62 days of no alcohol – How do I feel?

Well, tonight is my first night out to meet some friends for a couple of beers after taking 2 months off since the new year. Here's my experience.

How do I feel?

I feel very good actually, I'm a mid-40's man so I don't quite have the energy to go out playing hard and working hard like I used to have. A night of moderate drinking can take me a day to recover and feel fully energised again. So having 2 months off the thing I have really noticed is that I've been energetic most of the time. No more tired semi-hangovers. That's something that I've really enjoyed. I have found myself getting up at the weekend at around 7:30am so I end up getting a lot done. When I'm drinking I can lie around in bed until 9am or later if it's been a heavy night, and then I won't feel like doing much.

Have I got fitter?

I got back into exercise and fitness mid-way through January and I regularly measure my body fat and weight. I've dropped about 4lbs in weight which doesn't sound like a lot, but I am weight training at the same time too. What's more impressive is that my body fat has dropped from 24% down to 17%. So I've gone from being a bit overweight back to being normal again. As I start drinking again the fitness gains will slow down a bit but my target is 12%. I also find that I'm doing HIIT training more frequently and I'm better able to finish the routine and recover quicker.
Weight training is easier too and I can get through a full routine without feeling very fatigued. If I'm weight training on a weekend when I've been drinking, it doesn't necessarily impact strength but I definitely feel much more drained at the end of a session.

Have I got healthier?

I regularly measure my blood pressure and it's never been particularly high but it can get a little bit elevated hitting around 130 / 70 sometimes. When I'm not drinking it rarely gets above 120 / 60 and often gets as low as 100 / 50, particularly when I've done HIIT training. This really demonstrates how alcohol can raise your blood pressure.
I'm also sleeping really well at the moment. When I drink I find that my sleeping, even for a day or two after drinking can disrupt sleep, with me sleeping less deeply and waking up in the night more.
The effect of good sleep just improves my overall mood and energy during the day.
I've not had any colds, headaches or other ailments at all during the last two months, but then I've not been socialising quite so much either. I have heard about lots of people getting nasty colds and flu and none of it has touched me, so I think not drinking keeps your immune system in good working order.

Have I missed it?

Yes and no. I don't drink every day anyway so drinking for me is really a few beers with friends on a weekend. I generally try to minimise it to a single day, but occasionally I will drink for 2 or 3 days over a weekend if I have a few social engagements.
Not drinking for 2 months has really just make me feel normal, energetic and happier all of the time. When I drink I can feel the depressive effects for a couple of days after drinking and I haven't missed that.
On the positive side of drinking, I enjoy chatting and relaxing with a few beers and good company, sometimes a glass or two of wine with food. I've missed that and I'm looking forward to a few beers and a few laughs.

What's going to change?

The important thing is that 60 days off has really made me want to feel more energetic and happier more of the time. I will really miss feeling like this when I start drinking again so I've decided that I will restrict drinking to just once at the weekend and take at least one or two weekends off (effectively just drinking every other weekend). I do find that alcohol helps me to relax and enjoy myself a bit more in social situations, but I'm going to try and attend a few social engagements without drink so that I'm not using it as crutch. I have found that I can enjoy myself without alcohol too, so I'll make a point of doing so occasionally.

As for tonight, I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my first beer for 62 days and I might even have 2 or 3.

Cheers,
Unc.

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