After a very merry holiday season filled with sugary sweets and boozy treats, I could tell it was time for a reset on my body. While juice cleanses and infrared saunas are well and fine, a Dry January approach was calling my name. While health and wellness is a big part of my life, I’m well past my Thirsty Thursday to Sunday Funday days but I can be very friendly with a glass or two of Cabernet Sauvignon each night. (Big fan of the Save Me San Francisco California 37 for your everyday cab needs.)
In case your Instagram feed was too full of Marie Kondo before and afters and Fyre fest fail memes to hear about Dry January, here’s a quick rundown. Dry January is a campaign started by Alcohol Change UK to challenge participants to go booze-free for the month of January, resetting their bodies after holiday drinking and reassessing their relationship with alcohol.
Let me say this: I’m historically not someone who follows strict anything. Out of the 7 marathons I’ve run, I only trained for my first one. I have never followed a diet/meal plan. In fact, I don’t think i’ve done anything for a week straight that wasn’t biologically necessary.
I saw this practice in sobriety as an opportunity to prove to myself that I can be disciplined when I choose to be and who knows, maybe see some extra health benefits out of it.
The Verdict
Even though I’d pretty much made up my mind by January 4th this wasn’t for me, I held out. The days went by and the only thing that changed was that i felt more crabby, isolated and wishing time away. My skin wasn’t any clearer, my sleep as poor as ever, my anxieties at their same lingering levels. Really the only area of my life where i noticed a difference was in my social life. It became harder to justify going out with friends to “grab a drink” when there’s no drink to be had.
In my opinion, if it improves your quality of life better and doesn’t hurt anyone else in the process, it falls into the all-encompassing spectrum that is “wellness.”
A glass of wine with dinner, exploring breweries with my boyfriend, a vodka Redbull or two at a concert, they are all a part of the experience i want and enjoy in my life.
“In my opinion, if it improves your quality of life better and doesn’t hurt anyone else in the process, it falls into the all-encompassing spectrum that is ‘wellness.'”
I’m glad I did it for the sake of knowing I can (and I’m sure there’s plenty of internal health benefits I’ll never fully know) but this is a wellness experiment I will not be participating in again.
So for now, cheers to whatever your wellness is!
Have you done Dry January (or any extended abstinence from alcohol)? Did you notice any mental/physical/emotional changes? Let me know!
Love the “Run all the miles, drink all the wine” shirt above? Me too – it’s from Sarah Marie Design Studio. Click this link to get 10% off this Sarah Marie Design Studio top or any of her other super cute, super comfy women’s running apparel.
Stick Around
Be sure to check out more of my latest work below:
- Monday Mantra: The importance of “But” vs. “And” in your motivational quote
A motivational quote that’s easy to remember to help get you through hard times. - Why You Need a Mental Health Day While Social Distancing, Even if You’re Working From Home
Just because you’re staying at home more due to social distancing doesn’t mean you don’t need a mental health day. Here’s why you should probably a book a road trip for your own wellbeing ASAP. - My Mindful March 2020 Intentions: Being present, making eco-friendly swaps and celebrating “luck”
Can you even have a March blog/social post without some kind of St. Patrick’s Day or Spring reference? No, definitely not. To my fellow Midwesterners who have been protected under puffy parkas and swaddled in… Read more: My Mindful March 2020 Intentions: Being present, making eco-friendly swaps and celebrating “luck” - I Cycle-Synced My Workouts for a Month. This is What Happened.
A lazy Sunday turned even lazier last month when I woke up to find I’d started my period. My day was spent with a heating pad over my stomach, wrapped around my low back, sitting… Read more: I Cycle-Synced My Workouts for a Month. This is What Happened. - July Intentions
I’ve never really formally set intentions for the month but something about having some time to myself on a rainy Monday evening (and the fact that we’re now officially halfway through the year) has me… Read more: July Intentions
