I Quit Alcohol For 90 Days: 10 Things That Happened
The other day I got an email from one of my readers asking how much alcohol I drink nowadays, given the COVID-19 lockdowns. With everyone working from home and not having much to do, many people have been drinking more than usual, either to cope with these unusual times or to pass time.
I have always really enjoyed drinking. Even after binging and blacking out many times during college and clubbing and bar hopping in New York years after, I never felt I ever had a problem. It was never something that I couldn’t quit, but I never considered quitting because it was so ingrained in my social life and the way I lived.
But three months ago, I gave up alcohol by accident.
New York started shutting everything down when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid-March. That meant no opportunity for me to drink or go out with friends. By the end of March, I moved back in with my family in Virginia, and I had realized it had been over two weeks since I last drank alcohol. Then I thought to myself, “Let’s see how long I can keep this up. Ninety days later, the results are in.
The alcohol-free life is awesome.
Now, this blog is in no way, shape, or form a public service announcement to get you to stop drinking. Not at all! I just want to share 10 things that I have felt change in my life as a result of my quitting alcohol.
1 | I Stopped Making Dumb Mistakes
I am not perfect. I make stupid mistakes all the time. But if you drink alcohol, you know there is usually a high correlation between bad decisions and tequila shots.
When drinking, you’re more likely to text or call someone you shouldn’t, say or do something you’ll regret, or not even remember everything that happened the night before. After cutting out alcohol, I still made some mistakes, but definitely not at the same level.
2 | I Felt Awesome Every Day When I Woke Up
You know the drill. You go out Friday night and have a blast with friends pounding down whiskey–Diet Coke (saving on calories, of course) and Lemon Drops, fist-pumping to Britney Spears’s Toxic. Then you wash that all down with 2,000 calories of Taco Bell (extra Fire Sauce) and a couple of dollar pizza slices on the way home.
When you wake up on Saturday, at least half of the day is wasted because your body feels like a walking corpse, your mouth is dryer than the Sahara Desert, and your mind feels like someone hit your head with a shovel.
Now when I wake up, I feel incredible every morning! The first weekend I didn’t drink, I woke up and thought, “Gosh, I feel great! It’s a Sunday, and I’m not hungover?” And I would go on to be productive.
3 | My Mind Was So Much Clearer
I was more aware, I perceived things differently, and I spoke so much more confidently with sharpness. It was almost like I was on drugs that heightened my senses.
Overall, I felt an amazing sense of well-being and clarity.
4 | I Became More Creative
The more you drink alcohol, the more it messes with your brain. Sure, there is a hangover the next day, but there is also a mind-numbing effect that carries over if you drink a lot (like I did).
When I stopped drinking, I became so much more creative! I was able to finish writing my book after months of writer’s block and went on to co-found a new company. I was suddenly flooded with new ideas all the time.
5 | My Productivity Sky-Rocketed
Improved productivity is an obvious benefit of not drinking alcohol, but I didn’t realize how much more productive I would be. I was getting more work done than I ever had before.
I was able to start implementing healthy keystone habits like waking up at 5:00 a.m. every single day and finishing a book a week. On top of that, I was able to blog consistently at least once per week, post high-quality content three times a week on my social media accounts, and even start my journey toward becoming a life coach and LinkedIn influencer. And I did this all while being able to balance a full-time job at JPMorgan Chase. I truly feel I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all this if I was still drinking and going out on the weekends.
Discover The 5 Hacks I Used To Quit Alcohol
6 | I Started Making More Money
This was a surprising byproduct of all the above-mentioned benefits. My newfound sharpness and productivity allowed me to create new streams of income and learn new income-producing skills. I was able to think outside the box and come up with innovative ways to put myself in better positions to earn more money.
Also, drinking is expensive, and it is especially expensive if you live in a big city. Going out a couple of times a week and getting drunk on the weekends—the bills start to add up. So instead of wasting money on drinking, I was able to pocket that cash and inject it into investing in myself and growing my business.
7 | I Looked Better
Being that I am somewhat vain (just being honest), I noticed almost right away that my skin was much clearer. It was bright and hydrated, and I had no bags under my eyes. I looked refreshed, happy, and healthy every single day!
The best part was that my occasional acne breakouts disappeared. I had clear skin for over two months straight!
8 | Staying In Shape Was So Much Easier
When I cut out alcohol, it was incredible what changed in my body. Apparently, there are a lot of calories in alcohol and the crappy foods that I typically ate with drinking. Who knew?
It had never been easier to stay in shape. I was able to maintain a lower body fat percentage with a minimal amount of work, and my strength at the gym skyrocketed! I used to bench press 185 pounds (at my peak). Last week I hit 225 pounds, which had always been an unachievable dream for years!
9 | I Was Proud Of Myself & Found A Purpose
This is probably the biggest change I saw in myself. I always felt I didn’t have a purpose or passion. Like everyone else I knew, I was stuck in the nine-to-five rat race that we call life. Days would blend into weeks, weeks into months, and then months into years. I always knew I was supposed to be something more in life, but I just didn’t know what that was.
When I stopped drinking, I became inspired to discover and cultivate my passions. I suddenly wanted a lot more out of life! I started networking with people who could take me to the next level, and suddenly I woke up excited to fight for the life I wanted to live rather than just going with the flow.
I learned that the future isn’t a place we are going to go. It’s something you get to create.
10 | I Am Happier!
All of the benefits to not drinking outweigh that beer with wings, that glass of wine with Italian food, that bourbon with the boys, or even that delicious Jäger in the shot glass and a gallon of Red Bull. I wouldn't trade all the money in the world for all this clarity. It's remarkable.
To Wrap Up:
I truly never thought I would be the one sitting at the computer writing about how I stopped drinking alcohol. I especially didn’t think I’d stop drinking by accident. Now, this doesn’t mean I will stop drinking forever. I will still enjoy alcohol. But the difference is that instead of drinking every weekend or a few times a month, I will probably drink just a few times a year. I have come to have a newfound respect for alcohol.
Everything in my life astronomically improved the moment I stopped drinking. The cloudiness in my head and life just dissipated. And it felt incredible.
I know many of you out there drink, and so it seemed valuable to talk about my relationship with alcohol.
Once again, I’m not telling you not to drink. I’m just saying that if you decide to quit alcohol, you are going to be amazed at how incredible you feel.
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