Okay, so if you are tired of hearing about the detox by now, you’ll be happy to hear that this is my wrap-up post. As of last weekend, the detox officially ended. I’ve already told you about a lot of the process in last week's detox recap: Using My Brain. But I thought it necessary to give a few last thoughts for a little closure on this adventure.
- Doing an alcohol detox was tough for me, but worth every minute if only to reset my body and mind, and to learn how to survive without it
- I don’t want to allow alcohol to become the source of a good time in any situation; rather, it should serve as a supplement to it (as in, taking an art class with a glass of wine vs. spending a Saturday bar-hopping)
- There’s no doubt that there is an inverse relationship between alcohol and productivity; as alcohol goes down, productivity increases
- With my determined/obsessive mindset, that could make for a lot of accomplishment
- Unfortunately, that same mindset is why I need to sit back and RELAX every once in a while (Frankie says RELAX)
- Detoxing called for a lot of restriction and holding back, which I think can be unhealthy in its own way
- Now that I am “back off the wagon” (kidding), it feels good to have my freedom back – and so far I’ve used it pretty responsibly
- I don’t need alcohol in my life and I can get by without it
- However, life is more fun when I don’t restrict myself. I am hard enough on Stacey as it is (yeah, I know I just talked in the third person). I’ve learned what I need to learn; now it’s time to let go and see where the lessons take me.
Already I can report that last Saturday, when it was finally time to party, I cut all my drinks with lots of club soda and made sure to hydrate (with water, genius!) in between drinks. I remembered every bit of my night, and woke up the next morning feeling tired, but alive. I even ventured out that day to try a new yoga class, meet a friend for brunch and take a walk around the city.
I believe that this detox was my own quirky way of hurling myself into this new stage of adulthood (fitting considering I’m turning 28 in two days). Gone are the days of binge drinking and massive hangovers. I just don’t want them in my life anymore. I would definitely like to throw in an alcohol-free weekend every month or so to see what I can accomplish with it. Wine and I are still good friends, though. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I am very glad to have it back.