Cheers: A Healthy Relationship With Alcohol

For many of us, we begin drinking small amounts of alcohol with family, but soon begin to view drinking as an exciting coming of age activity that is meant to be paired with sneaking out, new adventures, and breaking the rules. Unfortunately, this culture can often lead to binging far more than we actually want or need, risky decisions, and regrets that we may or may not remember in the morning. Before I ramble on any more and sound like an Alcohol Education ad, I want to say that I’ve been there and do not mean to condemn anyone who chooses to drink more or less than I do. I simply want to walk my readers through my journey of finding balance with alcohol and ultimately implementing a healthier mindset about drinking in my daily life. 

I love a good glass of red wine. I love a spicy mezcal cocktail. I love some tequila on ice. Here’s the thing though, my body doesn’t always agree with my taste buds. 

Like many high school and college aged kids, I began drinking crappy alcohol paired with sugary chasers that left me dehydrated and drained. For years, I didn’t know when to stop drinking and thought that the goal of a night out was simply to be drunk. The world seemed far more exciting that way. I was the girl that would consistently throw up even when I wasn’t acting more drunk than anyone around me. I would be 2-3 drinks in and more nauseous than if I had been out at sea all day. My hangovers could not simply be cured with a breakfast burrito the next morning and I would be left feeling sore and groggy for 3,4, or even 5 days. 

I chalked it up to simply being a light weight. I thought that how I was feeling was totally normal and that everyone felt crappy drinking but just did it anyway. 

This mentality got worse, a lot worse, after my dad passed away. My life was up in shambles, but more than ever I wanted to be the fun normal girl at the party. I began going out 5+ days a week and continued to tell myself that it was fine. I was a straight A student, always had a job or internship, and seemed pretty put together. I drank to gain confidence. I drank to seem like I was more exciting, bubbly, social, and interesting because then no one would know what was actually going on in my life. 

It also didn’t help that I was dating a guy who had a major alcohol problem whether he wanted to admit it or not. He drank with one goal in mind. To black out. He even had a nickname from it. 

I say all of this, not to sound like some sort of sob story, but simply to explain how easy it was and is to get caught up in an unhealthy drinking culture even when your body is telling you you’ve had enough. I thought I was lame if I ever wanted to stay in and definitely had a hard time turning down drinks I was handed when I was out. 

I realized something had to change when my health began to decline. I was working out almost every day and eating extremely healthy yet anytime I even had one drink, my body hurt for days afterwards. 

After speaking with my doctor and realizing I was at risk of stomach ulcers and had an extremely thin gut lining (at age 21!) I began a journey to learning more and more about health and wellness. Though many of my health problems were not caused by alcohol, I actually had hormones out of whack from PTSD, the drinking definitely hadn’t helped. 

For 5 months, I went stone cold sober. While working with a naturopath and allergist, I found out that I was not actually a lightweight but am allergic to alcohol all together. In order to build up my tolerance to alcohol and many other acidic foods again, I needed to get on the right mix of supplements and eat EXTREMELY clean for a while. 

Once going sober, I began to realize how often drinks are really in the mix and how often people question you for saying you don’t drink. As challenging as this was at the start, the longer I stuck with it, the better I felt and the more confident I was in being able to say no. Those around me began to respect my choices rather than pity me for being the girl who couldn’t have a drink and honestly, l began to feel so much better. 

Today, I am finding a way healthier balance. Though 90% of the time I choose not to drink, I have begun to be less rigid and will enjoy that nice glass of red wine without needing or wanting more than one. A healthy relationship with alcohol is so much harder to reach than many of us want to admit, but I believe it truly is all about finding a rhythm and a balance that works best for you. 

Cheers!