Long story short. I quite drinking all alcohol for several months. I know my body doesn’t like it and I’m better off without it. I thought if would be good after a period of abstinence to have some and really check in and listen to what my body was feeling. I find this whole thing sort of silly. I’ve been hungover enough times to know that it’s not good for me. Yet I feel I need to do an experiment and prove something to myself. Ahh humans.
Hypothesis:
I feel I will enjoy drinking the beers and the feeling I have slightly buzzed. I won’t like the way I feel in the morning.
Experiment:
-I drank 3 beers one evening while hanging out with some friends.
-They didn’t taste all that great. Yet I still wanted them.
-I felt joyful, a little lightheaded and recognized that I came out of my shell a bit. I liked and didn’t like this. I don’t want to judge it, but I’m starting to not enjoy the fact that I can become someone slightly different due to intoxication. It’s a little scary. Who is that person? She obviously lives inside and I’d rather her come out without the help of brewed hops.
-Headed to bed and started to feel a little dehydrated with a slight headache. I drank 1 glass of water and fell asleep.
-The next morning I woke up feeling thirsty. My body felt a little ‘off’ but I can’t quite describe it. I wasn’t hungover as it is typically described, and was having a difficult time putting a word to it.
-I then went to the bathroom (#2), and it realized it just didn’t smell very good. I’m sort of grossed out and annoyed. I know, I know, this shouldn’t mean much since it generally doesn’t smell like roses, but my vegan, minimal sugar diet lately, has been turning that ‘norm’ on it’s head.
-About an hour after awaking, I’m in a car as a passenger. I’m really trying to zone in on the feeling of being “off.” What is that feeling, I keep asking myself? It then comes to me, “weakness.” Ahh, yes, I feel weak. Not in the sense that I couldn’t go workout but that my body didn’t feel vibrant and strong. It felt rikety with a slight pulsing vibration running throughout it. I also had a slight ringing in my ears even though I hadn’t been to a concert the night before.
My conclusion:
I didn’t enjoy most of it and by the feel of it, neither did my body. I’m grateful that I want to pay more attention to what I’m feeling and what my body tells me. It is my temple, I want to nurture and respect it. It’s the only one I have.
I’m sure some of you want to ask, “So are you going to drink anymore?” The simple most truthful answer I can give right now is only on a rare occasion. When I do, I’ll probably stick to one glass of something. Hopefully I’ll be even kinder to myself and just have a cup of hot tea which always brings a smile to my face and heart.