How I Quit Alcohol

It was October last year and I wasn’t feeling so great. I was constantly tired, I would wake at 2am stricken with anxiety about the coming day. The mornings felt heavier than ever and I had brain fog that just wouldn’t lift. I’d lost the spring in my step. Eventually I convinced myself to go see my doctor for a check up.

She ordered some blood work and a week later we sat down to go through my results. She had my file open in front of her and started asking me questions about my lifestyle, like a pop quiz, except she knew all the answers already.

Are you stressed?

‘Yes, I’m a mother to two young children. I run my own business. My husband almost died last year. I have an air bnb. We have a puppy. My plate is overflowing. There is a lot of joy, but there is also a lot of stress taking care of everyone’.

Do you eat fast food and sugary drinks?

‘No, I would say my diet is pretty good, we eat a lot of wholefoods, we avoid fast food and I’ve actually never drank soft drink, I’ve never been one for soft drink’.

Do you drink alcohol?

Silence.
‘Um, a little’.

How much is a little?

Thoughts ran through my head, do I tell the truth? Please, no, don’t be the alcohol, please don’t be my pretty evening rosè, it’s the only thing holding me together. I told the truth.

‘I drink 2 glasses of rosè each night, three glasses on the weekends, sometimes 4 if the weather is nice or the kids are going crazy’.

Her body language told me this wasn’t ‘a little’. She went through my results. They weren’t great. I had very high blood pressure, very high cholesterol, I had pre-diabetes and fatty liver disease. I was on a trajectory, and it wasn’t a good one –  stroke, heart attack, diabetes were all coming for me.

Then she said ‘If you were to give up alcohol and sugar you would probably find all these problems would disappear’.

And just like that my appointment was over.  I sat in the surgery carpark in shock and cried…

Q) Why did you quit alcohol?

Health. I soon came to realise that my doctor was right. I stopped drinking and one by one, my problems started to disappear. After three months the pre-diabetes was gone. I bought a blood pressure machine and remember being staggered watching the numbers come down, week after week, the longer I stayed away from alcohol.

Q) Why did you drink?

To relax. Once I admitted that to myself, I had to find something to put in its place. Now in the evenings my phone is away in a drawer. I light beeswax candles and sit in our sitting room and try to read. It’s become my way of coming down from a demanding day. Then we are all in bed by 8:30pm.

Q) Was it hard?

Yes. But I was scared, and the fear was enough for me to commit.

I had tried to give up before, but this time was different. The thing that helped me this time was education.

My instagram algorithm knew something had shifted. Instead of showing me beautiful interiors and country homes, I was being served up so much information about alcohol – all the ways it works against you. I learnt how it strips away the protective mucus layer and kills beneficial bacteria. I learnt what it does to sleep, how it fragments your sleep – you have less deep sleep, less REM, more anxiety. You are more emotional and more exhaustion the next day. It raises blood pressure. Weakens the heart. Weakens the immune system, raises the risk of stroke, worsens depression, impairs memory and raises the risk of type 2 diabetes…. the list is endless.

Q) How do you feel? What are the upsides?

Like a completely different person. I have so much clarity, so much energy and I’m so much happier. I don’t wake at 2am with dread anymore. I haven’t felt that bone deep exhaustion once since I quit. And the sleep, the sleep has been the real revelation.

I now see sleep as something that is sacred and something that needs to be protected. While we sleep, our bodies are clearing toxins, repairing cells, sorting memories, and alcohol interrupts all this important work. A healthy mind needs all that work to happen undisturbed. I sleep from 8:30pm til 6.00am and it feels like a small miracle each morning,

Q) How did you do it?

Every night, I fill my wine glass with mineral water. I know, sounds basic, but it works for me. I cook dinner with it in hand, and things feel normal, better than normal, actually.

Q) Do you miss it?

I’m not going to lie to you – yes. I miss it a lot. But I don’t miss the guilt or lying awake at 2am. What I miss is the joy of it. The occasion. That first glass on a sunny afternoon. The atmosphere drinking creates. But I know this is better for me. I need to be well for my children and that matters more than rosè on a sunny afternoon.

Q: Do you ever imagine you’ll have a drink again?

Honestly, I don’t think so. Not after everything I’ve learnt.

Q) What are your favourite non alcoholic drinks?

When we are out at a restaurant or bar I enjoy TINA (This is Not Alcohol) and Non. I don’t have them regularly in the fridge at home, as I need to watch my sugar. But come Christmas time I will stock up on both.

Q) What else do you want to change?

Exercise. I’ve been putting it off for years, but I feel like I can get there now that I’ve conquered alcohol.

Q) Did you lose weight?

Yes, twelve kilos through giving up alcohol and watching my sugar intake.

Q) What happens when you go out and are social?

If I’m asked if I would like a drink I say ‘No thank you, I don’t drink’. I found myself fumbling and not having a straight answer, which can make you vulnerable in the moment. So, I now say ‘I don’t drink’ – it’s clear and it helps everyone understand. I’ll ask for a wine glass and fill it with mineral water. It’s a great way of staying hydrated too!  I’ll also order a tea after a meal, so it feels like a little ritual.

If you are curious about giving up alcohol I would recommend these things:

• Have a plan in place – put something in alcohol’s place, so you don’t feel the void of not drinking.
• Have your fridge stocked with a substitute, could be mineral water, or non alcoholic drinks.
• Follow a couple of inspiring people who don’t drink on instagram. I follow Gary Brecka, he is deep into wellness, and I like his posts as they remind me why I’m doing this.
• Reward yourself. It’s hard work staying committed. Get a facial. Have your nails done. Do something for you.

Good luck. You can always email me or DM if you would like to talk further;

Kara x

P.S: If you are new here, Hi, I’m Kara. I’m a well known Australian photographer with a fine art print shop and a sentimental eye. My once-a-year 30% off everything sale is on now. It ends midnight on Monday the 10th of August. Go shopping here.