I got inspired to quit alcohol for 30 days after discussing the Whole 30 with a friend. While I ultimately decided that I didn't want to do the program, I thought it would be fun to give up something I've never given up before. Well, fun may not be the right word. I wasn't really drinking much anyway but still would enjoy a drink once a week for so prior to my 30 day experiment. The first two weeks were fine, it didn't bother me at all and I went to several social functions.
By the third week, I would have loved a drink but it still wasn't too bad. During this time, I accepted a new job and my husband took me out for dinner. Normally, I would have ordered a glass of champagne to celebrate but of course, I did not. My husband wanted me to get dessert instead, but I wasn't really feeling that either (I did not give up sugar during the experiment, but I wasn't eating much of it either). For someone who loves to celebrate with good drinks and good food, this was a little shocking, even to me.
As my time was winding down, I did make plans to jump back into the swing of things, and I was looking forward to it. Ben and I went to a fancy pants dinner at Arnaud's and I got a beautiful cocktail with gin, Aperol and grapefruit. What a way to enter back into the world of alcohol! But really, the whole drinking thing wasn't as exciting as I had imagined. It was not a big deal to quit drinking. Granted, I don't want to do it for the long haul! And while I did not notice anything much changed while I was alcohol-free (no change in energy, no weight loss), I did feel quite virtuous. And it really has changed how I think about when and what I want to drink. For example, I went out over the weekend and had one drink. We went to several places but that was enough for me. I may try this again, this time sugar-free. But it'll probably have to wait.
