12 Hours Without Booze

Last night I quit drinking and it has literally changed my life forever. While the process definitely hasn’t been easy, it’s totally been worth it. First of all, cutting out alcohol cold turkey has allowed me to re-focus on the areas of my life I’ve been neglecting over the past few years, most importantly my relationships with my friends, my relationships with my family, and, of course, my relationship with myself. Okay, so I haven’t actually seen anyone since I woke up approximately 5 hours ago, but my Facebook, Gchat, and text convos have been so much more honest.

Second, I’ve just been feeling so much healthier and more energetic recently. Saturday nights used to mean drinking a few beers, a couple bottles of wine, maybe a margarita, and then coming home, making three Stouffer’s microwavable macaroni and cheeses, and eating them while watching DVR’ed American Idol. Since I’ve stopped drinking, I’ve been waking up earlier, going to the gym, and eating my meals at the right time. Although, I don’t really believe in scales (they’re negative and never tell you the full story), I’m definitely feeling lighter than I was last night.

That’s not to say that this whole thing has been easy in any sense of the word. I’d have to say, my biggest challenge so far has been learning how to forgive myself when I accidentally fall off the wagon and into a bathtub full of booze. Case and point I had a minor slip up this morning and started feeling guilty for ruining all of my hard work with one moment of weakness over breakfast. Then I realized that all of the stress wasn’t doing my body any good and I sat down, wrote myself an apology letter, mailed it, and continued on with my life. Long story short, learning how to love myself and embrace my personal struggles is a process that I’m continually working towards each and everyday. Whether it’s a few seconds, a few minutes, a few hours, or even an entire day, I’m constantly reminding myself that sobriety is always something to celebrate.

All told, my biggest lessons from the past 12 hours have been that I’m a stronger person than I ever thought possible and I don’t need alcohol to have fun. Right now, I’m finding strength in knowing that I am #blessed and taking inspiration from words of John F. Kennedy who once said, “Things don’t happen. Things are made to happen.” Life is a journey.