When I stopped drinking, one of the things I very QUICKLY realized is how habitual and deeply embedded into my (almost) daily routine drinking had become. It was amazing how many activities and social settings I convinced myself went hand-in-hand with booze.
Beautiful day outside? Wine on the porch.
Pool time? Cooler of seltzers.
Dinner at a restaurant? Bottle of wine.
Football? Beer.
Networking event? Booze.
Cleaning the house? Booze.
Taco Tuesday? Booze.
Booze? Booze.
I wasn't going out to bars, staying out late, pounding shots, or going on weekend benders. I was just casually and socially drinking too frequently and cumulatively. It was like second nature and a default setting in my brain.
Since I've stopped drinking, I have done one of two things to cope:
1. Cut out those triggers/situations completely if they no longer serve me and were not fun sober
2. Substituted the booze with a healthier option and rewired my brain to that new relationship
I've done much more of #2. Choosing not to use alcohol has required me to find other ways to deal with the root cause of what I was using it to dilute in the first place. That has required some significant lifestyle changes that I'm now open to start sharing. An easy (and still just as toxic) replacement for some is cigarettes, marijuana, binge eating, coffee addiction. In that, you are essentially replacing one vice with another.
For the first 4-6 weeks I did go through over-eating and drinking more coffee daily than I should have in a week. However, I at least recognized this was happening and identified it as a coping mechanism that would help me get through that phase. It did. And I moved on. Since then, it has been all about lifestyle changes that will permanently keep me healthy and not tempted to drink.
When you stop poisoning your body, and realize how amazing it truly is, there is a major mind shift that happens. For me, it was after getting medical testing done 100 days sober, and finding out I was 100% healthy. I couldn't believe it. My body is so strong and self-healing that I had no long-term effects of my drinking.
My lifestyle changes now have been solely focused on two things:
1. Removing toxins
2. Nourishing my mind, body, and spirit
Yoga has been a lifesaver. Daily meditation has been critical. Diet clean-up and hydration have been non-negotiable. All-natural household and toiletry products have been essential. Premium supplements have been restoring. CBD products have been nothing short of miraculous.
Bottom line? You can't just stop drinking and nothing else changes in your life. It is a behavioral and mental shift that requires new habits, routines, and ways of coping with challenges.
The shift is hard. It takes time. But it's totally worth it.
I'm looking to 100 days over as the next milestone. I'm at day 24 now and I literally don't even crave alcohol whatsoever, after the first week or . I'm going to look into making some other changes to your place what the alcohol was being used to download, namely stress and anxiety. Thank you for sharing your story Lora.