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What I Learned from Dry January
Resetting my relationship with alcohol
I had pegged this as a goal months ago. The last time I tried to do Dry January, I only lasted 10 days. I was a miserable failure. I was determined to complete my goal this time.
Even though I had extenuating circumstances that arose after making this promise to myself, I pretty much made it. With my father’s passing two days after Christmas, perhaps I should have bailed on this goal. I allowed myself a pass on the day of his memorial service, but other than that, I did not imbibe.
So, how did going without alcohol make me feel?
I have to admit, there were times when I felt a bit left out. Alcohol is such a big part of social gatherings in our culture. Staying with family where everyone was drinking in the days surrounding my dad’s memorial service, it was super difficult to resist having a drink.
I also had a terrible headache the first 4 days of the year. The thought did occur to me that it might be a sign of withdrawal from alcohol. That is part of my reasoning for having a drink after my dad’s service. I thought it might cure my headache, since Tylenol, Advil, and Excedrin Migraine did absolutely nothing. But the drink didn’t help, either. It turns out my electrolytes were out of whack. I…
