This past January I decided to do dry January. To be honest going into it I had no idea what to expect or how to feel and really didn’t even know if I’d be able to finish it. For context prior to January my friends and I loved going out. And not even going out to clubs or parties, just sitting on a nice patio for happy hour, having some beers after a day of skiing, or even just debriefing our weeks with a bottle of wine on Friday. It was super casual, fun, but I was definitely drinking every weekend. Coming out of the Holiday season I decided that I kinda wanted to make a change in my life. Obviously I’m 21 and didn’t want to go sober forever so thought I’d try the month out. I guess I was really just tired of the hangovers, feeling sluggish the next day, and waking up with a dull headache. 

Long story short, I completed the full month of dry January. And to sum it up really quick for you, yes there were a couple hard days in there, after a stressful day or week it would’ve been nice to take the edge off with friends but honestly, I always felt super proud of myself at the end of each night which I think kept me going the whole time. It also helped that I did it with a couple of my friends and my boyfriend so I was never fully alone throughout the process and we had each other to keep ourselves accountable. The one thing that kept on crossing my mind throughout the process of the month was “what is the point of this”. I kinda just assumed that I’d be right back drinking the next week after January so I kept coming back to the idea of why am I doing all of this if I’m not actually going to change? Well let me tell you, dry January permanently changed the way I think and feel about drinking. 

So I did have a work party at the beginning of February that I went to and definitely did indulge in my fair share of drinks at that event but the next morning I woke up feeling super guilty and overall just gross so I knew I had to do something about that. I haven’t had a bad hangover since. My attitude towards the way I drink has done a complete 360. And I’m no saint at all, I’m not trying to preach this new way of how I’m feeling to everyone it’s just crazy to me to look back on how 3 nights a week I’d be going out and drinking with friends now it’s rare that you can convince me to have a couple casual beers. 

So here’s what I think really changed for me, I got used to the idea that not every night has to be a party. I used to feel so weird about staying in and when I stayed in I’d really just spend my Friday night on the couch. But I’ve come to the realization that I can still do a bunch of things on my Friday and Saturday’s completely sober or even just have 1 beer and learn to call it a night. I honestly never imagined I’d be so calm at this age. Just a couple months ago my life was so different and everytime I think about it I’m just left pretty shocked on how just one month really changed my life. As cheesy as that sounds it really did but even on some days it can still be hard but I think I’ve kinda nailed down the activities that make me feel good and things that I can do without drinking. 

Walking

I’ve never got this many steps in my life. It makes me feel so good too. I’ve always been a pretty anxious person but I think walking is just helping clear my brain and making me feel so refreshed. I try to get out somewhere scenic like a nice trail walk or the seawall but even when I don’t have time for that  a nice walk around my block does just fine. Waking up on a Saturday morning feeling refreshed without a headache and going for a walk while you know a lot of people are in bed aiding their hangovers is a good feeling (boosts the ego a little bit as well). 

Cooking At Home

I’ve never really been the best at cooking, I mean I know how to cook basic meals and it tastes pretty good but it’s always just simple classic comfort food. With my weekend nights freeing up I’ve got super into learning new recipes and making some more challenging dishes. And instead of cooking with a glass of wine in hand I’ve swapped that out for a lovely diet coke. 

Hobbies

When I was really in the height of my partying phase I feel like all the hobbies I enjoyed went out the window. My free time was spent drinking and then aiding a hangover so there was just no time to do the things I loved. Now with all this time on my hands I’ve been able to spend more time doing the things I enjoy which I promise you is a lot more fulfilling then having some beers. I’m back into bike riding and painting which are things I kinda gave up for awhile. 

As for things that I would do that normally involve drinking I’ve kinda just learned to slow my roll down and stick with just a couple casual beers. My friends and I love to get together to watch hockey games and that generally involves some drinking so if I just bring 2 along with me then I know I can still enjoy my time with friends and not feel pressured to get drunk and really party (and if you’re surrounding yourself with friends who pressure you to drink, that may not be the right group to be around). It’s still good to enjoy yourself, it’s just about finding those ways to handle those situations and what works best for you. 

At the end of the day, stopping or even just cutting back on drinking is not an easy task but I’m kinda just proof to myself that it is totally possible too and I haven’t felt like I’ve missed out on anything at all. Birthday’s, celebrations, and parties are all things I’m still going to go to and enjoy but for the most part I just don’t feel the need to be as excessive as I used to be. Life is good and I’m feeling happy. I’m not going sober for life by no means at all but having this balance in my life has totally made a positive difference. If you’ve been curious about life with cutting back, give it a try! Literally nothing bad can come out of it.