Why I Don't Regret Quitting Alcohol -

Alcohol is one of those things that you think makes you grown up or cool when you are in high school. And, I’ll be honest, I used to drink A LOT after I turned 18. Constantly going to the bars and getting dressed up with my girlfriends was what made it fun. But, long term, it wasn’t sustainable. I have to say, since I quit drinking alcohol, I have felt so much better and have had much more energy. It was definitely something that was worth doing.

When and why I quit

In my early 20s, I spent a lot of time going to the bars and getting wasted with friends. It was fun at the time, I swear. We would meet lots of people and just have a good time. I quickly learned that we didn’t need the alcohol to accomplish any of that though. Honestly, I didn’t really like beer so I would run up big tabs for my rum and cokes or all of the shots that we took. Looking back, those weren’t my best moments. They make for great memories (at least the ones that I can remember) and remind me of why I quit in the first place.

I officially stopped drinking alcohol when I turned 23. I was still young at this time and in my heyday for all things alcoholic. But, my body needed a change. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease after a year of being sick and learned quickly that alcohol was making my illness worse. So while I quit because of this illness, I am so happy that I did. Before I quit, I had been gaining weight and I wasn’t an avid gym goer (I’m still not) so it wasn’t easy to maintain a healthy weight. Alcohol played a big role in any weight gain I had.

After the diagnosis, I quit drinking alcohol and saw a noticeable shift in my body. My weight started to get to a steady level and I had more energy. Putting the illness aside, I knew that quitting alcohol was a step in the right direction. Once I reached remission, I continued to abstain from alcohol and really saw the difference it made in my life. I had more energy and didn’t feel sick every weekend because I was hungover. I even felt healthier.

How I made it sustainable

When you are in your early 20s and going out and drinking is part of your life, it is hard to keep turning away from it. Especially when all of your friends are still doing it. Talk about peer pressure! Because of the diagnosis, I knew that I didn’t have a choice and needed to dig deep for the will power to turn down plans that involved alcohol and keep doing it until it felt normal to me. People say it takes 21 days to effectively start a habit and honestly, that may be true for some things, but this took a bit longer.

I was being pressured from family and friends to drink. Being told I wasn’t fun anymore or I was being a stick in the mud was hard to hear. But I knew for my health, it was the best decision. The more and more that I turned down alcohol, the easier it became. Now, I have been in remission for years (which means I can go back to drinking) but still will not drink alcohol.

I don’t want to lose the energy that I have or feel bloated or be sick from a hangover. I don’t want to go back to fluctuating weight gain either. Those things are more important to me that taking a drink. It really comes down to the more you turn away, the longer you can sustain it. It becomes mind over matter. I believe that this is true for most things. How can you discipline your mind enough to accomplish something that is difficult for you? Or start a healthy habit?

I did the same thing with my devotions and yoga routine. I started doing it every day for at least 21 days and it became a habit. Now, with having a 1 year old, the yoga routine has changed and shifted but I try to do some every day. It boils down to how much you want to achieve your goal and how you will discipline your mind.

We are our own worst enemy. Knowing how to fight back against our laziness or lack of dedication or whatever it is, that is the first step in making anything sustainable in your life. From quitting alcohol to starting a daily devotion or yoga routine. It starts within us. Build will power and build discipline. But also build compassion and grace. Let yourself stumble and fall as long as you get back up and keep striving toward the goal. We aren’t perfect, but we can always try to better ourselves.