Is It Time to Cut Back on Alcohol?

Do you ever find yourself reaching for a glass of wine, beer, bourbon, or whatever just to unwind after a stressful day? Do you find yourself drinking a little more often than you used to and think it might be a habit now? Alcohol has become a ubiquitous entity in our society. You go out for dinner with friends and drinks are included. You go to a baseball game and get a beer or two while watching the game. You have a stressful day, and you unwind with a drink. Advertisers portray this situation routinely. TV shows have characters drinking huge glasses of wine every day. And you can now buy a glass that holds an entire bottle of wine. So, when your doctor asks you how much you drink, you feel that saying 1 glass a night is appropriate when in reality there are 5 servings of wine per standard 750mL bottle.

Alcohol is not all bad. We use it to celebrate with others. We incorporate it in to our lives as a way to relax sometimes. But it has become the ‘go to’ drink. And when it becomes a daily occurrence or you worry that you might be drinking too much, then it is something to think about cutting back or stopping. A perfect time to consider such things is just around the corner. Sober October is a thing. And even better you could start sooner with Sober September. This is a time to remove alcohol from the equation of your life and find other ways to relax and celebrate without having the effects of alcohol. A month is not the end of the world and you might find that a month away from alcohol helps clear the cobwebs of the mind and improve your ability to cope with stress in healthy ways.

If you feel it may be time to cut back or give up alcohol, maybe Sober September or Sober October is for you. If you do decide to go for it consider why you drink.  Having healthy options to try instead of reaching for that drink may be useful for you.

Below you will find several areas of life that alcohol affects and ideas on different coping mechanisms for these issues. This does not include the health risks of drinking alcohol. Instead it lists things about your body that you may notice over a sober month. Being mindful of these feelings may motivate you to continue more sober days, weeks, or months.

Sleep/Fatigue

That night cap every night may sound like a great way to assist sleep but alcohol has a paradoxical effect that will wake you up a few hours later. This change in your sleep patterns may lead to fatigue and irritability from poor sleep. Alcohol is not a cure for insomnia. If anything, it causes more sleep problems than it helps.

If you drink to fall asleep, you may need to try different, more healthy options for this. Meditation helps turn off the brain so sleep can come on. If it is a matter of thoughts running through your head, meditation and even having a notebook on the side of the bed to write those thoughts down to address in the morning can help. Turning off all electronic devices 30-60 minutes before bed, sleeping in a dark, cool room, going to bed at the same time every night and getting up the same time sets patterns. Even melatonin which is a natural substance our body produces may aid in sleep. These are just a few ways to help induce sleep and many more exist that might help like weighted blankets and sound machines. Do some research and seek assistance from your trusted physician if needed.

Decrease inhibitions

We all know stories either of our own or someone we hang out with that did something really stupid while drunk. But it doesn’t take getting completely snockered to allow alcohol to lessen our inhibitions.

Consider this: you have been good all day picking healthy options to eat and maybe even worked out. Then the night comes on and you want a drink or two. This may lead to ordering food out instead of cooking. You now want some ice cream because you feel you deserve something sweet for the hard day you have had. We have all been there while drinking. Alcohol becomes an excuse to splurge. We use it to celebrate so let’s celebrate making it through the day! Then the next morning you feel tired, maybe even puffy from eating bad choices in food. You swear it won’t happen again… until it does.

So instead of drinking alcohol, maybe find another favorite drink to enjoy. You could always start drinking sparkling water, club soda, seltzer water, or tonic if you want the bubbles. These drinks do not require alcohol to be enjoyable. Adding some fresh fruit for flavor or even a splash of lemon or lime can spice these up. Then there is just plain old water which is actually pretty good for you. If you need something with more flavor, teas can be delicious. Just try to go herbal at night instead of full on regular tea due to caffeine. We don’t want you to be up all night.

Calories

Alcohol is not calorie free. These low calorie ‘skinny’ versions still have calories or chemicals to replace some calories. Plus, as mentioned before, we tend to snack and pick worse choices in food while drinking. So, there are more calories. If you are watching your waist line or just want to try to become healthier, removing alcohol for a while may help with those.

Try to choose low calorie options in hydration that satisfy cravings and keeps you wanting to drink it.

Stress/mood

Alcohol for relaxation keeps you from thinking about your worries. This can be a tool for short term spurts of stress where you know things will improve soon but even then, there are healthier ways to deal with stress. Since alcohol just keeps your mind off of your stress, it will still be there when you wake in the morning. Plus, you may feel bad about what you did the night before. Alcohol does not fix relationship issues, job problems, money frustrations, or personal conflicts. It causes more for many. So, reaching for the bottle may be worsening your life in many ways if you find yourself doing this.

Also, alcohol affects our mood. We have all met the angry drunk, the sad/sorry drunk, the irritable drunk, the tired drunk, the happy drunk and many other types of drunkenness. As mentioned before, I am not getting in to drinking to excess but we all know alcohol can affect our mood but we may also drink because of our mood. Sometimes alcohol is the way we self-medicate for our mood issues.

If you feel this is the case and you are self-medicating, you may want to talk to a doctor about this. If you are using alcohol as a way to make it through the day and cope, maybe try exercise, talking about your problems with trusted friends or professionals, journaling about your issues, or picking up new hobbies to do at night instead of drinking.

The Rut

For many people drinking in the evening at home after a busy day of work is a habit. We get in our ruts and do not know how to get out of them. This could consist of a glass of wine with dinner, then another in front of the TV, and a nightcap before going to bed. This routine incorporates alcohol in to a period of time to waste until time to sleep. Another scenario is the crazy busy parent who spends the evening wrangling children through homework, dinner, and bedtime routine and then a glass or two of wine just seems like the reward you deserve. But is it really? Society seems to say so but that is because the advertisers are pushing that agenda. 

So instead of those ruts consider these: make a delicious dinner for the family, find a hobby to start or pick back up, play games with family or friends, pick up a good book to read, go for a walk in the neighborhood, take a hot bath with no interruptions (designated ‘me time’) or find a group to meet with similar hobbies/beliefs. Staying busy in a healthy way keeps us from mindlessly eating and drinking our evenings away or using alcohol as a reward. We work all day to be able to enjoy our evenings, but are you enjoying that time? 

I am not saying be so busy you feel like your evenings are also work. This should be a time of fun and enjoyment. When was the last time you really enjoyed your evening after work? Just think about it.

If you decide to do a Sober September or Sober October, think about why you drink, how that affects your life, and how you can change those habits. Then enjoy the benefits.