I WAS the consummate party girl for 20 years before I finally realised that alcohol was taking more than it was giving. I quit drinking two and a half years ago at the age of 35 and have never felt happier, more confident, or as in control of my own destiny than I do now that I’m sober.
Here are just a few of the reasons why life is better when it’s alcohol-free:
1. Your health gets better. Becoming a non-drinker reduces your chances of developing a plethora of alcohol-related illnesses, from various cancers to liver and heart disease.
2. Your looks improve. Alcohol is responsible for puffiness in the face, sunken eyes, premature ageing of the skin, and a dull complexion. Becoming a non-drinker will result in healthier looking skin and brighter eyes.
Lucy Rocca
3. It’s easier to maintain the weight you want. One bottle of wine has as many as 700 calories, more than a Big Mac! Plus, when you give up wine, you’re more likely to exercise if your weekends aren’t taken over by hangovers.
4. You have more time to get stuff done. If you regularly crack open a bottle of wine after dinner and have a few glasses during the course of the evening, you’ll be down approximately 30 hours every week on time to GET STUFF DONE! That’s time to organise the kids for school the next day, blast the housework, read, study or develop a hobby or skill. A boozy lifestyle equals nonproductive evenings.
4b. You can even finish a book. I’ve always tried to write a book but never finished more than a few chapters when I’d inevitably hit the wine. Now, as a non-drinker (I had my last drink in April 2011), I’ve just had my first book published, The Sober Revolution, co-written with Sarah Turner, and am already partway through writing the next.
5. You have more patience. As someone who drank almost every night, and often to excess, I was less than patient as a parent to my eldest daughter. Now the mother of a second little girl, my parenting skills have grown massively and I always know I’m doing my best as a mum.
Lucy Rocca and her daughter
6. You find out who you really are. Alcohol has such a powerful effect on the body and mind that it’s impossible to find out who you are when you’re regularly getting sloshed. It’s only with living alcohol-free that true self-discovery becomes a possibility. By learning to know yourself better, you have a fighting chance of finding out what you want from life, as well as all that you’re capable of achieving.
7. You feel good about your life. When you’re permanently sober, your choices are always your own; alcohol-free living means never waking up again crippled with regret and shame. And that is priceless.
Lucy Rocca is founder of Soberistas, a social networking site for ex-drinkers and those who are looking for help in becoming teetotal, and co-author of The Sober Revolution.
This story was originally published on MindBodyGreen and has been republished here with the author’s permission.
Continue the conversation via Twitter @Soberistas | @itsKShort | @newscomauHQ
