Sober Curious

For the past week or so, I’ve been playing around with getting back into being “sober curious” for a time! Why? Well, a week ago I was prescribed an antibiotic and it interacts with alcohol. I found when I had a forced break, my nervous system really welcomed it...and I like to pay attention to that kind of thing!

In defining sober curiosity, I will borrow from author Ruby Warrington:

“Being “[Becky], Sober Curious” means thinking of myself as a sober person: somebody who does not drink alcohol. It also means not having any rules about not drinking--since we all know rules are made to be broken. It means not trying to make any rules for anybody else about not drinking, too.“

I count myself lucky to be in the group of individuals who also have the ability to decide to have a drink on a special occasion if I so choose. So, in keeping with not making hard and fast rules about alcohol (just like my philosophy around food), I reserve that option if and when it feels right...though I’m betting the longer this goes, the less I’ll want to take advantage of that option. I acknowledge what a privilege it is to be able to decide.

What will this actually mean for day to day life?

Well, I’m one week in (thanks, antibiotic for forcing my hand!) and so far it’s meant:

• earlier nights,
• great sleep,
• every morning feeling fresh and light, and
• occasionally feeling a bit like the odd one out when others are ordering a drink.

It’s also meant being honest with myself about the way alcohol makes my mind, body, and heart feel--both in the moment and for hours and days afterwards...and acknowledging that yes, my life would probably be better without booze. I feel closer to the carefree Becky of late-adolescence and early-adulthood (but now with the wisdom and life experience of 20 years under my belt).

And, to borrow another phrase from Warrington, I am realizing that…alcoholic spirits may have been a second-rate stand-in for the joy, inspiration, confidence, connection, and overall sense of aliveness that I am perfectly equipped to generate for myself!

None of the above reasons even begin to touch on the long-established evidence of the physiological risks of drinking alcohol, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer decades ago – this is the highest risk group, which also includes asbestos, radiation and tobacco. Unfortunately, alcohol is known to cause at least seven types of cancer, including the most common cancer types, such as bowel cancer and female breast cancer…I’ll include a bit of that research here, too, in case the physical and health benefits of abstaining are of interest to you.

So - let’s get curious! I’m choosing to, again in Warrington’s words, trust my body, go against the grain (for a season…maybe forever?) and get into a staring match with stigma. Feel free to come along for the ride! 💃

Recommended Reading:

• Sober Curious: The Blissful Sleep, Greater Focus, and Deep Connecting Awaiting Us All on the Other Side of Alcohol by Ruby Warrington
• The Sober Curious Reset: Change the way you drink in 100 days or less by Ruby Warrington (this one is a daily prompt/space to journal on your experience for 100 days!)
• The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows you How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga