Feeling and doing better after giving up alcohol

I quit using alcohol on August 23, 2018 when the results of a massive Global Burden of Disease study showed that the safest level of drinking is none. Since that day – 668 days ago – I’ve saved more than $7,100 and have gained 1,528 hours in productive time. If you go by the numbers generated by my ‘Nomo’ sobriety counter. Which sound about right.

What have I done with the ‘extra’ couple of hours per day? Not spending two hours per day either drinking or recovering from the fatigue and lethargy associated with drinking, has been an unexpected bonus. I’m spending a lot more time walking with my wife and dog, more time doing strength exercises and more time baking and cooking. A new hobby which takes up quite a bit of time and care is baking sourdough bread. Having started my own sourdough starter from scratch to now maintaining it, feeding it every day and then baking two or three loaves every few days, is a time-consuming yet satisfying pursuit. It’s enjoyable though and I’m giving away loaves to family, friends, co-runners, neighbors and the like, which makes one feel good and useful.

 

Not using alcohol has improved my sleep immeasurably, I’m less prone to irritation and frustration, and life is generally better with fewer ups and downs, irrespective of circumstances beyond one’s control. Waking up with a fresh, clear mind every day is the biggest bonus of all. No more hangovers, ever!

Sobriety affects so many aspects of one’s life: my personal relationships, general demeanor, ability to listen, empathy, understanding of the feelings of others, creativity, energy – there are no negatives.

The one major change I anticipated but which did not materialize? Weight loss. Despite running about 25 to 30 miles per week, plus about 5 hours per week of strength exercises, my weight hovers around 175 lbs which is a good 15 lbs more than I would like it to be.

So with immediate effect I will resume a ‘No S’ diet routine which stands for no snacking, no sweets, and no seconds on all days except days starting with ‘S’. Being Saturday and Sunday. No need for elaborate calorie counting or obsessive fasting. Just a sensible, low maintenance way of curbing mindless eating during the week and avoiding the inevitable result of snacking and overeating.

 

 

 

 

 

One month sober and counting…

Alcohol and I have a long history and it is not always a pleasant one.

I started experimenting with booze at 18 and immediately took to its relaxing, inhibition-reducing effects. By my early twenties I was a confirmed heavy drinker and with a few short abstention intervals, didn’t quit until 40… And then had another couple of drinking spells after that… By the norms of modern Western society I was never a full-blown ‘alcoholic’.  Never any morning drinking, no long benders & I never seriously compromised my job or family relationships. It was all pretty much controlled with the exception of the occasional but all too often weekend and sometimes mid-week binge.  I dented my long-suffering liver way too many times over the years; thankfully the human body is amazingly resilient.

If I had given it more serious thought when I was younger I could have saved myself from a boatload of hangovers, weight gain, anxiety and interrupted sleep. Plus many wasted opportunities and a few things I will live to regret for the rest of my life. Thankfully no DWI’s or other legal tangles, but that could easily have gone the other way.

Being recently sober – one month today – I have re-discovered some stuff I knew from before. Given the same environment (we all have issues and problems), being sober is a happy state of affairs compared with the alternative. For the first time in months I feel optimistic, energetic and in control of my destiny. I want this feeling to continue and if ‘all’ I have to do is not mix that gin martini or pour the first glass of pinot noir, then the rewards are much greater than the ‘sacrifice’. You get all the positives and none of the anxiety, depression, health issues, hangovers and social opprobrium.

The main imprimatur for quitting this time was the fact that my alcohol use was starting to affect my health by worsening my GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease). It was either medication (Nexium) which made me nearly totally exercise-intolerant or quitting alcohol.  Pretty easy decision for a dedicated runner.

Update on marathon training: not going well at all due to a serious bout of flu which manifested itself mostly in the way of nearly incessant bronchitis-like coughing and fatigue. I was pretty much forced to stop running for nearly 2 full weeks. Disastrous right in the middle of my marathon training program, and just a little more than 2 months to go until Sept 20. Within the next few weeks I will have to decide if it would be wise to bump down to the half marathon or 10K, instead of setting myself up for a grueling experience trying to run 26.2 miles woefully under-prepared. We will see.

STAT ROUNDUP
# of days to Cape Town marathon: 61
Starting weight: 183 lbs
Average weight over last 7 days: 178.2 lbs
# of pounds lost: 4.8
# of pounds to lose: 18.2
Goal weight: 160
Average calorie intake for last 7 days: 1680
# of days without alcohol: 30
Starting body fat %: 28.7
Current body fat % 27.4
Starting waistline: 41 inches
Current waistline: 39 inches

Dry on the 4th of July

Ordinarly I would equate celebrating something with having a few drinks but not right now. Having been on the wagon for 12 days now, the 4th of July weekend will be celebrated in this household without any wine, beer or gin martinis.

When I went through several years of being vegan, people would ask if I missed eating meat? Of course, yes: there is no denying the taste and satisfaction of biting into a nice, juicy cheeseburger or savoring a perfectly grilled piece of NY Strip steak.

Likewise with the booze. Do I miss enjoying a couple or several glasses of a delicate rose, a distinctive Pinot Noir or a tasty Chardonnay? Of course I do. Would I prefer to change out my club soda & lime for a gin & tonic? You bet!

Fun often comes with a price though. Definitely so with the alcohol. I am only now starting to recover from a serious case of GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) which caused significant yet hopefully transient damage to my esophagus, eventually resulting in difficult swallowing. There are not many medical symptoms quite as alarming as not being able to swallow! Heavy drinking (yes I was in that category) is often one of the issues associated with GERD. Plus being over-weight and a bunch of other things.

I fault my – former – gastro-enterologist for simply prescribing Nexium which turned out to be poison for me, as it made me almost completely exercise-intolerant. What he needed to tell me was that I should go on a diet to lose weight. Even moderate weight loss clears up most people’s issues with GERD. That is not an internet myth, it is a well-established medical fact.

What can I say after 12 days with no alcohol? I’ve always preferred the sober me to the drinking me: better all-round temperament, more patient with others, less prone to doing something stupid. And of course I feel like a million dollars with a clear head, no sour stomach, no hangover, no foggy brain. Sleeping well and waking up rested is huge too.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no issues with other people drinking – it’s a free country. Many people can do it in moderation and have fun with it, and that is just fine. Of course when it starts to have a deleterious effect on one’s health, that changes everything. So at least until September 20, Jack’s a dull boy… 

STAT ROUNDUP
# of days to Cape Town marathon: 79
Starting weight: 183 lbs
Average weight over last 7 days: 178.5 lbs
# of pounds lost: 4.5
# of pounds to lose: 18.5
Goal weight: 160
Average calorie intake for last 7 days: 1643
# of days without alcohol: 12
Starting bodyfat %: 28.7
Current bodyfat % 27.4
Starting waistline: 41 inches
Current waistline: 40 inches