I Quit Drinking Alcohol For One Year (Pros and Cons)
by Parker · 68 things on NewTwos
- I quit drinking alcohol on New Year's Eve 2023.
- I've set New Year's resolutions/goals for the past 7 years.
- Last year, not drinking alcohol was on my list.
- I'm not a big drinker to begin with. It's not something I really like to do.
- I drank a little bit in high school and drank a lot in college.
- Since college, I spend my nights reading and relaxing, not out at a bar or a club.
- Now, with so much research showing the negative effects of alcohol, it's something I try to stay away from.
- This past year, I wanted to see how hard it would be to go the whole year without taking a sip.
- The pros
- Never hungover
- This one is obvious. I'm not sure why, but alcohol makes you feel terrible the morning after.
- On New Year's Day, 2023, I didn't feel well.
- My girlfriend and I went to buy Pedialyte and McDonald's breakfast to feel better.
- When you quit drinking, you always wake up feeling good so you can do whatever you have planned.
- Better sleep
- Alcohol has a very negative impact on your sleep.
- My brother used to wear a Whoop and the biggest lesson he learned was how terrible you sleep after drinking alcohol, even if you only have one drink.
- Sleep is crucial for our health and alcohol isn't helping.
- Save time
- We tend to go with the flow when we're drinking and do things that we wouldn't choose to spend our time doing if we weren't drinking.
- Not drinking allows you to have better control over how you spend your time and make better decisions.
- I spent more time working, reading, stretching, meditating, and most importantly sleeping.
- Save money
- I'm a frugal person, but bar tabs and checks at dinner can get crazy.
- You can find yourself spending $100-200 a night going out drinking with your friends.
- It all adds up.
- I've saved enough money to have the confidence to start my own business, and not drinking makes this so much easier.
- More confidence
- Confidence comes and goes, but for the most part, I feel more confident not drinking.
- Sometimes you feel lame telling people you aren't drinking or telling your family you can't cheers with them (I learned it was bad luck to cheers with water).
- But, when you aren't putting poison in your body, still have fun, sleep well, and feel great in the morning, you feel better about yourself.
- Most people admire your willpower and tell you they want to do the same.
- The cons
- Can’t cheers
- This was probably the saddest part of not drinking for a year.
- Every time I'd be at dinner with my family, they'd all be having beer or wine and we'd cheers to celebrate a holiday or being together. I did feel left out.
- Over Christmas, I wasn’t able to cheers for my cousin's newborn baby.
- I know it's dumb, but I do like feeling part of the crew.
- Being uncomfortable in social situations
- Being social was a bit more uncomfortable.
- It teaches you to be okay with discomfort and to embrace it.
- The discomfort passes, but it isn't non-existent.
- For my grandmother's 90th birthday last year, we had an all-you-can-eat-and-drink box at a Denver Nuggets game. I didn't drink, and to my surprise not one person noticed.
- Everyone is so focused on themselves and what they are doing that not drinking doesn't matter.
- If you don't want to drink, don't drink :).
- The guilt of making a friend drink alone
- I know I'm not making them drink alone. But, if I were to drink, they wouldn't be drinking alone, haha.
- One-on-one situations where the other person wants to have a drink and you aren't drinking can be uncomfortable.
- This happened a couple of times with my girlfriend, a few times while on vacation with my brother, and at a couple of dinners. Having a drink makes everyone feel more comfortable.
- Not drinking has a positive influence on everyone. They may drink less or not at all, so stick to it and you'll have a positive influence :).
- Reflecting and looking ahead
- Am I happy I didn't drink in 2023?
- Absolutely.
- Like I said at the start, I'm not a big drinker to begin with so it wasn't hard.
- I enjoyed feeling better, being more productive, saving time and money, and learning to be more comfortable in social situations.
- Will I drink again?
- I already have, 😂.
- I drank my first beer in over a year on Feb 2, 2024, with my friend, Sahand. We went to see a Drake concert.
- We're also going to Scotland for my dad's retirement this year so I'll probably have some scotch.
- Drinking is still not something I'll be doing as much, but will sporadically.
- Exposing myself
- While I didn’t drink for all of 2023, I did smoke and tended to eat unhealthy food when I did.
- So while I did eliminate drinking, I still have vices I am working on.
- I just wanted to share that so you don’t think I’m some perfect person.
- I’m a human being just like you.
- I make my mistakes, but I learn, and try to make the best decisions in every moment.
- Hope you enjoyed this list/article/blog and I wish you strength to do whatever you want to do in life.
- Happy Twosday ✌️