11 Things I Learned When I Stopped Drinking for a Month

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I was tired of being hungover. I’m a depressed, grumpy, irritable shit the night after heavy drinking, so I decided I’d give my mind and body a break. No drinking for a month. This still meant socializing. This still meant hitting up bars. It just meant no booze. I completed the little experiment a year after college to:

A. Make sure I could have sober fun
B. See if I could form some real connections instead of drunken hookups

Here are 11 things I learned when I quit drinking for a month:

It’s not an easy switch to make, especially in the beginning, and will take some time to get used to. You won’t feel like yourself and you’ll feel a little more awkward than you typically do while socializing.

When there’s a steady flow of drinks coming your way, the night can go on forever. When you’re sober, the night ends when you’re tired, which often comes around sooner rather than later.

You can actually, well, do stuff -- not just watch Netflix in bed all day while chugging a gallon of water,
praying your head will stop throbbing. You’ll learn there’s more to Sundays than brunch and TV. 

You know you’ve met people out in public while hammered. How did it start again? Did you bump into him? Say he’s handsome? Did he walk up to you?

You’ll come to realize you didn’t say anything clever to start all those conversations. You can say something as simple as, “Hi, I love your shirt.” It’s as good of an opener as any. It doesn’t matter how you start the conversation, as long as you have the confidence to start it.

There’s nothing wrong with meeting people drunk and online, but there is something magical about meeting someone sober and IRL. It’s more exciting. Somehow seems more “authentic.” 

I ended up getting a Coke, (or if it was a crazy night, a Redbull) to have something in my hands (also to help with peer pressure). Otherwise I would end up putting them in my pocket, which only facilitated being awkward and insecure.

I thought peer pressure was one of those things that stopped after freshman year of  college. Who cares if you’re drinking or not as long as you’re being fun? Apparently, a lot of people. Your friends included. Have a backbone and tell them to screw off if they’re being too pushy.

Drunk friends will do stupid things. Really stupid, stupid things. You can either judge them for it and complain, being high and mighty as the sober person, or you can enjoy the stupidity with them and have a good time.

Especially if you cut out junk foods for the month. You’ll feel revitalized and less sluggish. It’ll make you question why you ever drank in the first place.

It takes some getting used to, and I’d argue it’s a different type of fun, but yes, it’s possible. And yes, it's worth it.