Good thread and thank you to everyone for sharing.
Its so individual. I realized I had a problem a few years ago. It had crept up, going from a couple of glasses of wine a night to 3 or 4 and basically drinking until bed time. It got to the point where it was normal to feel sort of crappy in the morning.
Its a big reason I started working on my fitness and cutting back. For about a year, I measured my intake and made sure I didn’t drink more than 2 glasses and stopped completely by around 9pm. It was good to do, my sleep got better, workouts got better and lost weight better.
I started cycling last August and after a couple of months, I decided to try and stop completely. I wasn’t sure what to expect as far a withdrawal but fortunately it wasn’t bad at all. I guess I was just ready and didn’t have a really bad physical dependency. After a week, I was really stoked about stopping.
Its been fantastic. Sleep is amazing, I can sleep for 7 or even 6 hours and be refreshed. Workouts are stronger. Mood overall is better. And I am getting very lean.
I will have drinks on occasion. Like 2 weeks ago, I indulged in a couple of nice drinks outdoors with friends and wine with dinner. I actually enjoyed it. I did feel a little off the next day but not too bad and went back to abstaining again.
I feel fortunate that my experience hasn’t been too difficult as I know this is not the case for others. But for me, it’s been a total win-win.