My Journal Keeps Me Honest

I’m a big fan of almost daily journaling. I purposely include the word almost because of course there are days I miss and that’s ok. I journal most days and have now for years. I shared a post a while back about what inspired my journal practice and now years later, I can share the most noteworthy benefit for me is that my journal keeps me honest. I don’t reread my journals often but every now and then I will look back and read a few pages. Towards the end of 2023 I couldn’t deny a reoccurring theme in my journaling was a desire to drink less wine. With Dry January around the corner, I decided it was time to be honest and curious about my relationship with alcohol, wine specifically. I had always thought there are way worse habits than a glass of wine or two. That’s no big deal. It’s not like I ever stayed in bed with a hangover. I always got up despite a pounding headache here and there. Even so, I had these reoccurring thoughts about wanting to drink less. I finally listened to those thoughts and jumped on the Dry January movement.

I completed Dry January successfully, not one glass of wine (or any alcohol) during that very long month. I proved to myself that I could do it. I looked at it as an experiment that I would do one day at a time to see how I would feel without my glass(es) of wine. I was surprised within just a couple of days of how empowering it felt to skip the wine, how rested I felt waking up without any wine in my system. I do believe that if you can quit drinking alcohol in a world that is totally obsessed with it, you can do anything.

I will not say it was easy. It was hard, especially going out to dinner and going to a concert was hard, but I was determined to see it through to just see how I would feel at the end. And all I can say is I feel amazing. I’ve decided to keep going mostly dry. The increase in energy is notable, but most significantly my mood has been very positively affected. I’m just in a better mood. I underestimated the fact that alcohol is a depressant. I did not lose the ten pounds that Dry January advocates often advertise, but I do feel better, way better.

There is a movement right now questioning alcohol use. Recently the World Health Organization reported that no amount of alcohol is good for us, and it is in fact a Group 1 carcinogen, the highest-level group. Somehow, I had missed this fact that has been known for decades.

More and more celebrities are sharing their sobriety stories which often include a theme of how their success increases with sobriety. There are many companies jumping on the sober curious movement creating a growing number of NA options. My favorite is Athletic NA beer. Mocktails are becoming a regular item on menus which makes it a lot easier to make a change and a choice when dining out. I also listened to the Huberman Lab podcast where neurologist Andrew Huberman shares what actually happens to our bodies when we drink alcohol. It was disturbing, especially the statistics about the increased risk of cancer from alcohol consumption. The worst news for me was that even low to moderate alcohol consumption still has a negative impact on our brain and overall health. I will warn you that the podcast is a buzz kill, but I’d rather know than not. But what really affected me the most was simply how much better I felt within days of taking a break from wine.

I’m not sharing this to advocate or to suggest or to boast. I’m only sharing because I did an experiment, and I didn’t expect the results to be what they are. And this blog much like my journal is a place for me to be honest and to be held accountable. And I can’t help but share just in case somebody else out there is questioning their relationship with alcohol. It’s a question worth asking. There are so many paths and resources to support asking the question now. I found the book The Naked Mind, very informative and helpful for me. There are a ton of books on the subject of sober curiosity and Instagram influencers/supporters/resources. I recommend finding one that resonates with you.

I have big plans. I’ve promised Birdie I’m going to be the best ski mom around, so I’ve got a lot of skiing to do, and I’d rather be skiing with a clear head feeling my best. I simply want to live the best life I can, and I know my life is better without my nightly wine.

As my yoga teacher Coco says, almost every class, “Who wants to have an OK life? We want to have our best life ever!” That’s all I’m trying to do, live my best life ever! I know my journal helps me do that and so does Athletic NA beer and mocktails.