Such an honest and authentic story. It seems to me that your willingness to talk about this so openly is the real act of renunciation, giving up the cultural habit of pretending, hiding and masking our true selves. Alcohol is just a symptom of that more poisonous cultural habit.
Beautifully written. When the time is right the moment finds you.
Parts also stood out that remind me of Guard Rail decision making: it is easier for others to accept "I don't drink (on weekdays)" than "I limit myself to two".
Damn, this is so good. Thanks for sharing your story with us. I found myself nodding as you describe the transition from college to post-grad life in SF. I’ve been there.
Your story makes me feel less alone and the journey you share is one that many can relate to.
The description of your family parties reminds me of mine when I was a kid—everyone playing poker well into the morning and my Grandpa drinking 7-7s.
The dehydration you mentioned was the nail in the coffin for me. I hated feeling like that the next day. It made everything harder, especially workouts. While I never “officially” claimed I was quitting, it's been several years since I've had a drink. Good to know I'm not the only one!
Very relatable storytelling and great clarity in your writing. Well done on the piece and the realization around drinking. I am on a similar path. Deciding to wake up at 5:15am every day to write means there's no way I can have a drink the night before. I've still been having a drink or two on the weekend and the deleterious effect even those one or two have on my body and mood is so obvious I'm ready to cut out the weekend drinks as well. Thanks for the encouragement with your post!
I loss 20 lbs this year, I attribute a lot of it to quitting drinking. I've started allowing a few drinks again and notice myself being thrown off a bit in other areas of my life, so this all resonates!
“We didn’t talk about it. We didn’t have to. It was part of our culture.” - yes! I read ‘This Naked Mind’ by Annie Grace and learned so much more about this. Excellent piece, Michelle!
I've never been a heavy drinker, but I was in a long-term relationship with someone who developed a drinking problem. At the time alcohol was so prevalent in my social scene that I felt like it was just something I had to deal with.
I feel very lucky that I'm now married to an almost-teetotaler, and I have a fantastic group of friends who barely drink. We have tons of fun together :)
For anyone reading this: if you're in an alcoholic social scene and don't want to be, know that there are other scenes full of playful people who don't drink. They can be hard to find, but seeking them out is worth it ime.
Such a timely topic and beautifully written! It's amazing how we don't question what's customary. I'm glad you found a way that makes you feel whole and alive. I stopped drinking some years ago too. It was hard for friends and family to accept at first, but it eventually became normal. These days it's easier with more non-alcoholic options that aren't soda or juice. Thanks for sharing your story. It's nice to have a few more friends in the quit drinking club.
Such an honest and authentic story. It seems to me that your willingness to talk about this so openly is the real act of renunciation, giving up the cultural habit of pretending, hiding and masking our true selves. Alcohol is just a symptom of that more poisonous cultural habit.
Beautifully written. When the time is right the moment finds you.
Parts also stood out that remind me of Guard Rail decision making: it is easier for others to accept "I don't drink (on weekdays)" than "I limit myself to two".
Yay now I feel less alone in not-drinking :)
Damn, this is so good. Thanks for sharing your story with us. I found myself nodding as you describe the transition from college to post-grad life in SF. I’ve been there.
Your story makes me feel less alone and the journey you share is one that many can relate to.
It prompted me to buy the audiobook too :)
The description of your family parties reminds me of mine when I was a kid—everyone playing poker well into the morning and my Grandpa drinking 7-7s.
The dehydration you mentioned was the nail in the coffin for me. I hated feeling like that the next day. It made everything harder, especially workouts. While I never “officially” claimed I was quitting, it's been several years since I've had a drink. Good to know I'm not the only one!
I'll make you tea when we hang :)
Great article to touch on such an important, current topic. Definitely reading that book!
Thank you for sharing your personal journey with a topic that not many people want to talk about 💜
I really feel like I was reading my own journey from a few years ago!
Very relatable storytelling and great clarity in your writing. Well done on the piece and the realization around drinking. I am on a similar path. Deciding to wake up at 5:15am every day to write means there's no way I can have a drink the night before. I've still been having a drink or two on the weekend and the deleterious effect even those one or two have on my body and mood is so obvious I'm ready to cut out the weekend drinks as well. Thanks for the encouragement with your post!
"my hype woman energy" made me laugh
I loss 20 lbs this year, I attribute a lot of it to quitting drinking. I've started allowing a few drinks again and notice myself being thrown off a bit in other areas of my life, so this all resonates!
“We didn’t talk about it. We didn’t have to. It was part of our culture.” - yes! I read ‘This Naked Mind’ by Annie Grace and learned so much more about this. Excellent piece, Michelle!
Great piece! VERY relatable as I have a similar relationship with drinking. Listening to Naval helped me shift my mindset.
Yay! I'm so happy to hear that.
I've never been a heavy drinker, but I was in a long-term relationship with someone who developed a drinking problem. At the time alcohol was so prevalent in my social scene that I felt like it was just something I had to deal with.
I feel very lucky that I'm now married to an almost-teetotaler, and I have a fantastic group of friends who barely drink. We have tons of fun together :)
For anyone reading this: if you're in an alcoholic social scene and don't want to be, know that there are other scenes full of playful people who don't drink. They can be hard to find, but seeking them out is worth it ime.
Such a timely topic and beautifully written! It's amazing how we don't question what's customary. I'm glad you found a way that makes you feel whole and alive. I stopped drinking some years ago too. It was hard for friends and family to accept at first, but it eventually became normal. These days it's easier with more non-alcoholic options that aren't soda or juice. Thanks for sharing your story. It's nice to have a few more friends in the quit drinking club.