A huge component of my 40lb weight gain over the last 6 years has been the amount of booze I consume on a regular basis. From the ages of 17-21, I lost 80lbs. When I turned 21 and could drink legally, I slowly started drinking all. the. damn. time. Booze with dinner and brunch, binge drinking on the weekends, drinking socially, drinking by myself, drinking at bars, parties, game nights, concerts, baseball games. Everywhere. Mostly beer, sometimes wine, occasionally hard liquor. Half of the weight came back.
Now let me set the record straight. I definitely do not consider myself an alcoholic and never have. I don't believe that I have an addiction to alcohol. I do however believe that I had made it such a regular part of my life that it eventually became habitual. I quit 'cold turkey' this week, and haven't had any withdrawal or adverse physical affects. This post isn't about alcoholism.
I decided to try dry January strictly for the inevitable weight loss benefits. It's the 13th and I haven't lost any weight. But the non-scale revelations I've had have been unexpected and encouraging. This week, I partook in three activities that would've normally included alcohol: a Lakers game, a birthday brunch, and a night of karaoke (one of my most favorite things to do). I was 100% convinced that I wasn't going to have fun doing any of these things sober. I've always done them drunk, and have a great time doing them drunk. But you know what? I had just as much fun as I always do. I still stayed out until 1am at the karaoke bar. I still performed just as well as I always do. (Maybe even better! Because, yes, booze destroys your singing voice.) But I didn't wake up hungover, I didn't pick a fight with my girlfriend, and I consumed MUCH less calories than I would have normally. I did the math, and I probably saved at least 2K calories (probably more) over the three days I would have normally had alcohol.
But really who gives a fuck about the calories? What I've learned, and what I can take with me as I try to have the same results transforming my eating habits, is that I have self control. I have 100% control over my body, and over what I put in my mouth. I don't need booze to have a good time, and I don't need meatball sandwiches to make me feel good. Even if they're from the hottest deli in Los Angeles and they have 4.5 stars on Yelp. And if I can stare a delicious, ice cold IPA in the face and still choose sugar-free Red Bull, then fuck...I can ignore that ice cream in my freezer.
I can still live the life I've always lived. I can still enjoy the things I've always enjoyed. But I can also exert self-control and free will. I can say no to the things that tempt me, and I can learn (or re-learn) moderation.
I'm feelin good!
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