So here we are – Dry July, done and dusted. What did I learn?
I sleep better. I genuinely thought I needed a glass of something to relax and get off to sleep. Turns out I would lie there thinking, “I will never get to sleep, now. Look at me, all wide awake. This is going to take forev… Snore”. Plus I’d sleep the whole night through like a dead log. So long as I didn’t overdo the chamomile tea, sure. But dead-weight deep sleep. None of that donut-hole in the middle as my body processed the sugar in the alcohol and woke up for a dance at 4am and my mind got busy. Better sleep, then.
I eat less. They’ve done some experiments on mice (is it wrong that I would quite like to see a drunk mouse?) that shows that alcohol increases their appetite. Inconclusive if that works the same way on humans, but I am definitely someone who gets greedy after a glass of wine. Maybe I’m just relaxed enough to want to shovel all the food in my gob, or maybe there really is something that gets triggered in my brain by alcohol to set off “starvation mode”. But certainly, one lamb chop seems enough now and my pants aren’t quite so tight.
I spend less. The supermarket bill has dropped markedly, which is a bonus in these post-Covid times. I am living on a tighter budget these days, but it feels less tight than it otherwise might. A bit like my pants.
I am just as forgetful. I blamed my inability to remember what I did on Tuesday on Monday and Wednesday’s wine. Turns out, I still can’t quite remember Tuesday. So maybe that’s just me. Though person woman man camera tv. You know what? Maybe Tuesday just wasn’t that memorable. I am also capable of sending out wonky late night tweets and the second prosecco can’t be blamed for that either. It might be the darkness, or the tiredness, or maybe I’m just a wonky tweeter. Good to know. I will bear that in mind.
Also good to know is that largely no one notices when I am not drinking. It doesn’t ruin their dinner if I am having a soda water. I kind of knew that because of my pre-show rule about not drinking, and yet people who have known me for years still offer me a drink before I’ve finished work – my years-old rule hasn’t been noted. And I like it that I can choose not to drink any old time without anyone making a song and dance about it. That will be handy.
Long term goal? I am going for the 5 & 2 – I want my week to have at least five non-drinking days in it. Make drinking a special occasion, not a daily habit. Because of the sleep and the chops and the dollars. And because I would like to be in charge.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this reset – with dollars and with encouragement. I am thrilled about raising this money to support friends with cancer, and about learning a couple of things along the way. Ngā mihi nui.
