1 Year Sober

This week marked my 1 year anniversary since last consuming an alcoholic beverage. As a 27-year-old relatively social person who has always lived in a major city, this has pushed me to reconsider almost every aspect of my life. Some of the changes were welcome, some not so much.

Let’s start with the “Cons” of not drinking since that list is predictably shorter. I put cons in quotation marks because most are only short-term cons, and I believe they will make your life better after a brief, uncomfortable period of adjustment.

1. You will Probably Lose Friends in the Short Term.

If you don’t lose some drinking buddies, then the relationship will at least slowly fracture. It’s easy to plan your weekend around a bar crawl on Saturday topped off with a bottomless brunch on Sunday, but going to either one of those events sober can be:

• Dangerous if you’re still tempted to drink and;

• Boring if you stay sober and watch everyone else slowly black out.

Eventually, you might opt to stay home when asked to come to events like these, thus prompting you to find other plans with people who are involved in activities not centered around alcohol. This transition period can be lonely and uncomfortable. It’s important to write down the reasons that drove you to quit drinking in the first place and incorporate them into a daily/weekly reminder.

2. Meeting new people/ Dating Can be Awkward.

I’m envious of people who already have a partner that supports them in their lifestyle choice. If you’re in the dating market, things can get weird. My go-to first date was ALWAYS grabbing a drink at the bar. It was a low-commitment activity that provided a lubricant, lending itself well to breaking out of the jitters associated with a first date. As the old saying goes, “Alcohol is the only drug where if you don’t do it, there’s something wrong with you.”

Now, here are all the things that changed for the better

1. Sleep

Consistent sleep has been the biggest game-changer for me. I used to toss and turn if I had even 1 glass of wine after 6-7 pm. What’s more, I have a more consistent sleep routine now that my weekends don’t involve late nights and hungover mornings in bed. This doesn’t take a year to find out, give it a month and you’ll start seeing how momentum builds when you wake up Monday morning ready to attack the week.

2. I eat whatever I want

This was the biggest selling point for me before deciding, and it exceeded my expectations. If you’re completely sober, a cheeseburger 3x per week is completely fine. The extra calories associated with cutting out 2-3 beers with that same meal add up. Subsequently, if you’re sober you have a ton of energy every day to work out HARD if you feel like you have some unwanted fat. Between removing calories from the alcohol itself and the late-night pizza runs from the drunk munchies, I haven’t had to worry about food all year.

3. Momentum toward any given goal

I ran a half-ironman in August then a week later I climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Most people were astounded by the ability to do that, but honestly, it wasn’t taxing. Yes, running a half-ironman was hard, but after a couple of days, I felt fresh again before flying to Africa and embarking on a 6-day journey to scale the highest free-standing mountain in the world. The difference maker was the 6 months of training leading up to this. Most of my training was on the weekends when I could dedicate 2-3 consecutive hours toward long bikes, runs, and swims. If you threw in one weekend of drinking I would have lost momentum, thus losing the will to continue.

4. Mood consistency

I haven’t had Sunday Scaries in a year. If you’re on the fence about sobriety, read that again. Outside of eliminating Sunday Scaries, I’m less cranky for a number of reasons. Improved sleep obviously, but being hungover is a surefire way to message your boss a passive-aggressive note when they ask you for a status update on the project you’ve been working on.

5. I dominate weekends

As I mentioned above, weekends can be weird at first when your social calendar suddenly frees up. I have found that most people aren’t willing to hang out before 12 on weekends anyway. Since I’m not hungover from the night before, I usually spend 9-12 focused on one activity. I also throw in one BIG workout Saturday or Sunday. Since I’m not at bars, you can find me in nature. Nothing is more rejuvenating than that.

6. Dating

While dating can also be negatively affected by drinking, it can also be positively affected. Especially for younger people, drinking and partying is a surefire way to keep texting someone you’re not interested in. We all get drunk and horny. Don’t be ashamed. Now that I’m sober, I only pursue someone I have a genuine interest in getting to know.

If you’re sober curious, take the leap and start with a smaller goal. You’ll find tons of support from friends looking to do “Dry January or Sober October”. I think I did both of those things twice before deciding to cut it out completely. Believe me, it’s not as scary as you might think.

Sometimes I miss the feeling of the buzz I have from a couple of glasses of red wine, and I think there will be a point in the future when I consume alcohol again. For now, I’m satisfied not drinking.