I have managed to post a blog every week for the last year without losing one of you. No one has unsubscribed. It was a pretty good run if I say so myself. But this is where I may lose a few of you, and you need to know that my intention is not to make you upset or unhappy, but I have always promised to share my journey with you in an unvarnished manner.
Let me start by saying that I love a good cocktail. I love a good lager, pilsner, or stout. I love a nice sipping tequila, a botanical gin and tonic, a single malt scotch, and this time of year, a rich bourbon. Before my health incident, I would enjoy one or two of those every night to unwind after a busy, stressful day. I never had a problem with alcohol; rare instances of getting drunk have marked my twenties (and some in my thirties), but not since then. I have people in my close orbit who have had problems, and that was a cautionary tale for me. I have found it much easier to learn from the mistakes of others than to make them myself.
I am not a teetotaler either. I prefer dark-roast coffee or espresso to tea, which I find tastes very much like hot, dirty water. My apologies to tea drinkers. I would say that I had a healthy relationship with alcohol and mainly drank because I liked the way it tasted.
Fast forward to a year and a half ago, when I finally made the connection from the data gathered from my Garmin device about my sleep patterns. The nights when I had a drink or two, to supposedly unwind, I had considerably less deep sleep and REM sleep, both of which are required for restorative sleep. I determined early on that restorative sleep was one of the most essential elements in my recovery. I found this out the hard way, literally. I did a “75 Hard” challenge in which one of the aspects is zero alcohol for 75 days. You can check out the others here.
During this period, my sleep improved dramatically. It was very evident to even the most novice observers of the data. I thought, maybe there is something to this no alcohol thing, so I kept going after the 75 days had elapsed. That was a year and a half ago. I used to joke, “I can’t wait to get better so I can go back to drinking.” Honestly, it wasn’t much of a joke; it was reality. I missed my cocktail.
On our recent trip to Spain and Greece, I decided that I would allow myself a drink or two while we were traveling (never on the same day). This is after eighteen months of zero drinks. Over the course of 19 days we were traveling, I think I had maybe 6 or 7 total. We came back home, and I thought perhaps I would introduce alcohol back into my routine periodically, but I haven’t had a drink since. For some reason, the appetite (or taste) of it doesn’t appeal to me anymore.
During this time of non-drinking (I was going to call it sobriety, but I find that term may be offensive to recovering alcoholics), I discovered many great non-alcoholic beers made by the same companies as the ones I used to like. Bitburger and Guinness are two perfect examples of an almost identical match with their alcoholic version of the same beers. I do enjoy the taste of these NA beers, and never being a fan of pop, they are my go-to beverages with a meal.
In an ironic twist of fate, I have simultaneously become a tea drinker. Angela Macke, owner of Light of Day Tea, suggested their Leelanau Licorice tea to me as the primary ingredient is licorice root, which has restorative properties for adrenals. I have been drinking that for 3 years now, and the taste is not hot, dirty water to me; it tastes like health. Since then, I have branched out to several of her other teas. I feel good about supporting a local business, also because it is the only organic tea farm in the state.
On a recent 24-hour fast, I drank only tea and lemon water with sea salt added for minerals. I am not making this up: that night, when I went to bed hungry, I got the best sleep I had had in months. I will explore this phenomenon further. If I discover anything that is not coincidental, you will be the first to know.
During this time of self-discovery, I also learned that NA beers are the fastest-growing segment in the beer market. My adult daughter is on a similar journey, and she has named it sober curious. She told me that many of her peers are sober curious. Look at me, I am part of a growing trend with the cool young people. Not really. It’s more like what my dad used to say, “Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.” I just happened to stumble on something that many millennials have intentionally chosen.
This may be due to the announcement a few years ago by the World Health Organization (Who?) that no amount of alcohol is safe. I am not necessarily a fan of the WHO, nor do I look to them for leadership in anything health-related, but this may be why so many young people have suddenly become sober curious.
What I can tell you is that at least for now, I don’t have any desire to go back to regular drinking. I don’t feel any social pressure from others, and really never have. I didn’t submit to peer pressure in my adolescence, when I didn’t have a fully formed prefrontal cortex, so I am not about to start now at 60.
In conclusion, I am not trying to convert anyone to join me. I don’t think I wield that kind of influence anyway. I felt it was my job to tell you what I have learned for myself, and if it helps you, then I have fulfilled my duty as a health and wellness explorer. In fact I kind of like that term. I am far from an expert, but an explorer who may have navigated just a bit more than you, and one who is willing to share what they have discovered. An explorer doesn’t try to convince you of anything. Perhaps this idea needs fleshing out in a future post. If you are still a subscriber, you can read it then.