I Quit Alcohol for 30 Days—and It Was Pretty Much Amazing

Photo: Getty / Luis Alvarez

When talking about alcohol, I generally describe my boozing habits as such: "I'm not a big drinker, but I do love a glass of wine five to six nights a week."

I'm sorry...what?

Do you smell the hypocrisy as strongly as I do from my seat over here? Although I rarely have more than two servings of anything alcoholic—wine, beer or cocktails—my favorite number is one and a half—I do have that number more than occasionally.

I'll put it this way: When prompted on doctor's office surveys, I list my alcohol habits as 1-3 drinks per week. Because, even though I drink a little bit more than that, it's not like I have a problem or anything. I just like feeling all warm and glowy—and I really do love the taste of wine.

But for the last year or so, I've been thinking a lot about whether this approach toward alcohol is serving me. I seem to suffer from hangovers way easier than the average person (or maybe that's just a "welcome to your mid-30s" thing?), and those hangovers last a lot longer than they used to.

Beyond that, I've been walking through life with what I can only describe as a vague, underlying—but constant—feeling of being slightly off and mildly unwell. My tummy often feels distressed, and I'm bloated a lot. I'm pretty much always tired, and I plod through the days, dreading meetings, assignments and work that used to fire me up.

So I decided to do something wilder than having a glass of wine every night—not having one at all for 30 days. That's right, for an entire month, I committed to going completely booze-free to see how I felt and if the alcohol had anything to do with my bad vibes and body issues. Three big changes happened—and they weren't at all what I expected.

I Slept So Much Better

I've always been a pretty anxious person. Back in my twenties, I claimed that a nightly glass of wine helped me calm down enough to drift off to sleep. But here's the thing: Although it may have initially helped me head to dreamland, that alcohol seriously disrupted my REM cycle—the stage of sleep that is important for memory, emotional processing and healthy brain development, per the Sleep Foundation.

And the older I get, the more noticeable this issue has become. When I drink, I get up to pee as many as five times a night. I have bizarre and often terrifying dreams. I grind my teeth like hating dentists is my full-time job. I wake before sunrise, and I always feel exhausted.

It's no surprise that I slept so much better without the alcohol. For the first week or so, I did have a harder time falling asleep—mostly because I was sitting with the anxious and nervous thoughts, rather than avoiding them. But once I got used to my new routine, I started to feel excited about bedtime rather than dreading it. What once seemed like a battle between my worries and my pillow had become a true, radical act of self-care. And the majority of the time when I woke up, I felt refreshed.

My Bloating Basically Disappeared

I'm a thin person by nature, but my tummy is far from flat. Most days, I look like a snake that swallowed a rabbit whole. I figured this was just my lot in life—walking through the world wearing flowy blouses and being a little gassy.

Turns out, it wasn't so much my diet or my digestion that caused the bloating—it was the booze. (Ugh. I know. This is still a tough pill for me to swallow as I consider "what happens next.")

But, after three weeks of teetotaling, I woke one morning, looked in the mirror, and thought, oh my gosh I have abs. I immediately drove to the mall and bought an athleisure crop top. I seriously wanted to celebrate, but my go-to glass of "happy times rosé" wasn't an option. I made chamomile tea and took many selfies for posterity, instead. It was almost as fun.

Learn More: Sneaky Causes of Belly Bloat—And How to Prevent Them

My Anxiety Levels Were So Much Lower

If I could spend my life doing yoga in a forest alone, I would. What I mean by that is that being around other people gives me social anxiety. I would prefer to be by myself. But my day job requires I be around other people. I'm a yoga teacher and the manager of a yoga studio. So I spend pretty much all day, every day interacting with others. And all day, every day, I operate with a gentle hum of worry and stress running through my veins.

But something funny happened when I stopped drinking alcohol. I didn't feel as nervous about interacting with others. And I am pretty sure I know why.

I realized that so much of my anxiety came from the fact that I very rarely felt well in my body. I was tired, my digestion was off, my nervous system was a wreck and I was insecure about my bloating. All of those things made me feel guarded and unable to show up for others. I was so focused on how badly I felt, I thought that I didn't have space to be present with other people.

So when my physical problems started to fall away, I noticed that my attitude toward others became a lot more genuinely cheery. I wasn't just pretending to enjoy conversations—I was genuinely enjoying talking to and learning from others. I realized I could really listen when my friends and community spoke, and I loved how that felt.

What Happened After the 30 Days?

So my month is up, and I will be real with you. I've had several drinks. Between a new wine bar opening, a girls' night out and a nice weekend that prompted dinner on the deck, my pendulum has swung a bit too enthusiastically back in the "same old, same old" direction.

That's not surprising, as complete restriction of some things—food included—often causes us to overdo it sooner or later. With that said, if you are addicted to alcohol or if your imbibing is causing some serious issues in your life, you should probably abstain completely from it.

And, drinking regularly also carries some health risks, including an increased risk of cancer, poor sleep quality and weight gain. And even though you've probably heard that alcohol—especially wine—is good for your heart, too much of it can have the opposite effect. There's also evidence that suggests that having just four drinks a week can increase the risk of cognitive decline.

Thanks to going alcohol-free for 30 days, I'm now hyperaware of how my imbibing has been affecting my body and my mind—and I'm not loving it. I think for the next month, I might try something even more challenging—seeking moderation and balance.