Why aSweatLife's Editor Gave up Alcohol for a Year (and what she learned from it)

Stop for a second and ask yourself the following: if you meet a woman who tells you she isn't drinking, do you assume she's pregnant? Don't lie to me.

I spent nearly a year as a mostly sober - ok, fine a California-mostly-sober person. I went on Lexipro last May and I liked not feeling anxious and depressed, but I did not enjoy browning out. So, out with the booze and out with the blues. After nearly a year of the pregnant pauses (that's a lazy pun) that followed explaining that I wasn't drinking, I just started saying, "and no, I'm not pregnant."

Christina Heiser, whose voice you'll hear on the podcast this week, stopped drinking in December of 2021 and kept it up. She's a journalist, and so, she's observed and written about how it felt, the impact and why she did it. After she penned 5 Things That Happened When I Quit Drinking for a Year, I knew I'd found a kindred spirit.

We spend some time on the episode talking about our gluten *stuff* and she and I connected on how easy it is to accidentally eat gluten while you are impaired.

And because she is incredibly prepared at all times, Christina also came with her own links and resources. So don't hesitate to dive into her favorite influencers, products and links.

References: 

• 5 Things That Happened When I Quit Drinking for a Year
• N/A drinks: 
• Boisson - an online N/A marketplace
• Better Rhodes - an online N/A marketplace
• Ghia
• Hoplark
• Monday
• CleanCo
• Giesen 
• Quit Lit (books about drinking less)
• Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker
• The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray
• Drinking Games by Sarah Levy
• The Dry Challenge by Hilary Sheinbaum
• Sober influencers
• @shestayssober (Sarah Pottieger)
• @noboozebabes (Shea Gomez)
• @joinsoberish (Kayla Lyons)
• @themindfulmocktail (Natalie Battaglia)