I decided to give up alcohol not only for Lent but in preparation of the NYC Half Marathon which conveniently was the week before Easter. My birthday also fell on Mardi Gras so all the signs were pointing to “stop drinking.” Focus on your health, your race and relationship with God. I decided to journal each day. I’m not an alcoholic by any means but life in NYC truly does revolve around alcohol in its social functions. I’m happy to say I was able to go out, be social and have tons of fun without alcohol. I also learned lessons from when I do drink. I also lost a few pounds.

Lent: 2/10-3/27
Number of days sober: 40

Number of cheat/drunk days: 6

Day 1: Extremely hung over from my birthday yesterday. Excessive drinking made me feel bad physically and emotionally. My mom thought I was kidding when I said I was giving up alcohol for Lent. I’m offended and makes me want to follow through even more!

Day 2: I was supposed to go to a Valentine’s weekend social tonight. I was really looking forward to it but don’t feel well. No 4.5 mile run either. Still recovering from the weekend and definitely don’t miss alcohol. I wouldn’t have been tempted to drink tonight anyway but missing out on the exercise and friends!

Day 3: I’m sick so I don’t want to drink anyway. However going to a place with chicken in the title and not being able to eat the meat (it’s Friday) as well as not drink the soju takes incredible self control. 37 days to go. PS – spent the same amount as everyone else because seafood ramen is pricy. And why do sodas cost $4? I can buy a liter!

Day 4: No hangover and feeling better! So far this is a winning situation. Went to brunch where only 4/7 were drinking bottomless mimosas. I had no problem being part of the tea and coffee crew! My friend invited me to a bar tonight but it is definitely one of those bars you have to drink at. I love her and want to go but I think I’ll enjoy my Soul Cycle class and salad instead. Seven mile run tomorrow!

Day 5: Loved waking up before my alarm and had a fantastic 7 mile run followed by brunch with friends. I was my typical goofy self with my tea and Diet Coke while they enjoyed the mimosas and sangria. 

Day 6-9: Waking up before alarms and usually never drank much during the week anyway. All about the work outs! Day 9 I went on my first date during this time. I was clear from the beginning that I wasn’t drinking but we had a good dinner anyway. 

Day 10: It’s Friday. I really want to have a drink. This sucks. My team is all drinking for a coworkers birthday and I’m going to a BYOB sushi spot for dinner. Bring on the diet cokes and tea … 

Day 11: Greetings from TX! I’ve gone back and forth with myself about “cheating” while on vacation. On one hand my sister said “what if Jesus decided to have a margarita instead of dying for your sins?” On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with drinking in moderation and I’m not necessarily sinning. I have 8 miles to run in the AM so I’m not going to binge the night away.

Day 12: Ran the 8 miles. More tired than hungover. Made stupid decisions last night and made out with a 23 year old. Damn booze. Had a Bloody Mary at brunch and Mexican Martini with dinner. Happy Sunday.

Day 13: Happy National Margarita Day! I had a bunch.

Day 14: Woke up and ran 5k. Didn’t feel as good as normal thanks to the margs from last night. Drank a lot at the work reception and then out after. I got to a point where I thought “wow, I’m drunk” and grabbed my teammates and Lyfted it back to the hotel. I made an effort to see someone I shouldn’t have. Luckily, and per usual, he was unresponsive. 

Day 15: Super tired and hungover. Drank again tonight and made stupid decisions again and drank too much. Ended up losing my coworkers and hanging out with some weird Austin people. I didn’t make it home until 5 a.m. Fail. 

Day 16: #HasNewLent is over and I’m happy about it. 

Day 17: Detoxed with a juice cleanse. Best decision ever made. Had some friends over for a night of TV. I had no interest in their beer they brought.

Day 18: Finally feeling more like myself! Did spin and dinner. Milkshakes > Beer with a burger.

Day 19-22: Working out a ton. Not missing the booze. But then again, it’s not the weekend yet. 

Day 23: Went to two happy hours and happily enjoyed ginger ale and a virgin tropical drink!

Day 24: Met some friends at a bar and enjoyed the social scene sans cocktails. Love the saving of the money in this! Afterward I met up with a Bumble Boy. I had a ginger ale while he pounded back the whiskey. We definitely weren’t a match but hey, at least I was a cheap date! 

Day 25: No hangover and morning Soul Cycle for the win! Brunch included a delicious cucumber ginger soda. That night I went with all my TX friends to dinner (Tex-Mex!) and Pat Green/Randy Rodgers concert. I will say I really wanted to dive into the $5 margaritas and $7 shiners. Also, it was interesting wearing sober glasses as the night got longer and people got drunker and seeing how dumb and sloppy people are.

Day 26: The reception after the TCU Recital at Carnegie Hall was very nice. Complete with hor d’oeuvres and an open bar. Keep the crab cakes and creme brûlée coming. I’ll stick to Diet Coke.

Day 27-28: Fitness is in high gear this week as the half marathon is now less than two weeks away. Woke up at 5:40am for a 6am Soul Cycle class. I feel on top of the world on a Tuesday!

Day 29-31: Skipped some events such as the after young adult Mass social that I typically would go to. I wasn’t in the mood to be social and didn’t want to be around alcohol. 

Day 32: After a day of skiing I decided to somehow allow myself to let Daylight Savings count as a means to cheat. I had 4-5 drinks. And ruined something that could’ve been special with a guy who I had been chatting with on Bumble. We didn’t have sex but we didn’t meet under the right pretenses. My word for the situation: angry. His: awkward. 

Day 33: Blatantly and obviously punished for having consumed alcohol. Hungover and depressed. Sure last night was fun at times but I really do get depressed after drinking and have physical and emotional reactions. Not sure why I did it and disappointed in myself. I forced myself to go to church and the Gospel was fitting. John 8. Read it if you don’t know it. “From now on…”

Day 34-36: The Half Marathon is this coming Sunday so the last thing I want to do to my body is put alcohol in it. I even had a date this Wednesday at a place that has delicious sangria. The date was *** sans the sangria. 

Day 37: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! A day known for high consumption of alcohol and debauchery. I remember a St. Patrick’s Day in Tampa, years ago, where a friend and I had a kissing contest. No idea how many guys (or girls even) I kissed for that matter. The only thing I’m kissing this St. Patrick’s Day are my shins in hopes that this short test run goes well.

Day 38: Went to a bar for my friend’s birthday. It was centered around basketball which made me really want a beer but nah. I have 13.1 miles to look forward to! I did leave earlier than I normally would and a night well rested was more appealing than a night out galavanting. 

Day 39: It’s the day before my half marathon! I relaxed all day and ate all the carbs! I did go to a bar for my friend’s birthday but was home in bed by 930a. It was glorious. 

Day 40: It’s Half Marathon day! The reason for the months of training and a big reason I gave up alcohol is finally here. I met my goal (if you exclude my bathroom break) and I felt amazing before, during and after! I allowed myself some celebratory margaritas and celebratory bar hopping with fellow racers. Nothing wrong with in moderation and I definitely burned enough calories! Plus, I made it to church just in time for Palm Sunday! 

Day 41: Wow my body hurts from the run but I feel amazing. I met my friend for dinner at a place where I usually consume at least four martinis. Not today! All H2O please.

Day 42: All these cancelations and delays for my flight to FL really make me want to have a beer at the airport as I wait for three hours but I’ll pass. It’s Holy Week and I’m going to have the main intent for the no drinking be for Lent now. 

Day 43-44: Enjoyed some lovely time with my mom while being at home. Meeting up with friends who have cut alcohol out of their diet as well makes things easy! I did go to a steak dinner on Holy Thursday. My glass of red wine was to be representative on The Last Supper and to just enjoy with my steak. No drunkeness or gluttony.

Day 45: Sister Date Days used to include a lot of alcohol. Not today! It’s also Good Friday so we enjoyed skipping a meal and then enjoy sushi for dinner. No wine.

Day 46: Oxford Exchange had so many yummy teas to choose from I didn’t even think about a Bloody Mary for brunch. I did enjoy a happy hour sangria with my dinner but just one. It reminded me of a former roommate of mine. He said he would never just have one drink. That it is pointless to have one if you don’t keep going. He was mostly an idiot but this statement makes sense. Why waste the money and empty calories for one drink?

Lessons

1. 0-2 drinks when going on a date or planning to meet a guy

2. Day drinking > night drinking 

3. Turn phone off or give to a friend when out drinking

4. Reserve nights out binging to be with close, accountable friends

5. The feeling after a run, work out or Soul Cycle class is far greater than that of a night drinking. It’s especially better than the hangover that will come the next day putting one out of commission for the whole day and possibly the next 

6. I didn’t really save a lot of money because I used those funds I would’ve spent on a night out on Soul Cycle

7. Drinking and working out in the same day or next morning is like oil and water. It just doesn’t go together. Be kind to your body. 

Lessons learned here and moving forward I’ll only allow drinking 0-2 days per week and continue encouraging sober date ideas. That way, I can get to know the guy better and see his creativity. Alcohol can be fun when used wisely and in moderation. After seeing how crowds got after a few drinks while being out made me never want to enter that drunk state of mind again. I hope this journaling is inspirational and can help others realize the benefits of not drinking and to be smarter if they do choose to consume alcohol. Cheers to this experience being worthwhile and something I want to continue to further better myself!