Is drinking worth it? .. + my sober-curious journey
Updated: Aug 26, 2020
After college, I moved to Germany for a couple years and found myself really thinking about Culture. Who are we? What do we do? how do we come together?
As a US native, fresh out of college, living in the state of boating and beach-enjoyment; and as i had begun to recognize — from a REALLY social culture, a lot of my experience was centered around alcohol.
Why, when alcohol consumption had been recorded as the seventh leading cause of death and disability world-wide in 2016?
But then you hear of the “cardio-protective effect” of any alcoholic beverage, or the “specific antioxidant powers” of red wine…
so... it’s healthy?
Well, actually, for moderate drinkers, the main health hazard appears to be an increased risk of many types of cancer. Studies show, the more you drink, the higher your risk, and that alcohol in any amount is bad news for brain health.
Perhaps the real trouble, though, is our inability to moderately consume a substance that impairs our mental, physical and emotional faculties. Why drink something that drags you down, rather than builds you up? I found myself longing for meaningful social interactions, and my memory of it.
In previous blogs I share how i started brewing kombucha in relation to my gut issues, and inflammation. Yes, all true, but it started even earlier than that. It was part of a greater path. A path to find refreshments that tasted good, that weren't full of sugar.. but that were functional -- aided nutrition & healing, and also something that I enjoyed and contributed to the happy gut, happy mood link. (Yes, it's a proven thing!)
As for the “Dry January” movement in 2016, I guess I wasn't the only one questioning my habit in drinking alcohol socially. a team of London-based researchers measured a battery of biological markers on 94 moderate-to-heavy drinkers who willingly abstained from alcohol for a month, compared with a control group of 47 individuals who continued their normal drinking. At the end of just one month, the abstainers showed significant improvements in insulin resistance, body weight, blood pressure and cancer-related growth factors.
The official Dry January movement in 2020 had over 100,000 participants. But millennials aren’t the only ones leveling up their lives by giving up alcohol. Older Americans also are reassessing how they feel about drinking. Statistics show that people are starting to become more and more sober-curious, interested in N/A alternatives.. to keep a sober, balanced mind.
And, speaking of "millennials" and relating in my own journey .. Long story not short, and backtracking to Germany, I visited a crystal convention, and stumbled across an energy worker. So, I had my chakras read, and.. I was so hungover.. noticeabley so, that i was feeling guilty like she was going to "find me out."
Really what happened was something completely different. This was the beginning of a new journey for me.
“I know you. From a past life. We know each other. You were a medicine woman. I’m sorry I’m crying but this is all so much for me right now.” After my speechless reaction, she continues to say, “you can be a healer again. you have the power within you, and will always have it."
In her readings she told me “You should build the strength up that you lost recently. You must be ready for the change that's about to happen— physically, mentally, and emotionally. Heal, find balance, eat better, do fitness, meditate."... and i found myself thinking with a guilty, hung over conscience…. “and drink less."
So, after thinking on my self… I began to really think about who I am as a person. Instead of the depressed, less confident self, I am at best enthusiastic about life, connection, and community in general....
Instead of confusing communication and understanding when drinking alcohol, I was naturally the person who was intuitive and felt more connected and careful.
I started to deepen my craft in yoga, I started to frequently cleanse my spaces to find balance, meditate, I started to understand Reiki, and the powers within us…
I also began a health journey of eating better, of understanding where my digestive issues came from… and I began to heal.
And i began to truly be confident in who I am… A visionary-realist, a manifesting generator, thriving for connection & being bigger..
There's truly somethig psychological behind it. After the first couple drinks of alcohol, impulsivity increases, which helps explain why we lose our inhibitions drinking (Gowin). If we lose our inhibitions, we lose our instinct. We lose balance, & we feel farther from our purpose.
And remember that text up there?.. “Perhaps the real trouble, though, is our inability to moderately consume a substance that impairs our mental, physical and emotional faculties.”
So, no, even for me, the drinking didn’t stop there, and it still hasn’t entirely, but when I started understanding all of these things, I started to understand how i felt as just ME. strong, capable, confident, balanced.. and now more than ever, more connected to my Journey. I found my balance and who I was always striving to be. I was comfortable in saying no.
And i became a “healer”. My role as a healer is sharing Kombucha with you all.
In many magical instances with my customers, I found that they were coming back because they were finding their REMEDY in kombucha. I found elderly people coming to find me because of this article in the news press, about my story and the joint pain i deal with. I found that people started using Flying Eagle as the gateway into how they can heal themselves with other Kombuchas out there, or their diet, and I found that many people just aren’t really informed on the gut and how they can take care of themselves through being more mindful of it. In most of these instances, I had “deja vu” - that “I’ve been here before” feeling. But if you know Deja Vu, then you know, that feeling is your fate being connected into reality.
I was able to find my fate on this health journey.
When you find yourself in a place where you are simply happy as you are, balanced in that sober feeling, “high” off of your work outs and sober conversations with friends, just know that you’re not alone in thinking “hm, I don’t really want to knock myself off balance"...
Understand what makes you feel that way, & utilize it. You will find your best self through that, and quite possibly what you’re meant to do, who you’re meant to be! And you might influence others too..
I'm not saying give it up. I haven't fully either.
But in the meantime, we will be here offering mood-enhancing, refreshing elixirs to reward you throughout the day, and even at night :) Infused with fruit & herbs for mental & physical health, antioxidants & polyphenols, & Microbes for a Happy Gut,Happy Mood!
Cheers!
References:
Anya Topiwala, Charlotte L Allan, Vyara Valkanova , et al. Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline: longitudinal cohort study. The BMJ. BMJ 2017;357:j2353 doi: 10.1136/bmj.j2353. https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/357/bmj.j2353.full.pdf
Bagnardi, V., Rota, M., Botteri, E. et al. Alcohol consumption and site-specific cancer risk: a comprehensive dose–response meta-analysis. Br J Cancer 112, 580–593 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2014.579
Fernández-Solà J. Cardiovascular risks and benefits of moderate and heavy alcohol consumption. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2015;12(10):576‐587. doi:10.1038/nrcardio.2015.91
Gowin, Joshua Ph.D. Your Brain on Alcohol, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/you-illuminated/201006/your-brain-alcohol
Jeremy Appleton, The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health, Integr Med (Encinitas). 2018 Aug; 17(4): 28–32. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469458/
Tim Stockwell , Jinhui Zhao , Sapna Panwar , et al. Do “Moderate” Drinkers Have Reduced Mortality Risk? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Alcohol Consumption and All-Cause Mortality, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, https://www.jsad.com/doi/full/10.15288/jsad.2016.77.185