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10 Things that happened in my first 30 days sober

The Physical and Mental impact of my first month alcohol sobriety

By Dena DanzigPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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Sobriety is a topic I openly discuss on my platforms. Most of the time, my writing on the subject is deep and emotion based. Being a part of the sober community I often come across those who are "sober curious" and wondering what the shorter term benefits are. A persons choice to get "booze free" is a big one and often times it can be tough to see a light at the end of the tunnel. There is hope, and the benefits come faster than you think. In no particular order, here are ten things that happened (in the first 30 days) when I quit drinking.

1. Things started to taste better.

Weird, right? Foods I had always eaten, or otherwise found bland, suddenly tasted way better! Who would have thought?

2. My oily skin got better, but so did my dry skin!

Booze makes you sweat and also messes up your PH balance. When we drink all the time, we tend to not drink what we need. You know, like water. Within a week, I noticed that my combination skin issues began to resolve themselves.

3. My clothes fit better.

Any of my Instagram followers will tell you that I do not push "Weight Loss". My fitness routine is strength based. However, I definitely noticed a difference in how I look. Aside from the obvious loss of tons of extra calories, I also attribute this to loss of bloating. It is also probably helpful that I am no longer feeling like shit every morning. So, my lifting and yoga practice has amped up in a major way. Also contributing to the "new me" vibe.

4. That anxiety I used to drink to "fix", is almost nonexistent.

I have always suffered from Anxiety and Bipolar disorders. My years of drinking was almost always justified by it somehow helping my anxiety. The truth is, it only made it worse. After the first three weeks of sobriety, my anxiety had leveled out to manageable. Now, all this time later, it is almost not an issue at all. Worth noting, my Bipolar episodes are also few and far between. Don't get me wrong, I have bad days. I now supplement that naturally. I actually have a few things I get off of Amazon you can find on my influencer store front. All affordable and really do work. **

5. My coping skills are better. Much better.

Aside from my struggles with anxiety, I can also be a hugely reactive person. When I was drinking I was really quick to send that text or say that thing. Not anymore. Being sober allows you to follow the age old "Think before you act". It is a lot easier to take time to decide if something is worth the battle when you aren't shit faced.

6. I discovered how bad booze smells.

This was another one that blew my mind. About three months into being sober, I went to a family function where others were having a few beers. The smell was absolutely atrocious to me. Who would have thought? I used to get so offended when my husband would complain of me smelling like beer or red wine. Now I get it. It is pretty gross.

7. I got my marriage back.

My husband is amazing. In fact, I have never known love like I do with this man. Sadly, because he loves me he took the largest hit with my drinking. It eventually pushed us apart for a period of time. He never didn't love me, he just did no like alcoholic me. Thankfully, I got sober in time to fix us. Fortunately, we did not need a lot of work to do that. He held on to the knowledge his wife was always in there, somewhere. Now, things are how they were when we first got married, only better.

8. The word NO entered my vocabulary.

During the start of my sobriety, I felt like I had to over explain why I could not go to that get together or have that visitor. Aside from not wanting to see beer or wine, I just did not want to leave my house for much of anything. Not like a state of depression or anxiety. Simply put, I wanted to just be with myself and my family. That was my healing time, my safe space to get my shit together. After a few weeks of the liberation of being able to confidently say "I do not drink anymore" to myself, I was able to just say no. This didn't just apply to alcohol related situations. Lending money, being dragged into gossip or "favors" mostly all got a big NO. Drunk me loved some drama. Now? Not so much.

9. I was a damn good mother, now I am even better.

I drank on and off most of my oldest sons life (22), and thankfully only a small part of my two daughters. Was I present? In the sense I was functional, kept up with what I needed to and loved my children. Yes. Was I truly present? No. While I cannot get back time lost or change poor choices, I can feel confident knowing I am making up for it every day. Instead of going through the parenting motions, I am truly invested in creating memories and space for my children.

10. My digestive health has improved drastically.

If you are a heavy drinker reading this, you can relate. When you drink as a primary source of nutrition there is not a "normal" body function in sight. Replacing booze with real food, water and taking a daily probiotic has drastically improved my relationship with my toilet.

Overall, in the first month of being sober life got better. So much better. With time, I have actually reached a point I do not crave it or wish I could "just have a glass of wine". While all of these things may, or may not, happen for you I encourage you to take that chance with yourself. For yourself. As days, months and years pass you will only be a better person for it. If you are just beginning your sober journey, or just realizing you may have a problem there are so many resources for you. My suggestion would be finding a source of encouragement such as a Youtube channel, books, private online support groups or a local meeting. If you are going it alone, like I did, know that I see you. Sharing my journey in this life gives me hope that someone, somewhere will resonate. If that is you, you got this.

#sobriety #dryjanuary #soberlife #quitdrinking #sober #addiction #resolutions #selfhelp

I am an Amazon Influencer and do receive a small commission on sales through my Affiliate storefront***

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About the Creator

Dena Danzig

Mother. Wife. Yoga Lady. Writer. Alcohol Survivor.

My Long Form thoughts and reflections after roughly four decades of life.

www.DenaDanzig.com

All reads, likes, and tips are greatly appreciated

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