In my 20s, there was almost nothing more I loved than going out for a beer after a long day’s work or sipping mimosas at Saturday brunch. Drinking for me was always social, but honestly after a while it became almost like a personality trait. I was the cool girl who was always down for a drink. There have been times I drank well past my limit, which either resulted in crying, vomiting, or both. In fact, as I type this I am flashing back to a myriad of cringe-worthy moments.
It took a physical toll on my body too. I remember when I learned that I was pregnant, I thought not drinking was going to be the most challenging part when it came to being social. But much to my delighted surprise, it kind of barely affected me.
Ever since, I have cut down my social drinking quite a bit, and I am happy to say that the frequency with which I drink has decreased to maybe, perhaps, one drink per month.
Yogi and YouTuber Paige Raeleen challenged herself in 2024 to cut off drinking for an entire month for ‘Dry January.’
The LAD Bible noted that the passionate yoga instructor was interested in seeing what laying off of alcohol would do for her mind and physical well-being after she noticed that she seems to imbibe rather frequently.
“My drinking hasn’t been super, super bad over the past few years,” she said, according to the outlet. “I’ve been kind of increasing my dosage. I definitely had a dependency on it.”
She chronicled her journey in a series of YouTube videos that revealed what a 30-day sobriety did for her, and she was pretty blown away by the results.
In her eight-day check-in, Paige asserted that one thing she noticed a major change in was her emotions.
Although physically she didn’t see the differences she expected, she admitted that as an emotional girl, regulating herself had always been a challenge and she, in part, used alcohol to soothe that discomfort. In particular, she thought stress and anxiety were more present in the absence of booze. She admitted she was struggling socially too, all of which led to physical effects.
“My heart rate was going a little bit faster. I wanted to fidget. I was picking at my fingernails,” she admitted, per LAD Bible. “I’m not as physically withdrawing as I thought I might be. It’s more of a mental withdrawing effect.”
In her 30-day update, Paige revealed she was essentially a different version of herself.
Unexpectedly, the biggest change she saw couldn’t be observed in her before and after photos. What she noticed was her ability to sit with and work through emotional discomfort improved.
“You don’t have to be happy all the time and there are times when you’re going to be sad, frustrated, mad, guilty, whatever the feeling is,” she explained. “You don’t need to hide behind it with food and alcohol to make yourself feel better. You will feel better in time, you don’t instantly need to relax yourself with a drink.”
Though she admittedly thought that there would be more physical changes to her face, LAD Bible noted her followers told her that they saw huge differences in her skin, which appeared brighter and clearer.
UT Southwestern Medical states that a 2018 study revealed a monthlong break from alcohol had three major effects:
- Weight loss from lower caloric intake.
- Lowered blood pressure, as drinking narrows blood vessels.
- Improved liver function be decreasing inflammation.
But even if all she took away from the “experiment” was a stronger sense of self, that was worth it alone.
