December 31, 2023, was the last time I had alcohol. I’d gone to brunch with friends that morning and decided to try a new cocktail. One of the ingredients in it was gin, which I’d never had before, but the blend of everything sounded delicious, and it was. Later that afternoon, I would get a headache that went on over the next two days. When I felt better, I knew that going forward, I never wanted to feel that way again.
To be completely transparent, I never drank a lot. My drinking was mostly occasional, although, during the pandemic, it was a bit more frequent, but even with doing so, consuming less alcohol was something I had been considering for some time for a few reasons. For example, I didn’t like feeling sluggish in the mornings when I woke up, having low energy, or how my face and skin looked and felt dehydrated even though I drank copious amounts of water daily. The timing of my two-day headache seemed ‘perfect’ when it happened. Throughout the discomfort, I decided that I would cut back going forward.
How It’s Going…
It’s been three and a half months, and overall, I feel great. I’ve noticed that I am sleeping better, my skin looks great, and I wake up in the mornings feeling energized and ready to take on the day. The most significant change I’ve noticed has been fewer TMJ flare-ups. I’ve gone from having a flare-up every two weeks to one since the year began. It wasn’t until after I noticed that I hadn’t had them as often as before when I read up on it and saw that alcohol consumption could worsen the symptoms of TMJ, causing inflammation in the body, which can increase existing pain and discomfort, etc.
With the warmer weather rolling in and ‘outside’ season quickly approaching, I’ve given some thought to what drinking less, or even no alcohol, would look like for me in social settings. I’ve set a maximum of two drinks, or I can choose to have either a mocktail or a glass of non-alcoholic wine, which I am excited about trying because there has been a lot of buzz lately about them.
For me, deciding to drink less alcohol has been a great choice. My mental and physical health has improved, and I have no regrets. I am happy with the limit I’ve set for the times when I choose to drink and happier that there are choices for the times when I decide not to—a healthy balance that works for me and one that I am already seeing results from.
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