One of my goals for 2015 was that I was going to fully abstain from drinking alcohol. After a month of doing this, I’d like to report on the surprising results.
Process
For the first couple times going out, I’d go to bars and feel a little strange. I felt as though I should buy something out of respect for the place. I’d either get a red bull or soda and crush it. This isn’t a great idea. I’m already jacked out of my mind on caffeine during the day by drinking my own concoctions and going to coffee shops to work. Mix that with a red bull or soda at night and it’s a recipe to stay up late into the am cracked out of your mind.
I discovered that I had this unconscious need to have a drink in my hand while at the bar. I’d then drink and drink until I was either completely drunk or til I left, whichever came first. I stopped caring about having to have a drink in my hand and either drank water or nothing. This took about 2 weeks to get over and wasn’t difficult at all.
I suspect that a lot of this has to do with being uncomfortable talking to random people at a pub. I’d drink in between having to converse as a way to not look like some random dude standing there not saying anything. 2 weeks and I was fine. What I do now is just talk to people. It’s that easy.
Money Saved
I can’t tell you the exact amount of money I have saved by not drinking for a month, but it’s a good amount. I can say that I always have cash on hand and haven’t had to constantly use the atm to get more cash out.
Previously, I would limit the amount of cash I had on hand because I’d know that I’d eventually just use it on liquor at the bar. Having cash all the time is pretty good. I approve of cash.
It should be noted that I’m a complete degenerate drinker. I don’t drink every day, but when I did it was usually to excess. So I’d easily spend 30-40 dollars on a trip to the bar without thinking. More so if I was going out on a weekend night.
One advantage of not having to spend money on alcohol is that you don’t feel any trepidation whatsoever on spending money on food. Out at the bar and want a steak? No problem.
Zeal for Life
It took about a month for this to take effect, but I feel absolutely incredible. I thought about it the other day and I’m just generally more positive and energetic. I’m not sure I can fully explain what I mean by this but if I had to, I’d say it was a feeling that I haven’t felt since being a teenager.
For this to fully take effect, you have to abstain from all alcohol. I have no idea how long it will take for you to realize this effect, but for me it took about a full month. Any alcohol and it could potentially mess this up for you.
I say absolutely no alcohol because I distinctly remember from a few months ago when I would get home and maybe have one or two beers. The negative effect it had was very little, but there was absolutely something I could feel the next day that was caused by just having one or two.
It’s possible that your body needs to fully heal for a set period of time depending on how damaged you are already, and any amount of alcohol resets the clock.
Testosterone Levels
Right off the bat I’d like to say that I have no idea of the actual numbers going on in my body. However, I’d like to share my Broscience with you. When I wake up in the morning, I am experiencing raging boners every day.
This wasn’t the case before I went off the sauce. I would say that I experienced it every now and then back then. Morning wood wasn’t as consistent. My morning wood is absurd now.
Does this mean my testosterone levels are higher? I only hold a PHD in Broscience so I can’t tell you for sure, but I believe that I’m headed in the right direction. Whiskey dick exists, so it stands to reason that the opposite effect happens when you cut alcohol. That’s science.
Game
My game has been enhanced through this process. I’m a naturally energetic person who goes completely nuts day in and day out. I have high energy levels and they were suppressed somewhat through the use of alcohol. For the first couple weeks of no alcohol, it was a little awkward talking to anyone in a bar, let alone chicks.
What I do now is that I have embraced my natural energy levels and stopped caring. The natural energy levels have blown out any kind of approach anxiety that have existed before.
I just walk up to anyone I want and don’t give a shit anymore. This makes me wonder if it’s just the lack of alcohol or a result of being pumped up all the time.
Another factor is that my mind is sharp as a tack without any alcohol, so I’m not speaking gibberish. This tends to be more attractive I would imagine. I can also deal with women being drunker and drunker as the night goes on better. That’s actually not very fun, but you can handle it easier if you are sober by walking away easier.
Missing Out
I can say that if you decide to give up alcohol, you will not be missing out on anything. You may have this idea that you’ll be missing out on heaps of fun by not getting drunk. For me, that’s not the case at all.
I have still gone out to bars, and hung out at my friends house while they were imbibing. I had an absolute blast each of those times and didn’t feel left out at all. The key is to just participate in the conversation like a normal person.
It is quite interesting to see a person slowly but surely go from sober, to opening up a little, to hitting that point where they are out of their mind. I’m pretty used to people being out of their mind though so it’s not a big shock.
I’m currently 31 years old. At this point I’m not missing out on anything by not drinking. If you are in your late 20’s or 30’s like me, seriously you aren’t missing anything. Trust me here. I can maybe understand if you’re in college going to parties, but if you are just going to bars all the time getting liquored up, you won’t notice anything missing by not getting liquored up.
Conclusion
One month into the new year and my decision to not drink any alcohol has worked out great. I’m wondering if it will get any better or if this feeling of zeal will level out. Even if it levels out, I’m feeling so much better and will continue it for the rest of the year.
-Tate
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