In January last year I decided to quit the booze for a month. “New year, new teetotaller me” 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 I’d normally drink, I discovered that karaoke with friends and Mariah Carey ballads make you forget you’re 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 don’t know.After a month of not drinking, I just didn’t feel healthier. I hadn’t lost any weight, my skin wasn’t glowing, I didn’t feel more energetic and I don’t remember sleeping better. Despite my sacrifice, I didn’t notice a difference.Disclaimer: my alcohol consumption wasn’t that massive to begin with. I’d 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, I’m 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? “Absolutely not,” says Dr Tony Bartone, general practitioner and Vice President of the Australian Medical Association. “You may not see obvious benefits, but there are lots of benefits going on underneath the skin.”
It all comes down really to what your degree of drinking is before you decide to quit.
“Essentially if you’re a mild drinker or just a social drinker, you’re not going to see tremendous signs of improvement in the short term, but what you are going to see are benefits down the track,” he explains. “Benefits in the way of reducing your risk of alcohol-related cancers, a possible reduce in weight and changes in your skin.”
Dr Bartone goes on to say that if you are a regular, daily drinker – you’re having three or four glasses a day, and hitting it hard on the weekend – you are going to see the effects faster. “You’re going to see a lot of metabolic improvement in your blood, you’re going to see improvements in weight, you’re going to decrease significantly your risk of alcohol-related cancers, you’re 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 don’t 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 can’t 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.“It’s 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 shouldn’t be the only decision. You need to decide what is going to fill that void, that social interaction, that desire. It’s about finding a new pastime or activity that will take your mind away from the fact you’re not drinking,” 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 – or some else’s – might be a problem:
- Worrying about when you’ll 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.