“You not drinking?”
So I just did 10 weeks not drinking alcohol and that was one of the most frequently asked questions. To be honest even looking at that number of weeks feels fairly minimal but for a lot of people I suppose a week is a lot. I could easily have gone a few more weeks and to be honest really enjoyed it.
So what spurred on this change?
Well, as with quite a lot of people, I’d had quite a few hangovers which have got progressively worse so that was probably was the number one reason. Through lockdown 1.0 in portland we didn’t really drink much if anything at all but then with moving here to Portugal that has thankfully meant a wonderful summer with lots of BBQs and good times. Those BBQs generally involved me holding court on the grill along with a beer. Before long some wine turns up, then some rum to cap it off and I just had a few mornings where I felt a bit worse for wear.
Anything self inflicted feels pretty lame to me in that situation but when I really started realizing the issue was that I could feel myself getting way more snappy with the kids. Especially since our daughter seems to be going through the stage of life where the solution to every single problem is met by throwing herself on the floor and screaming like the world is ending. So that combination wasn’t working.
The main thing it left me thinking was :
“Why should my kids pay the price for me having a few drinks?”
Because essentially instead of me jumping out of bed, making pancakes, taking them to the beach or skatepark early I was a bit slower and more grumpy which was the real kicker and reason for me to try it.
I’ve also long been interested in a few people who don’t drink any alcohol as I respect them immensely for that decision. Bryan Fox hasn’t really ever drunk I don’t think and I’m always so amazed how he deals with drunk people till 4am with a smile on his face. Patience of a saint that man.
Chris Ritchie also doesn’t, he learnt what serves him best after years on the road touring with hardcore bands. The same for Olav Stubberud. I also had a bunch of people hit me up after an IG post around not drinking all of whom I would place in the “winning at life” category.
So what did I learn around the benefits?
Well, one, better sleep. The sleep when drunk is basically at this age like taking a night off going to bed as you feel worse than before.
Two, feeling so much sharper the next day.
No more dehydration, headache and needing Coca Cola. What a combo.
Three, cost. I noticed a few lunches we went out to when you have food and I’d drink water but people would drink a glass of wine at like 3 or 4 euros. Do that a couple of times a week and before you know it it adds up.
Four, Continued health and well being.
So sometimes if I have a night drinking on the weekend the next week feels like I have to start over again both physically in terms of getting back flexible and hydrated and secondly in terms of mentally picking up where I left off. With my book being in its final stages of editing too, I was also happy to be clear headed day after day to get the edit right (hopefully).
That obviously also meant that I felt way more useful as a parent with way more energy and less irritable.
Also with waves being best September - November I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any days from feeling sluggish especially considering now when I do have a few drinks I seem to take a couple days to recover.
Five, the social dynamic.
It’s funny how interwoven drinking alcohol is into our society. If you are out or at a BBQ and you have have a beer or wine in hand, people instantly ask what’s up. It then becomes this thing “why would you ever do that” and again its just a strange one as everyone knows the negatives associated with drinking alcohol that it becomes such a bone of contention.
Will I be doing it again?
100% yes and likely for a full 3 months next year during the same time. I think its a nice way to really not let you get all out of shape come winter too.
How come I stopped?
Well, a trip to a brewery. But not just any brewery, it’s actually a brewery we are working with for our new brand that we’re launching soon and so yes it meant I had to test out quite a few drinks. We’ve been working on this for over a year now and I couldn’t be more excited about the future of this brand we’re launching. Stay up to date by following @ummi_kombucha
It sounds ironic me talking about the benefits of not drinking and then launching an alcohol brand. We’ll launch the full details soon but I’m super excited about this new venture as from experience so far the mornings after have been so much better.
Let me know your thoughts and if you’ve taken any breaks or if you just gave up alcohol all together?