6 Unique Benefits to Quitting Alcohol for 6 Months

This sober experiment has opened my eyes.

October 31, 2022.

I was sipping wine while handing out Halloween candy to the kids, as I did every year. But this year was a little different because I decided that was the last time I would have wine (or any alcohol) for at least a month.

I was going to take all of November off, and possibly December too. (Nothing like quitting in the middle of the holidays!)

It’s now May, and I have officially been alcohol-free for over 6 months.

Now I want to tell you about the unique benefits I’ve gotten in the past 6 months, plus what’s been easy and what’s been hard, and the one main thing that really helped me stay the course.

Let’s go!

First, a Little Background

I wouldn’t call myself an alcoholic, but I did drink too much on too many occasions. (Pretty much nightly.) I could still get up for work and complete all of my family obligations and duties, but I wasn’t my best self.

In that first 20 minutes after having a glass of wine (or 2 or 3 or 4), you feel better than your best self.

But then it all goes down from there. Drinking started to become all downsides with none of the upsides. And I knew that was a problem I had to deal with.

In the past, I have taken time off from drinking. Usually between 1–3 months. One time I made it to 5 months.

Of course, when I was pregnant and breastfeeding both of my kids I didn’t have a drop of alcohol. That was a year+ for each kid. (It’s amazing how easy it is to make a change when you have a strong enough why.)

Most of the time, I would say I was going to take a break, but only lasted 1–2 days. Those were half-hearted commitments to myself.

This time, I made a firm decision and I stuck with it. Now I want to tell you about the benefits I’ve enjoyed.

First, let’s quickly go over the general benefits and then I’ll give you the unique ones.

The Benefits of Not Drinking Everyone Mentions (There’s a Reason for That)

If you’ve heard or read any other stories of people taking a break from alcohol, everyone mentions these main benefits:

• better sleep
• a clear head
• no hangovers
• better focus
• saves money (a LOT of it)
• weight loss
• less puffiness

There’s a reason these are the ones that everyone talks about. They are impactful. In fact, I would say the #1 benefit above all is better sleep. (Saying “better sleep” doesn’t give it justice. We’re talking about 1000x better sleep.)

Having a good night’s sleep makes your entire life better.

I’m not even kidding.

The difference I feel when I wake up in the morning now, versus when I was drinking is night and day. It’s like I was half the person I was supposed to be when I woke up before. Literally, I was a zombie.

(OK, not literally, but it felt like I was a literal zombie.)

Waking up with a clear head is incredible too. I get up super early in the morning, but that’s one of my unique benefits, so I’ll tell you more about that next.

6 Unique Benefits of Being Alcohol-Free for 6 Months

Benefit #1: Enjoying nature walks

My husband is Italian, and we always have those big Sunday meals. The table is full of pasta, meatballs, bread, salad…

And wine.

The wine flowed nicely. Mostly into my cup since almost no one else in my husband’s family drinks. Including my husband.

When we go to my mother-in-law’s on Sundays, I like to walk home because she only lives a couple of miles away. But after having several glasses of wine (or Rusty Nails if my brother-in-law is there — those are his favorite), I would walk home kind of tipsy.

And I remember I would be telling myself, “What are you doing? You’re not even enjoying this walk. You can’t focus on anything out here. You can’t focus on the beauty.”

I remember feeling bad that I couldn’t “see” the beauty around me because my head was too fuzzy.

Now I truly enjoy my walks. I hear the birds. I feel the warm sun hitting my skin. I listen to the creek water splashing over the rocks. I smell the flowers on the trees. It’s amazing, and I enjoy it so much.

It wasn’t just Sundays that were a problem. Imagine having 2 or 3+ glasses of wine at night, and then waking up with a cloudy brain. I really couldn’t enjoy my walks any day of the week.

Benefit #2: Mega-early wakeups

I wake up between 3:30–4:00 am on the weekdays (so I have time to write), and believe it or not, my head is clear and focused at this time. I always start with Wordle, and let me tell you, I can Wordle with the best of them even at this ungodly hour.

When I was drinking, I used to wake up every night at 3:33 am. But it was a different feeling. I woke up with my heart racing, my head fuzzy, and sweating like a pig. (Do pigs sweat?)

I always had to pee too.

I would go into the bathroom, look the in mirror, and think, “What the hell are you doing to yourself?”

Now I get up at that time on purpose, and it’s awesome! Even if I don’t get a full 8 hours of sleep, I feel rested. Because my quality of sleep has gone WAY up.

Benefit #3: No heart palpitations (plus more health benefits)

Have you ever had heart palpitations? It feels like your heart is fluttering and not beating correctly. They’ve landed me in the ER once and Urgent Care another time.

I’ve had to go to the heart doctor to get a stress test, then I had to wear a Halter monitor for 24 hours. (Talk about ruining your sleep! Try wearing a clunky, metal device attached to your hip to bed.)

It’s funny how no one connected drinking with these issues.

However, now that I’ve stopped for 6 months, the heart palpitations have stopped too. (Every once in a while I’ll get them slightly if I’m dehydrated.)

I’ve also had other medical issues clear up. The two biggest ones are:

• heartburn/acid reflux
• IBS symptoms

I’ve been to doctors countless times due to mysterious stomach and digestive issues. I spent thousands of dollars on tests. My doctor did once tell me that I had gastritis, which is inflammation of the stomach.

She suggested I cut down on wine, coffee, and alcohol, and I said, “My three food groups??”

Turns out, I just had to cut out the alcohol. I still enjoy plenty of coffee and chocolate with no consequences.

As far as the IBS symptoms go (IBS pretty much means no one knows what the hell is wrong with your digestive system), it’s much, much better. But not perfect.

However, I can pinpoint certain foods that bother me much better. Which leads me to benefit #4.

Benefit # 4: I can tell which foods make me feel bad.

That sounds like a weird benefit. But when you know what makes you feel bad, you can take it out of your diet.

For instance, I now know that the Cheese-Its White Cheddar Grooves are no good for me. (Boo! They’re so tasty!) I eat them and I almost immediately feel this dread fall over me. It’s weird!

I also tried these buffalo-flavored pretzels once, and the skin under my eyes poofed up. And I also felt awful for the rest of the day… and the entire next day!

Now, if I was drinking, I wouldn’t be able to tell if it was the food making me feel bad, or the hangover. So I would just continue eating the things that made me feel bad, compounding the problem.

That’s why this is a major benefit.

Benefit #5: Boooorrriinnnng.

Most people that quit drinking say they their life is boring without it. I say the opposite is true.

The only thing I wanted to do was sit at home and drink wine (or gin and tonics). Even though I love new experiences, the call of the bottle was stronger than the call of the experiences.

I’m still mostly a homebody, but I’m more willing to go out and do interesting things. I don’t just want to sit at home all the time. In fact, we’re flying to Las Vegas next week for a music festival.

Hell. Yea! 🤘

Benefit #6: You’ll feel less likely to die during exercise.

I remember this one day so clearly last year. I like to run, and I signed up for a 5k at the local park. I was so excited because I love when there are races so close to me.

It was a beautiful, but really hot morning. And I had had some gin and tonics the night before. That was a HUGE mistake.

I was already dehydrated, and it was extremely hot.

Remember those heart palpitations I told you about? Well, I could barely walk without them starting up. So running was almost impossible.

It was a huge disappointment. I felt awful, and I swore I would never do that again. (I’m sure I did.)

Now when I run, it feels great! I get no heart palpitations, and I don’t feel like I’m going to keel over with every step.

The #1 Thing That Helped Me Stay the Course

I’ve never found a benefit in accountability groups, but this time, it really helped me. I joined a blended group (some people are taking breaks from drinking, and some are just trying to cut down) on Facebook for Pelotoners.

I posted a daily check-in every day in November. It was for me and for anyone else who was abstaining for that month.

Having to check in every day really helped me to focus.

I didn’t want to let the people down that I was checking in with, and I just keep succeeding, day after day. I was even made an admin because the person running the group appreciated my positivity and commitment to showing up every day.

Having this accountability was the #1 reason why I was able to gain momentum and keep steadily moving forward. If you want to take a break from alcohol, I 100% recommend finding a group where you can do this.

Are There Any Downsides?

I still crave wine or a cocktail sometimes, especially when we go out to eat. On our 20th wedding anniversary, my husband, the kids and I went to a fancy restaurant, and they brought me and my husband a glass of champagne each.

In the past, I would have had mine and his (he’s never liked drinking, lucky guy!), but this time, I just had to let it sit there. I had a couple of sips and then had to let it go.

That was kind of tough.

It was champagne. It was tasty. And it was free.

But when I have a craving, I think about all what it feels like about an hour after drinking. Then I think about what it feels like at night. And worst of all, I think about what it’s like in the morning.

I think about the sweaty nights. (Seriously, does anyone know if pigs sweat?) I think about the heart palpitations. I think about the gloomy mornings.

Nope.

Not worth it.

Conclusion

Will I ever drink again? That’s something I ask myself a lot. I don’t like to answer it because I change my mind a lot. Therefore, I just like to say that I’m enjoying everything as it is right now, and that’s that.

I definitely feel more free.

Craving alcohol at exactly 5 pm every night is like coming home and attaching a ball and chain to your leg.

It traps you.

You’re not free to live life to the fullest.

Now I feel free. I don’t have that mental baggage weighing me down. “When am I going to drink? How much? What will it be? Will people notice if I have more than one?”

Now I just live my life and enjoy every aspect of it.

It’s true freedom.