10 Surprising Things that Happened when I Stopped Drinking Wine.
Ahhhh….drinking wine.
That first glass.
Admit it, it’s deeeee-lightful. It’s why people drink wine. If it wasn’t awesome, sales of non-alcoholic wine would be much higher, right?
I have to say, I don’t miss it. I thought I would but I don’t. I said when I started this project or behavior change, whatever you want to call it, that I am not a days-counter. I’m not wearing coins or medals around my neck to tell you how long I’ve been sober. But, WordPress doesn’t lie, so my blog tells me I’m going on 2 years.
Some surprising things have happened. Some positive, some not so much. Here’s a rundown.
Nope, not an alcoholic, but I do think I needed to stop drinking. I highly recommend the book Almost Alcoholic.
Surprising Things that Happened when I Stopped Drinking Wine.
- I gained weight. For now, I blame it on my love of all things fall and apple pastries….fall baking…plus a terrible case of plantar fasciitis which means I’m not walking as much or working out. But my weight has gone up. I’m to rest my foot for three months. After the holidays, I will join the throngs of people at my health club.
- My sons’ behavior got worse before it got better. I had an epiphany. While I was drinking wine to relax at the dinner hour, sometimes my son(s) would misbehave. I think that because of the wine, it didn’t bother me as much as when I am fully sober. For the first week or two, I was thinking, “”Why is he being so bad?” It wasn’t his behavior that had changed, it was mine. I was able to turn it around quite quickly, and I don’t think he even noticed that I was stricter than previous.
- People sometimes treat me like a recovering alcoholic. One of the downsides of sharing this story is that everyone knows. So there have been a few times that I’ve been out someplace and offered a drink, and then their eyes get wide. WIDE. “OH, THAT’S RIGHT YOU DON’T DRINK ANYMORE.” It’s fine, really. A quick, “Yes, that is correct, I’m not drinking anymore but thanks for offering.”
- Or they won’t take “no” for an answer. It’s weird. I have to answer so many questions now. “Are you pregnant? Are you on medication? Are you driving?” No one asks me these questions if I refuse a cup of tea.
- I realize that the Mom-Wine Culture is EVERYWHERE. No, really, it’s everywhere. Or perhaps I’m more aware of it. Or perhaps it’s because this new behavior change happened at the back-to-school time when I’m around more moms. But the Mom-Wine Culture is everywhere–Meet and Greet night (can’t wait to go home and have a glass of wine!), it’s at PTA meetings (we should sell those wine purses!) and joked about at school events (are they serving wine here?). Either I am a new minority, or the Mom-Wine thing is the very vocal minority, but I didn’t realize how much it surrounded me before.
- All the cool kids are doing it. I told you that a Chrissy Teigen article was my catalyst to stopping. Now John Mayer says that he stopped. Granted, he has publicly stated that he replaced it with smoking pot. But ok. It’s trendy to stop drinking, so that might help my 2 issues above. Anne Hathaway has quit too.
- I sleep better. I need less sleep and I feel less tired, more rested. It’s wonderful.
- We have more money. After reviewing some of the health articles, my husband is on board with me. It’s really kind of crazy how much money we’ve spent on alcohol. I try not to dwell on it, but man! If only I had it in one lump sum today!
- I’m just happier. I’m more productive. More engaged with my kids and my family. More attention paid to my blog, my household. I’ve gone weeks or months without drinking in the past, I’m not sure why this time feels different but it does. Once my foot is healed, they’ll be no stopping me!
- I’ve become much more health conscious. And confident. I eat better. I work out more often. Drinking made me lazy. I’m embarrassed to say that, but it’s true.
I hope that whatever you choose, that it is a constant return on investment.
