Hi, my name is Jordan and I have a drinking problem. Over a year ago I made the tough decision to finally say goodbye to my biggest comfort and biggest weakness; alcohol. Spoiler alert! I’m over a year sober and it was the scariest, but best decision I have ever made. So here I am, writing this post, about sobriety and how it’s changed my life (mentally and physically) in just one year!
Before we begin, I’d like to put out this little disclaimer: This is what I, personally, have experienced. Every person’s sobriety story and journey are their own. The changes I’ve experienced may not be what you or others have or will experience.
Ok, now that we have that squared away, let’s get into it!
Why I chose sobriety
Why did I get sober? The short answer is because I needed to. I had been struggling with my drinking problem for 12 years, and when you come to that conclusion at the age of 30, that’s a very scary thought considering its almost half of your life!
My mental health was at an all-time low. I had tried to quit drinking at least five times before and the longest I had gone was one month for Dry January. I knew I was in trouble because I had attempted to try Dray January again in 2020 and failed within the first week. When I finally decided to give sobriety another shot, it was late March of 2020 and as you all know, shit was going down! Not only was there this global pandemic looming over us, but I had a few personal hurdles on top of that. One night I had way too much to drink, SHOCKER, and lost it. I had mentioned that I wanted help a few times before but this time stuck and was blatantly obvious that I was struggling really badly. That’s when my sobriety journey started, and man, am I glad it did!
Enough about my backstory, that’s not what this post is about. Let’s get into the changes, shall we?
Physical changes sobriety brought me
When you become sober, you’re going to notice a bunch of changes both mentally and physically. Here are the physical changes sobriety brought me:
I lost weight
Before I quit drinking, I was 113-115 pounds. While it may not seem like a lot, I should let you know that I am only 4’11. I felt slow, heavy, and extremely bloated. I didn’t feel confident in my own skin. Once I stopped drinking, I noticed that I was losing weight and rather quickly. About three months into sobriety, I was back down to my normal weight of 100/105 pounds.
I had way more energy
Perhaps this has to do with the weight loss, but within a month I was noticing how much more energy I had during the day! Some days I have so much energy that I voluntarily would go outside and walk for an hour!
I was sleeping soundly
For the first time in over a decade, I was getting a good night’s sleep, and regularly. Within the first month, I was starting to have dreams again. Dreams that were so vivid and that I could remember! It felt pretty wild lol. I was also waking up and feeling amazing. I was rested and not hungover!
My skin and hair improved
Within the first few months, I noticed that my skin had really improved. My complexion was clear and even, no more random red spots. The pores on my face looked smaller and my skin was less greasy. My hair also started to feel less brittle and I wasn’t losing as much. Another thing that changed is that the whites of my eyes became whiter. When I was drinking, they were dull, almost yellow. Now they’re bright and white!
While those things are great, the biggest skin improvement is with my eczema. I never had issues with eczema until I started college and it just spiraled from there. What started as a small patch, turned into constant flair-ups all down my back. It was itchy, sometimes painful, and only went away with steroidal cream prescribed by a dermatologist. It wasn’t something I was supposed to use every day, so once it healed, I’d stop using the cream and eczema would come back. I felt soo insecure about it and hated the warmer months because I didn’t want anyone to see it. Since I stopped drinking a year ago, I’m happy to say that I’ve been eczema-free!
Mental changes since getting sober
Ok, while physical changes are nice, it’s the mental changes that you get sober for. After one year sober, I look back and think “Wow I’ve come a long way”. Let’s get into those changes, shall we?
Improved mental health
This is the biggest one for me. My mental health has improved substantially. This isn’t to say that I don’t struggle anymore, I do. I’ve struggled with mental health for the majority of my life, but it took a really dark turn in the past 10 years. At one point I was having at least one panic attack a day.
We as a society like to say “I’ve had a rough day, I need a drink” and let me tell you, I took that saying and RAN with it. While I thought the alcohol was helping me relax and let loose, it was actually making my mental health worse.
Getting sober is one of the toughest things you can do mentally. I can’t sit here and lie to you saying it was easy. It’s hard. When you first quit drinking it can feel impossible and as if your mental health can’t get better without it. Trust me, that feeling doesn’t last forever! I can finally say that I don’t let my poor mental health control my life. I’m finally able to sit with my thoughts and feelings and sort through them. I’m also happy to say that within the past year, I’ve only had enough panic attacks to count on one hand, and that’s mostly due to the fact that we’re living through a global pandemic. We’re all going through it right now haha.
If you’re in therapy and you don’t feel like it’s working, try giving sobriety a try. You may find it helps. If you aren’t in therapy and want a socially distanced version of it, check out Better Help. I’ve been using them for a few years now and love them! Click my affiliate link here to get a week free when you sign up!
Higher productivity levels
Ok, guys, I had no idea that quitting drinking was going to make me so freaking productive! It took a little while to get here, but now what I used to do in the month for my blog, I can do in at least a week. And the best part? I’m not stressed out! Completing more than two tasks in one day is a piece of cake! Just be careful not to overdo it, I’ve made that mistake and it’s not fun. Balancing being productive with time to rest is key!
Lower stress levels
When I was drinking, the smallest thing would send me spiraling into a panic attack. Any setback was devastating to me. Now, yeah, setbacks are hella annoying but I’m able to just walk away for a bit, and come up with a new solution. I think one thing I’ve realized is that it’s good to have dreams but to remember that things aren’t always going to happen the way you planned. Sometimes the universe wants you to take a different route there. Your life path isn’t set in stone and plans change. Embrace it.
Setting boundaries
This has always been a big issue for me. I used to let people walk all over me and claim it was me being loyal. Nah, you’re just a doormat, girlfriend. Setting boundaries is important in general but it’s vital to set them early on in your sobriety journey. Figure out what your needs are right now and communicate them clearly. If people can’t respect your new boundaries, perhaps you need a break from them. It’s important to set boundaries with yourself too. Does social media trigger you? Certain locations? Whatever your trigger, it’s your responsibility to figure them out and learn to navigate them.
I’m in control
Hey, have you ever gotten too drunk and lost your shit? Have you ever do something stupid and wake up embarrassed? Have you ever drunkenly yelled at someone? Yeah, me too. It’s shitty and embarrassing. And I know the excuse is always “I’m sorry, I was drunk, I didn’t mean it.” But let me tell ya something, that’s not an excuse. You just simply lost control of yourself and that’s on you.
What I’ve noticed since getting sober is that I am way more in control of my emotions. Why? Because I have to face my problems head-on now, and not try to drink them away. I get it, no one likes to face their problems, but they’ll never go away if you don’t. It feels amazing to hang out with friends and not wake up in the morning and think “oh god, is anyone mad at me?”
More self-esteem
This is self-explanatory but because of all these amazing changes, I feel so much more confident in myself. By cutting alcohol out of my life I have given myself the biggest gift of self-love and respect.
I don’t need alcohol
I think one of the many misconceptions people have about sobriety is that people won’t think you’re fun anymore. I’m here to tell you that you are JUST as fun if not MORE fun sober. Have you ever seen a drunk person? They’re easily entertained. Society dictates that alcohol = fun and if you cannot handle it, there’s something wrong with YOU. It’s the biggest crock of shit. Alcohol is a poison, you shouldn’t be able to handle it!
Do you know what makes someone cool? Confidence. Confidence to say “I don’t need alcohol to mask my insecurities. I’m fully capable of having the best time of my life fully sober.” Also, how cool is it to have fun and actually get to remember and cherish every detail of it? Don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re not fun because you’re sober.
News flash: If someone ever tells you “You were more fun when you drank.” they were never laughing with you, they were laughing at you. Kick them to the curb, you don’t have room for toxic people in your life anymore!
I hope you enjoyed this post and if you’re curious about sobriety, I hope it gave you some more insight into what it’s like. If you want to dip your toes into the pond of sober living, here’s my blog post about Dry January! Start with one month and see how you feel!
If you’re struggling with sobriety, please know that it does get better. You deserve to live a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life. Sometimes the hardest part is just choosing to do so. I am by no means an expert, and please consult with a licensed professional, but if you have any questions regarding my story, feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me on Instagram! Love you all!
XO Little J
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