I Was Alcohol-Free for 30 Days, and Here’s What Happened
The hard evidences I gathered show life without alcohol is not bad after all.
I am passionate about cooking. No matter how tired I am from my day job, I go straight to the kitchen once I get home.
While I cook, part of the process is to drink 4 cans of beer. As I prepare my ingredients, until I start lighting the flame on my gas burner, I slowly lift my ice-cold beer to my lips in staggered calculated sips.
As soon as I am done cooking and serving dinner, I am also done drinking my 4 beers. Then after dinner, I drink another 4 cans throughout the evening before going to bed.
Although I drink 8 cans of beer each night on weekdays and 12 cans of beer during the weekends, I believe I’m not a problem drinker, nor do I consider myself an alcoholic.
Then last month, I decided to avoid alcohol for 30 days and find out what would happen. Below is a brief summary of what happened.
I Slept Better
I didn’t sleep well for the first five days.
On the first day of my abstinence, I couldn’t sleep until midnight. The same thing happened the following day. Heck, I was dreaming half-awake on the third day.
Although I was sleeping for a shorter period, I felt more refreshed compared with my regular sleep with alcohol upon waking up in the morning.
Finally, on the 9th day, I fell into a deep slumber, and I woke up refreshed the following morning like never before. The next days, I fell asleep faster, deeper, and better.
I Felt Better
I woke up feeling better. I felt mentally sharper rather than feeling sluggish and sleepy in the morning.
My sensory reflex improved as well. And I wasn’t anxious and overwhelmed at work as I usually do.
Instead of becoming sleepy in the afternoon, I was surprised by how much energy I had. As a result, I could finish more tasks and accept more assignments.
I Saved Money.
A beer costs a dollar per can. Doing the math for 30 days, I saved more than $300. It may not be substantial, but if I include the money I have spent drinking daily for a decade, the amount would be staggering.
I Finished 4 Novels
I am a bookworm. But I stopped reading since I started my nightly escapade with alcohol.
On my sobriety, I spent the time reading instead. Drinking consumes 4 hours each night, and for 30 days, I read four novels.
Conclusion
Based on the hard evidences I got from my experiment, no doubt quitting alcohol is worth it.
The time I wasted consuming this substance is quite a revelation. With the time I squandered, I could have used it more productively. I could have hustled and made more money, I could have read more books, or I could have done things that would significantly improve myself.
Will I go back drinking?
Nahhhh, I won’t go back. I just started my 5th novel and the sense of gaining back my time, money, health, or life, in general, is invaluable.
