I Gave Up Alcohol For 60 Days and Was Amazed at the Results

I Got More Sleep, Was More Productive, and Had Much More Energy

My husband and I gave up alcohol for a full 60 days between August 10 and October 8, 2020. Our intention was not to give up alcohol completely but to go a long stretch without drinking to see how we felt. We’d gone without alcohol before but it’s been a few years since we’d given it up for a significant amount of time. Sixty days doesn’t sound like a long time but it was long enough to notice some improvements in our health.

It was his idea and I decided to go along with it. We needed some motivation to get healthy and have the energy to ride our bikes after work. Both of us had low energy levels and we just didn’t feel that healthy.

Neither of us drinks a crazy amount of alcohol, but it is easy to get into the habit of pouring a glass or two of wine after work and then watching Netflix for the rest of the night. I normally leave work around 3:30 p.m., so that was starting to feel like a lot of wasted time.

On the morning of August 10, we were both ready. It was a Monday and we felt like that was a logical start. Throughout the next 60 days, we didn’t really crave alcohol but it was clear that we needed to develop some new after-work routines.

Days 2–4 I love my wine. I was used to my wine. I missed my wine.

I was irritable and so was my husband. We griped at each other when we didn’t have anything else to do. He liked to remind me that irritability was to be expected. Somehow, instead of helping, that made me more irritated. That part passed quickly but those first few days were tough.

We all get into comfortable routines. When those routines get shaken up, it’s hard to adjust, especially right away.

Days 5–7 I started sleeping much better, but I was still waking up tired. We replaced wine’s empty calories with those of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (the more chocolate and caramel the better).

On Day 5, a Friday night, my husband was working on his bike in the garage. I was watering the yard and watching YouTube videos. We noticed our dog was acting really weird; she started wandering around blindly, then collapsed with her first seizure. We loaded her up in the car and drove her to the emergency vet clinic, a 20-minute drive on a busy freeway. On a normal Friday night, we would have been drinking wine and watching a movie. Because we were not drinking, we were able to get the dog to the vet quickly and safely. She’s fine but we were pretty shaken up.

Days 8–22 After the first week, the quality of my sleep improved so much that I was waking up ready to go at 4 a.m. Normally I get out of bed between 5 and 5:30 a.m., so that gave me an extra hour before I even had to start getting ready for work.

Around the beginning of the month, my husband accidentally paid for a whole year on the website we had started developing but were not using yet. With my extra hour, I decided to get the website up and running. I picked August 31, 2020, to have the website live with our products listed and ready to sell.

I was not familiar at all with SquareSpace, so I worked on that website before and after work for more than two weeks before I was happy with it. I met my goal and the website was live at 6 p.m. on August 31.

I found that when I was missing the ability to sit and relax with a glass of wine, I could log into SquareSpace to work on the website. Before I knew it two hours had passed and it was bedtime.

Days 23–52 We went the month of September without drinking. We focused on riding our bikes, taking the dogs out, and keeping the house clean and organized. My husband spent a whole day organizing the garage! We sorted through our things and took 3 large garbage bags to the local thrift store. It felt good to be that organized.

I was invited to go on our local news channel to talk about our business and got a small number of orders from that feature.

When it came to my soap making business, I felt like I had a huge amount of creativity. I learned new soap making techniques and finally made the rattlesnake-themed soap I had been thinking of for the past few weeks.

My sleep quality continued to improve and some of my dreams were incredibly vivid.

I was drinking more water so my skin was clear. My pants were looser because my body wasn’t holding onto so much water.

Days 53–60 We continued riding our mountain bikes and tried out new trails around the area. Our endurance improved over time and it started feeling more like fun and less like work.

After the 60 days were up, we decided that we had earned our wine. We had done our longest ride yet, went out for Mexican food, and stopped at the store on the way home.

I almost regretted breaking our streak of alcohol-free days but we never intended to give it up completely.

We’ve had more alcohol-free days since then and are planning another long stretch starting the day after Thanksgiving. That way, we will be ready to ride our bikes again in the spring. Also, I have exactly one pair of work pants that fit right now. Going alcohol-free will help me fit into the new pants I just ordered!

The Rest of Our Results My husband lost 17 pounds. He got to use new loops on his belt and almost needs to order new clothes. He noticed that his sense of smell improved. He was more alert, appreciating some of the small details that are normally ignored.

I lost a whopping four pounds, but I felt lighter and my clothes fit better. My skin cleared up and I slept better. I had so much more creativity and a lot of extra time to use it.