1 week zonder wijn
Sobertober: if you had told me this three months ago, I would have spat out my wine. I was already sniffing at the prospect of a dry January, so no one dared to get me to commit to a month without wine. But now I'm doing a work week and a weekend without it and honestly? I'm noticing a lot.
By the way, my drinking behavior is not concerning, but due to quarantine and working from home since March, consumption on weekdays did increase. It was the transition from working during the day to being free in the evening. I wanted to break that, hence my dubious participation in what turns out to be called sobertober.
What does no alcohol do? I definitely win in the sleep department. I sleep deeply, dreamlessly, and have been waking up three days before the alarm goes off. Which is very impractical on weekends, because I don't set alarms then. You still hold onto little things. But with sleeping deeper, it also seems like I feel fitter, I get through the day just a bit sharper, and I was sitting on the couch at half past eleven on Saturday night without dozing off even once. What a miracle.
I thought it would be difficult, because I had friends over for dinner on Friday. The kind of friends who don't spit out a full, fatty chardonnay or two. But I stocked up on some non-alcoholic drinks and it went quite easily for me. At the first glass, I found it a bit silly, but I couldn't convince myself that this wouldn't work. If I do something, I don't do it halfway. When the friends left at half past eleven, I quickly started the dishwasher and we even managed to tidy up the kitchen and the exploded dining table together, which always gets addressed the next morning with wine. Remarkable.
It feels a bit like when I quit smoking. The moments I expected to crave a cigarette were not the moments I craved a cigarette. The same goes for wine. On Saturday, it was pouring rain, but we still went for a walk with the in-laws. Umbrella in hand, coat on, and checking how waterproof your shoes are. After about half an hour, I felt less and less from my knees to my toes due to the cold, and then I suddenly thought: a good glass of red wine would be quite nice. While I never thought beforehand that this would be such a moment.
Cleaning the house, painting a wall, my Greek course, walking in the rain on Sunday morning; things I normally have to motivate myself for are coming easier to me. Could it really all be due to that alcohol-free week? Because then I wouldn't rule out an extension of sobertober.
