Things I Learned Being Sober in 2022

Things I Learned Being Sober in 2022 might shock you. It wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies and daisies. While I’m proud of the experience and being able to say that I was able to do it, I won’t be doing the same challenge in 2023. That might surprise you, but I’ve listed the 6 Things I Learned Being Sober below. I think you’ll understand by the time you get to the bottom of this post.

Things I Learned Being Sober: I have strong willpower.

When I decide to do something, I do it. No amount of temptation or laziness will interfere with my decision and drive to keep promises I’ve made to myself. The hardest test of that willpower was the decision to not drink in 2022. It turns out, everyone wants you to drink alcohol when you’ve decided to give sobriety a try: I flew first class around 20 times in 2022, and was always surrounded by passengers ordering Woodford or Titos as I held strong to my club soda and cranberry. I photographed events like food and wine festivals, weddings with open bars, etc. And in almost every case, I could have easily “gotten away with it” because I was around strangers who had no idea I was on a mission. I’m proud of myself for not giving in, despite dealing with delayed/canceled flights, crying babies, hard days, long days, etc.

Things I Learned… : I brown out anyway.

When you look up the benefits of not drinking online, you often see people happy that they “remember what they did last night.” Well, I have a terrible memory. Honestly, it’s probably the worst of anyone I know. I’ve thought numerous times that I already have Alzheimers (I don’t) because I forget names or conversations. I can’t tell you my schedule for next week unless I look at a calendar. Nor can I tell you what I did two days ago unless I really think about it. I don’t know if that’s normal (it’s probably not). And I’ve now learned that it’s not because of alcohol. I just have a legit bad memory. There were mornings I would wake up and have to think hard about what I did last night. So, yeah… I brown out regardless of whether I drink alcohol or not. Is there something I could work on to help my memory? I’m open to suggestions.

Things I Learned… : Mocktails are just as expensive.

I was so excited about all the money I was going to save by not drinking. It turns out, if you order mocktails or non-alcoholic beer at a restaurant, it’s often as expensive as their alcoholic counterparts. I did, of course, save money by not keeping our home bar stocked and not buying a bottle of wine every night. I’d estimate that I saved around $5000 in 2022 by not drinking. That’s pretty sweet!

Celebrating my friends’ engagement with mocktails at the Ritz in St Louis.

Things I Learned Being Sober: My body stayed the same.

Nearly everything I read online about going sober mentioned the possibility of losing weight. Didn’t happen. Not one bit. I weight the exact same, and my body didn’t change.

Things I Learned… : It wasn’t all blissful mind, spirit, and body.

While I’m VERY thankful to have not had a hangover in over a year, I thought I would feel more of a change regarding my sleeping habits. I still find it hard to wake up in the mornings. I would say my sleeping habits were largely unchanged. What I DID notice with regard to mind, spirit, and body was that I was way more irritable. In the first few weeks, BIG time. But throughout the rest of the year, I found myself getting annoyed by minor things like idiot drivers, loud noises, etc. Maybe I’m just getting old? hahaha, no that can’t be it.

I know that for others, this is a big change they notice when they give up drinking — and I’m so happy for them! — it just didn’t happen for me, and that’s ok.

Things I Learned Being Sober: Your friends want to drink with you.

One of the biggest bummers of not drinking is that your friends still drink, and they want to drink with you. Being the one who doesn’t drink means you often leave the party early, aren’t on others’ levels, and probably feel less fun. For me, I’m a helper. That means when I’m the only one not drinking, I’m taking care of my friends who are. It’s a little bit of a bummer to feel like you’re not participating in the group activities. I’m never one to give in to peer pressure, but I see that as a big hurdle for others in my shoes. I am excited about seeing my friends in 2023 and being able to share that bottle of wine. Or cheers with a bee’s knees.