What I Have Learned From 30 Days of Sobriety.
Fail, learn from your mistakes, and don’t give up.
I had been abusing alcohol for over five years, drinking more than five strong beers or two bottles of wine a day and failing multiple times trying to quit.
Yet, I completed a dry month and am on my 32nd day of sobriety. I never thought I would be able to achieve it.
It wasn’t exactly easy. Only one month in, I’m still fresh but hopeful and courageous. My new experiences did teach me a few new things.
So I decided to reflect on what I’ve learned to help out those wanting to quit.
It gets easier.
That first day is hell. I’m sure anyone who tried to quit an addiction can vouch for this. The urge on your drinking hours comes up, and your mind can’t stop thinking about the drinks it can’t have anymore.
Persevere. It will take a few weeks, but the urge will go away, and the thought of drinking when your hour arrives will vanish.
Your mind becomes clearer.
Rejoice! You remember what you have done the night before. At work, you perform better because your mind is less foggy.
The anxiety makes place for pride because you no longer have to hide that you have been drinking heavily the day before. You start to feel better mentally and can concentrate better.
You lose weight.
Drinking adds an enormous amount of liquid calories to your daily diet. This will make you gain weight even if you have an otherwise healthy diet.
While weight loss will be impeded in the first few weeks, caused by the body asking for sugars you don’t get from the alcohol anymore, you’ll see some weight loss starting in the second month.
Just drink plenty of water as daily drinking dehydrates the body severely.
The cravings and thoughts of drinking grow shallow.
Every person who drinks daily at the same hours knows the feeling. The urge that rises when the hour draws near and the constant thoughts of drinking in itself. It keeps you distracted throughout the day.
For me, these urges went away halfway through the third week, and yesterday was the first day I didn’t have a single thought about drinking or alcohol.
This is another victory and shows that there is progress.
Your sleep becomes better.
That alcohol makes you fall asleep easier is no lie. However, sleeping deeper and better is the other side of the coin. You can sleep as much as you want; you’ll never be fully rested.
This changes fast. You can have trouble finding sleep in the first few days, but ultimately, you’ll sleep deeper. After a few days, you’ll find your sleep as usual, and you’ll awaken with more energy and feel rested.
Conclusion
Your reasons for drinking can be many. In the end, alcohol is only a temporary reliever with many (harmful) side effects. It does not solve your problems, giving you many in return, such as better sleep, weight loss, more concentration, more energy and many more.
Quitting alcohol only has positive side effects.
No matter how long you are drinking already, breaking the habit is possible.
Please consult your doctor before planning to quit alcohol, as the withdrawal symptoms can be pretty severe.
