There are plenty of reasons not to drink.
I didn’t drink until I was 21 just to say I did it, but also because I was a pre-professional dancer who couldn’t afford the physical toll of drinking.
Even after, alcohol has never been a huge part of my life. I literally celebrated my 21st birthday by buying 6-pack of Smirnoff Ice from the local Sheetz, dancing to the opening of In da Club (Go shorty, it’s your birthday) on a local frat’s bar, taking one sip of that nasty sugar water, then going back to the dorm and going to bed.
I never participated in Dry January because, frankly, I didn’t drink enough to warrant abstaining. Also, I’ve tried before and quit because, like this year, there’s no real reason to do it.
Honestly, I just wanted to see what would happen if I stuck it out. Here’s my experience, some mocktail ideas, and my conclusion.
What I did
First of all, the timing had to be “right.” So instead of skipping out on New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and all the awesome football in January and February, I waited for my dry days to take place from February 21st to March 23rd. Coincidentally, March 24th is National Cocktail Day, so that worked out well.
I decided, however, to cut it short. More on that below, but I went for 21 days instead. Common knowledge suggests habits can be made or broken in 21 days, so the official drought went from Tuesday, 21 Feb until Monday, 13 March.
Favorite mocktails
The mocktail and zero-proof industry is booming and thankfully, we have an adorable shop here in Old Town Alexandria, VA called Umbrella Dry Drinks. Sam, the owner, introduced me to my saving grace, the Avec Jalapeno and Blood Orange mixers, along with her spicy salt.
She’s giving spicy margarita vibes.
Another alternative was a grapefruit La Croix with a squeeze of lime, or the lemon-lime Waterloo fizzy waters. Also, while some of the date-night spots we visited had mocktails on the menu, and they were fine, I was just as happy with a lemonade.
Frankly, I’m not much of a mocktail enthusiast. I ended up sticking with plain water most often because everything else was too sugary for my taste.
WHAT I LEARNED
I will never do this again. Seriously. I felt like a kid who’d been grounded for getting good grades.
I am so locked-on with what goes into by body that deleting the occasional adult beverage had negative effects both on my physical and mental health. That said, now that I can drink again, it’s not like I’m trying to make a cocktail stat. I just wanted the option.
Folks say they lose weight, get more energy, and basically experience euphoria when they quit drinking. Not me. In fact, I was bloated from all the extra sugary (for me) and fizzy drinks. Again, a teetotaler until 21, I’ve never been the “I really need a drink” type. So when I took it away, I realized three things that solidify my healthy relationship with booze:
Learning about a certain alcohol’s origins and/or learning how to mix it with different flavors to create a craft cocktail is a fun hobby for me
I don’t drink to excess (unless I’m with cousin Morgan, but that’s a 2-time thing…); my husband, with whom I’ve been in a relationship since I was 21, can confirm
Alcohol gets me in a desired mood: celebratory, mellow, fun, geared up, etc.; “sharing a drink” creates community; it can be a victory dance
Again, if there’s a reason to not drink, then it wouldn’t be an issue. Trust - former pageant girl here who would go on body-builderesque meal plans and I was fine with making all sorts of food swaps. Alcohol wasn’t even on my radar.
~ ~ ~
I wish I’d had this blog before embarking on this challenge. I’m glad I did it simply so I can say I did and that I don’t ever need to it again. SO here’s my conclusion: because I’m already so uber-disciplined in all areas of my daily life, enjoying a treat here and there is actually good for me.
Cheers. -JY