,тАЭ he explains. тАЬBenefits in the way of reducing your risk of alcohol-related cancers, a possible reduce in weight and changes in your skin.тАЭ
Dr Bartone goes on to say that if you are a regular, daily drinker – youтАЩre having three or four glasses a day, and hitting it hard on the weekend – you are going to see the effects faster. “YouтАЩre going to see a lot of metabolic improvement in your blood, youтАЩre going to see improvements in weight, youтАЩre going to decrease significantly your risk of alcohol-related cancers, youтАЩre going to improve your sleep, your concentration, memory… all these other things.”
So while many pledge to give up alcohol after Christmas or Australia Day, if you donтАЩt want to feel cheated by the end of the month, Dr Bartone suggests that you shouldn’t just make the decision not to drink, you need to also commit to improving your lifestyle within the month, too.
Meaning, you canтАЩt just substitute your alcohol for chocolate. You should use the opportunity to improve things like exercise, your diet and your sleep to really see results.тАЬItтАЩs a big decision and for a lot of people a very difficult decision to give it up. But the physical act of giving up alcohol shouldnтАЩt be the only decision. You need to decide what is going to fill that void, that social interaction, that desire. ItтАЩs about finding a new pastime or activity that will take your mind away from the fact youтАЩre not drinking,тАЭ says Dr Bartone.
While Dr Bartone stresses that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, if a month off the booze seems too hard, there are guidelines you can follow all year round.According to Reachout.com these are some things to look out for if you think your drinking тАУ or some elseтАЩs тАУ might be a problem:
- Worrying about when youтАЩll be able to have your next drink
- Suffering from withdrawal symptoms like sweating, nausea or insomnia as a result of not drinking alcohol
- Needing to drink more and more alcohol to get drunk
- Drinking alcohol, or desiring to drink alcohol, when you wake up in the morning
- Consuming alcohol regularly on your own, or trying to hide your alcohol consumption from those around you
- Relationships with friends or family are being affected by your drinking
Need help?If you are experiencing a personal crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call 000. Check out Counselling Online at www.counsellingonline.org.au to contact your closest Alcohol and Drug Information Centre for free alcohol and drug counselling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This story originally appeared on body+soul and is republished here with permission.
