A few weeks ago, I woke up with another rotten hangover and spent another day with debilitating anxiety.
Hanxiety has always been a terrible issue for me – I really wish I was one of these people that can wake up fine the next day after a few drinks, but unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
So, I decided to give Sober October a try. I can’t remember the last time I went a week without a drink, so this was going to be a test.
I’ll be honest, I failed, I weakened and had a couple of glasses of wine, but I still consider the month to have been a success and I did notice some positive and negative experiences that I thought would be worth sharing if you were looking at taking a similar path…
1. More Patience at Home
Patience is not my strong suit in life, especially when dealing with my two very lively and demanding daughters. Sometimes they can drive me close to insanity even without a hangover.
But I have noticed that I've been able to manage my own moods alot better. I find with parenting, its managing your own emotions to be one of the hardest parts!
In fact, overall, I have felt a lot calmer which for someone who struggles with anxiety, is very nice.
I wouldn't say I'm walking around like a monk on valium just yet though.
2. Much Better Sleep
Sleep hasnt really been a problem for me (my wife is very jealous of how I can just put my head on the pillow and nod off)
But I have noticed a significant improvement in how often I wake up. Its been noticeably less during October.
And previously, after a heavy drinking session my sleep would be completely out of sync for a few days. So, it’s been nice to have more consistency with this.
3. Pub is Hard Work
Going to the pub has been really hard work. I have found it okay for a couple of hours but when everyone starts getting smashed around you talking the usual waffle that I love to engage in, I can’t handle it.
I don’t think I’ll ever go fully tee total for this reason.
Not being able to do this for life scares the shit out of me and that was reconfirmed during October.
4. I Haven’t Lived in Utopia
I've watched many non-drinking channels, and often they give the impression that life will be almost utopian without alcohol.
This hasn’t been the case for me – life has still thrown its usual shit shows my way and some days have still been very challenging.
5. Much More Perceived Time
Before I started this, people told me I’d feel like I have much more time. This is definitely true. I have so much time, I have been bored shitless a lot of it.
These are hard moments as the temptation to feel this void with alcohol has been pretty tempting.
A massive plus of this though is I have been able to get more shit done on my page and spend some better time with my family.
6. Much More Momentum
One thing that made me do this was the momentum I’d lose after a big night out. If we went out on the Saturday, sometimes I wouldn’t feel like doing much until the Wednesday.
This would really get on my nerves, so its been lovely to feel as good on a Monday as any other day really.
7. I've Eaten More Crap
I was expecting the weight to melt away not drinking but it hasn’t really. All I have done is swapped Sauvignon Blanc for Maltesers.
I read this was expected the first month as sugar is a huge craving once you give up alcohol. This is 100% true for me.
8. Less Extreme Highs and Lows
As I mentioned earlier, October hasn't been a utopian experience. There have still been plenty of challenging days, but those days have been less challenging than when I was drinking heavily.
On the contrary, I haven't experienced the extreme highs that come with drinking.
Drinking on a night out is really fun,and I can reach astronomical highs when I'm in the right environment, chatting nonsense with friends and family.
So I haven't reached those highs in October, but I'm okay with that if it means I don't have to endure days of hell afterwards.
Everything has felt more balanced, which is a really nice place to be.
Conclusion:
I definitely prefer life in this state. The socializing aspect is very different and challenging, but the rest of my life is just better.
Waking up without a hangover is beautiful.
I wouldn't push sobriety onto anyone because I don't think everyone needs it.
However, this experience has been an eye-opener for me, and if you’re struggling with hangovers and days of anxiety after drinking, it might be worth trying!
Thank you for reading, and I'd love to hear from you if you can relate to anything I've said or if you're considering a similar approach to alcohol.