It’s been 125 days since I last had a drop of alcohol & I’ve learned a lot. (a thread)

1. I used alcohol to “de-stress” or to “relax” but really it was just masking the fact that I didn’t have the best coping strategies for dealing with stress. I replaced alcohol with meditation. I hated meditation at first, but I’ve found a method that works well for me.

2. Alcohol is everywhere & it gets glorified a lot. It’s on TV, in movies, ads, in books. There’s a lot of glorifying of consumption but rarely any talk of the consequences.

3. As a society we put alcohol consumption on two poles: alcoholics who are portrayed as barely functional, and everyone else. This makes it harder for most of us to consider why we drink and whether it could be problematic.

4. I get better sleep. My skin is clearer. I still have lots of fun. I deal with major depression and anxiety and my meds work better. I no longer feel shame spirals.

5. I am not offended when someone drinks in front of me. I’m not preachy about not drinking. At the same time I am proud of myself.

6. I have had the occasional urge to have a drink but that’s mostly been related to stress. Old habits die hard. For a while I would have dreams about drinking. Those have stopped.

7. My original goal was to go 100 days without alcohol. Now I am working towards a year. I have felt so good, I just want to keep it going.

Also - I don't judge people who choose to drink, those who may be struggling with their drinking or those who are curious about giving up alcohol. The wonderful thing is that there are many more resources available now than there were even a decade ago.

I was curious about how I would feel without alcohol and I it's been really great.