Ok, so it may be a little strange for me to be writing this the day after I went out with some of my Mom friends for tacos and margaritas last night…but hey, it’s all about moving the needle forward, right, friends??
Aside from last night, I’ve been rocking dry January and damp February. My husband and I have done a “dry January” the last few years and love the way we feel afterwards – improved sleep quality, better energy, no wine headaches (anyone else sensitive to histamines??). And, I don’t actually drink much all year round, so that felt like an easy but positive health promoting step for me.
This year, I realized how easy it actually is to go out to a restaurant without ordering a drink, or how much better I feel when I open a can of my adaptogen drink instead of having a glass of wine on the weekend. So, I decided to keep this thing going – maybe a drink or two over the month instead of a drink or two over the span of a week.
But, if you’re wondering what my motivation might be for keeping this thing going, check out some of these facts:
- 1/3 of cancers are attributed to LIGHT alcohol consumption
- Drinking adds calories and raises the risk of problems in the digestive system (just one day of drinking can lead to leaky gut, so I recommend that everyone avoids drinking on consecutive days)
- drinking moderately does not, after all, reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, as was once thought
- and per the Mayo Clinic, “any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer”.
But what about when having that end of day glass of wine or drink with a friend is a part of your routine. And you don’t want to miss out on the social aspects of that??
Here are my top tips:
When I’m at a restaurant, I order a seltzer with lime and a dash of cranberry juice (restaurant mocktails can be as calorie dense and sugary as real alchohol or soda, without any of the fun). Or, if I’m going for something non fizzy, I bring a packet of my electrolyte powder in my purse and mix with water. Bonus: it gets me to drink wayyy more water and often keeps my appetite at bay, so I’m not eating the huge restaurant portions.
At home, I’ve been experimenting with some mocktails. They’re fun – and they actually have “side benefits” instead of “side effects”. I call that a win/win! To make, I mix either my adaptogen elixir or collagen elixir with some seltzer and lime, or some non alcoholic rose and a spring of fresh rosemary. My tastebuds think I’m indulging in some fabulous cocktail, but my body benefits from all the incredible ingredients for gut health, smooth skin, hydration and decreased stress! (If you wanna try, grab your collagen elixir here – great for every day use
If you could benefit from some more motivation to decrease or stop alcohol consumption, give these two articles a read:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(22)00317-6/fulltext
Cheers to a fabulous, healthy 2025, friends!! Comment below with how your year is going so far and one health change you’re celebrating!!
Jessica's Fitness 