On Two Months of Sobriety
Let me clear a few things from the onset:
I didn’t do this to get “healthy”
I didn’t do this to get “fitter”
I didn’t do this to lose weight
I didn’t do this because I was consuming too much alcohol
I didn’t do this because alcohol is bad and should stay away
I believe alcohol can be a part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Yet we rarely drink because REALLY want to have a drink, more often than not it’s conditioning. This was my reflection over the last two months.
There are certain things I noticed:
A Friday/Saturday night seemed empty without alcohol
Going out with friends seemed empty without alcohol
Going out on date night seemed a reason for a glass or two
Sitting alone watching a game over the weekend called for a beer or two
Travelling or vacation seemed like a reason to “let loose”
All these ideas that have been subconsciously conditioned into us through years of marketing and association go unnoticed. We may feel like we are in control but we are often looking for reasons to turn to some sort of an outlet or indulgence.
It took me a few weeks before my body/mind stopped craving for that beer when watching the premier league, or a glass of whiskey when winding down alone on a Friday night or a glass of wine on date nights.
I have in the last year also learnt to “let loose” without alcohol. Alcohol makes our view myopic. Myopia Theory proposes that alcohol “narrow[s] our emotional and mental fields of vision.” People under the influence of alcohol, therefore, are more likely to engage in risky behaviours because they have a diminished sense of long-term consequences.
I have danced my heart out at a club sober, been at a party full of people I met for the first time till 3am. A lot of what we desire through alcohol can be achieved through reflection and mindfulness.
Rest, alcohol can be a part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle where we drink only when we REALLY feel like it and not because of our conditioning to it. Everything can have a place in a lifestyle as long as it’s balanced, we know it’s role and limits.
