Supermodel perfectly described top benefit of quitting alcohol at 41
Recently, I was at a party chatting with a fellow soberite about big-time benefits we realized after quitting alcohol in our 40s.
Typically people focus on the physical side — the weight loss, the better skin, the increased energy.
And that’s probably because of the persistent myth that alcohol helps you deal with mental health challenges like stress and anxiety.
Which is a total load of crap.
Whatever short-term benefits you get from drinking are paid back with crushing interest in the long run.
So my friend was talking about how much more effective he was at work since quitting alcohol.
He was getting more done, and doing a higher-quality job of it.
“You just feel smarter, right?” I asked.
“YES!” he responded.
One of the things that I noticed fairly quickly after quitting, and one of the benefits I value and cherish the most, is that I started feeling less dumb.
So it was cool to happen upon an article this week featuring the supermodel Gisele Bündchen, who quit alcohol for good at Age 41 (she’s 43 now).
I think she chose the perfect word to describe how mine, my friend’s, and a lot of other people’s brains feel after quitting.
Suddenly stumbling
Here’s what Giselle said about how we get turned around and start stumbling down the wrong road:
”Sometimes, we can get so disconnected from our bodies because we are running away from ourselves, so we just keep adding more things for us to do.
“Give me anything to eat, give me anything to drink. You’re just in this mode.”
Certainly, this applied to me.
My alcohol abuse was fuelled in a lot of ways by avoidance:
- Avoiding social discomfort as an introvert
- Avoiding the stress of everyday life
- Avoiding work depression
- Avoiding self-loathing
- Avoiding boredom
When you’re young, you can get away with poisoning yourself to a certain extent physically.
You’re wrecking your life in other ways — I still feel a great deal of shame and disappointment over the years I wasted and where those decisions led me — but you can still function for the most part.
But as I mentioned up top, the bill eventually comes due — and it’s usually handed over in your early 40s.
Hitting the wall at 40
Giselle continued:
“Right after I turned 40, actually, I felt a huge difference between when I had the glass of wine and when I didn’t have the glass of wine.
“It’s socially accepted to have a glass of wine. And people even say, ‘Oh, it’s healthy for you.’
“Well, it is not healthy for me.
“ If you want to ask of your body what I ask of my body, which is a lot, I can’t be having (alcohol and caffeine) because they add up.”
But even more important than what you ask of your body is what you ask of your mind.
Especially if your mind is what pays the bills, as mine and most people’s do.
Brain boost
And here’s where Giselle uses the word that perfectly describes your post-alcohol brain:
“I became more clear.
“I felt a bit more foggy before.
“Now I’m very sharp and very present and I notice things that I didn’t notice before.
“When I’m not drinking, I’m sleeping much better.
“You have to be loving to yourself.
“You ask a lot of your body, you’ve got to do a reset. You have got to take care of this only vehicle you got, right?”
I still think sleep is the greatest post-alcohol benefit of all, because it really is tied up in everything else you do.
And the other benefit for your brain?
When it isn’t always caught up in a chemical obsession — i.e. “can I drink here, when can I drink, what should I drink, am I drinking too much? — it frees up your mental bandwidth to perceive and enjoy the smaller, regular things in life.
Now that’s clarity.
Better in every way
And finally, as Giselle noted, quitting alcohol not only makes you a smarter person — it makes you a better person.
As she said:
“No one is going to do it for you.
“When you feel good, you’re a better mom, you’re a better friend, you’re calmer, you’re more patient, you’re more loving, you’re more grounded.
“So you can’t feel guilty about prioritizing yourself. Because that’s loving you and loving the people you love the most, which are going to be impacted by how well you are.
“Because if you’re sick, everyone hurts.”
Hey friends, thanks so much for reading! How did quitting alcohol affect your brainpower for the better? Let me know in the comments!
My top 5 most-read articles of all time:
- Do these 4 exercises and you’ll be in the best shape of your life
- Jacked Rob Lowe revealed the 1 harsh truth about staying fit over 60
- I quit alcohol for 1 month and my side hustle income exploded
- Bruce Springsteen’s 1 effective fitness tip for staying cut after 70
- The 1 priceless book that kicked off my quit alcohol journey