Why I’m Sober Curious
I’ve always been more of a social drinker but more recently, I’ve been actively saying no to alcohol. I haven’t had a drink since my birthday in June and I don’t miss it for two reasons: 1) I don’t have to deal with the negative side effects and 2) the self-awareness I’ve developed has led me to feel more empowered to make choices that are right for me.
I think most of us can agree that alcohol does more harm than good but how does it really affect our bodies? Why do we have those negative side effects after having even only one drink? This is because alcohol can negatively affect your gut health, and when your gut health is impacted, so is the rest of your body.
Alcohol & Gut Health
1) It throws of your gut microbiome. Your microbiome is the environment in which the good bacteria (and sometimes bad bacteria) hang out in your gut, helping you digest food, among other things. When you consume alcohol, this environment is thrown out of whack, potentially leading to things like gut dysbiosis. The potential symptoms of gut dysbiosis are not fun to deal with - fatigue, digestive issues, heartburn, gas, bloating, achy joints, rashes.
2) It is linked to leaky gut. Your gut lining is supposed to have tight junctures to ensure your nutrients are being absorbed and toxins are not leaked into your bloodstream. Leaky gut is a known precursor to autoimmune issues. Read more on leaky gut here.
I’ve dealt with both gut dysbiosis and leaky gut syndrome, which were caused by mold exposure. Trust me, it’s not fun. This is the main reason I chose to rarely consume alcohol before getting sober curious*. I do not want to put my body through something like that again because of alcohol.
Alcohol & Your Immune System
1) The majority of your immune system exists in your gut. So, given that alcohol can have a damaging effect on your gut, the other potential downstream effect is a weakened immune system.
Alcohol & The Brain
1) The gut brain axis are always speaking to each other. When your gut microbiome is thrown off, this communication is in turn, thrown off. This means that continuing to consume alcohol can lead to worsening mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression.
You may already be aware of the above side effects of drinking alcohol but even with this awareness, you may find it difficult to practice mindful drinking or getting sober curious yourself. Here are some tips on how to practice mindful drinking and/or exploring the sober curious life.
1) Remember your why. Is it gut health issues, constant headaches, lack of sleep? Nobody but you understands how your body feels when you drink and if your body doesn’t feel great, then use that as a motivating factor in your choices.
2) Get curious. Did you have a stressful day at work? Do you need to unwind after being with certain people? Are you trying to suppress a feeling? One practice that might help you get more curious here is journaling. I’ve recently started a journaling practice where I meditate for 5-10 minutes and then let myself journal about how I’m feeling for another 5-10 minutes. This has helped me to uncover feelings I’ve been avoiding and address choices I need to make. When you do this, know that there is no need to justify your feelings. The practice here is to feel your feelings instead of ignoring them or justifying why you feel them. We are all human, so we are all going to have lots of feelings! Get curious about yours and allow yourself to sit with them. Get curious too about what causes you to say yes to alcohol. Is it only in certain social situations? Is it only when you’re around certain people? Developing self-awareness around this choice (and other choices!) is incredibly empowering because you can make choices knowing they’re coming from your own intuition and not from someone/something outside of yourself.
3) Remember, you can still socialize with friends without having an alcoholic drink. There are plenty of mocktails and non-alcoholic drinks bars and breweries now serve. Trust me, as someone who orders water for the most part when she’s out, it’s not awkward. Even if someone makes a comment, don’t be embarrassed or angry. Instead, have an open conversation about why you decided to practice mindful drinking. As a society, we avoid these conversations because we’re afraid people will disagree or not understand us. We need conversations like these because we are lacking true connection with others. So, like I said, have an open conversation. You might inspire someone or help them realize that they need to dig deeper here themselves.
I’m still deciding how alcohol fits into my life but if/when I choose to celebrate with a drink, I choose wine and opt for Dry Farm Wines. Dry Farm Wines are made on organic farms, are sugar free, have no additives or chemicals, and have lower alcohol content and sulfites. And here is a link to an article that lists some great non-alcoholic alternatives: Best Alcohol Alternatives.
If you’re curious about my health journey, read more here or reach out via the Contact page. I’m an open book and would love to connect!
*The term sober curious was coined by Ruby Warrington. Here is the link to her book: Sober Curious.
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash