Can we handle our alcohol?

Can we handle our alcohol?

Karine

30 days! It’s been 30 days since my last drop of alcohol. Now what? Do I continue, or do I start drinking again? Someone told me that, if I’m an alcoholic, I should obviously continue my challenge. If not, then go ahead and drink. I guess the question is, what is an alcoholic?

  

Before this 30-day break, I used to drink only on week-ends. Unfortunately, my week-ends included Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I was drinking 4 days a week and sober 3 days a week. I was never drunk but I had a pretty high tolerance for alcohol. I could have an entire bottle of wine and still be lucid about everything. It was a talent! Not one I could showcase in a talent show but a talent none the less. For me, alcohol was associated to fun times amongst friends and down time with my husband when the kids were in bed. If I started with one glass, you can be sure I had a second. Moderation was out the window. Did that make me an alcoholic? That’s such a frightening label. Nobody wants to be called an alcoholic. 

I first started the 30 day no alcohol challenge because I was just sick and tired of always being tired. I thought that I needed to cleanse my body from toxins such as alcohol to regain energy. I also hoped I would reap the benefits of losing weight, sleeping better and being more productive at work. 30 days have passed and…my skin has cleared up but that’s it! I’ve been getting up earlier over the week-ends, but I think that’s only because I go to bed super early to avoid the cravings of drinking. For now, I’m not really impressed about the physical benefits but let me tell you about the emotional and psychological benefits.

In the past 10 years, I have very rarely attended a social function without drinking. In the past 30 days, I’ve had to cope with dinner with friends, birthday parties and barbecues completely sober. It’s been an eye-opening experience. Where I normally would have hidden behind the fake courage that alcohol brings, I now have to learn to have fun just by being myself.  The lesson I’ve learned is that, I’m good enough. I’m interesting enough, funny enough and friendly enough without alcohol. I somehow used to think that my glass of wine was the only reason why I was able to walk up to people and talk, but the last 30 days have shown me that I don’t need to feel like I’m not enough. I’m fine just the way I am.  Mind you, that might not stop me from enjoying a good glass of wine but for now, it’s enough to make me want to continue this challenge. I’m curious about what else I’ll learn during this journey.

Guik

I don’t know about you but after a long day of work, there is nothing better to me than the sound of uncorking a bottle of wine. For some reason, the first sip is always the best one. I automatically feel more relaxed. I also enjoy a glass when I’m cooking. When the food is ready, well the meal must be accompanied by another glass of wine. It’s just common sense. After dinner, I always clean up which is not always fun, but wine makes it bearable. Once everything is done, and there isn’t much wine left, you can’t put it away… that’d would be a waste. Might as well finish the bottle. Don’t judge me! I’m sure many of you have done it before.

Have you ever gotten to a point where you think to yourself: “am I drinking too much?”, “should I cut down a little bit?”, “do I have a drinking problem?”. If so, how many times have you said to yourself “only one drink tonight”, “no more drinking during the week”, “let’s do dry February”, “let’s do the 30-day no alcohol challenge”.

A few years ago, I was always eating out after hockey games or grabbing breakfast on-the-go on my way to a hockey tournament. I don’t know how many times I went to the restaurant, but I eventually gained a bit of weight. At some point, I got tired of it because I was working out so much but since my eating habits were horrible, nothing changed. I decided to try a different training program with a trainer and cut the alcohol cold turkey. I started that at the end of October (bad choice) … just before Christmas. I remember attending parties and only having sparkling water. You don’t believe me? I have witnesses! I was able to go alcohol-free for 64 days. Was it hard? Yes, it was at first. Did I lose body fat? Yes, I did. Was it significant? I’d say it was worth the try but my trainer also told me this: “what are you willing to trade-off to achieve your goal?”. To achieve the body fat percentage I wanted, I had to limit my socializing events, be somewhat picky about what I would be eating at the restaurant and cut down the alcohol. To some people, this may seem ok or easy to do. Since I’m single, it’s hard to mingle at home cooking dinner and sipping on sparkling water all by yourself.

I’ve been training for a race in mid-June. At the end of April, I started reducing my consumption of alcohol and eat clean as much as possible until the race. I’ve had an evening or two (during the week) where I’ve enjoyed a glass of wine and I was back on track the next day. It was difficult, but I really wanted to do well at the race. Now that the race is over, I will be eating a big poutine and a very cold beer!

Karine & Guik