Ditching the Drank
Photo by Amin Sharifi
When it comes to getting in shape, exercise and food are talked about so much and I feel like the alcohol piece is neglected. I recently made the decision to take a break from alcohol indefinitely, and in this post I’m sharing why in order to help others struggling to reach their goals because of social drinking.
I have a theory that we all think we have to keep drinking to keep up socially but really we would all be happier to just not. If that hits close to home, this post is for you :)
I made this choice a mere 5 weeks ago, so who knows how long it will last, but in this moment I feel really excited about this lifestyle change! In this post I’ll share why I’m taking a break and how I plan on sticking to it.
I need to start this story in my university days. I was a huge party girl in university (I went to Western after all), always down to go out and dance the night away and drink too much. I fell victim to the freshman 15 in first year not only because of the unlimited caf food but also because of the drinking (which I think I was in denial about). I would hit the gym every day, ran, and danced all the time but I could not keep up with how much I was consuming. Honestly, university was an amazing time and I have #noragrets. But back then the hangovers were not as bad as they were today, or at least I always justified it with how much fun I had the night before.
Fast forward to 2 years out of uni and my partying and drinking has naturally slowed down, and going out just isn’t the same as it was in the good old college days. So since I already only indulge now and then anyways, it makes sense to just ditch it altogether.
I finally made the decision to quit cold turkey when I was hungover in LA. If you read my first post you know I went to LA to train in dance, but since it was my first time going there of course I thought I wanted to experience the night life as well. I went out only twice while I was there, and it was really fun and everything, but when I woke up hungover the next day, unable to go to dance and feeling depressed all day, I realized that I was wasting my trip, and not to be dramatic but wasting my life! It was on my second hangover there that I decided I never want to feel like that or waste another day again.
I’m writing this for anyone who is considering about taking a break from drinking, but is maybe scared about the social impact. Here are the factors that helped me come to my decision, and that I will think about as motivation every time I get invited to a party or something and am faced with the opportunity to have a drink:
1. Your real friends will still be your friends if you don’t drink. Anyone who doesn’t is just a party friend anyways, which aren’t real friends.
2. If your friend declared they were going to stop drinking, would you feel jealous and want to join them? If so, quit. You’ll be surprised to see who is inspired to join you!
3. Like I said, I have a theory that everyone would rather not be hungover the next day but feels a social obligation to drink and party. So why not be the brave one to admit it?
4. Imagine the amount of things you could have accomplished in all the time you have spent being hungover.
5. So much money to be saved!! $$$
6. So many health and fitness benefits. Not only is alcohol in itself fattening, but it also leads to drunk eating and in my case overeating all day while hungover (I always envied people who claimed to not be able to eat when they are hungover lol, I eat the world!!)
7. I read the book “A Happier Hour” by Rebecca Weller like 2 years ago and it made be want to stop drinking so badly but I still felt like I couldn’t give up the social and fun aspect. It’s a fun read, very relatable and inspiring! Read it!!
8. What I loved the most about going out was always the dancing, and it took me a long time to realize that not everyone loves to dance as much as me. I don’t like going out if we’re not going to be dancing all night to music I like anyways. This is ironic because going out to party and dance was hurting my actual dance career. This makes quitting a no-brainer because if I had to choose between dancing at a club with my friends and dancing in the studio/on stage/on set, I obviously would choose the latter ALL DAY.
To my friends reading this, don't stop inviting me to things lol!! I will still come and be fun AF <3 I hope this inspires some of you, and if you ever need a sober buddy for an event I'm your girl!