So why haven’t I taken a break from drinking before? Well, the
reality is that alcohol is a big part of my social fabric, as it is for many of
us in Western society. I look forward to unwinding at home with a cocktail, enjoy
beers with friends after a long run, often fine dine for work, and celebrate
every holiday with wines and champagnes alongside my extended family. Nearly
always in moderation, but still, regular occasions to lift a glass abound. “Celebrate
early and often” is my motto, after all! In truth, I haven’t had a 30-day break
from alcohol since I was 15 years old…that’s 32 years now. Whoa…kind of freaky
when you think about it that way.
Such a streak begs the obvious and deeper question…do I have
a dependency on alcohol? My life is not full of alcoholic-level problems (thank
god) but it’s important to take a good look at the psychological part of the
question, for my family does have a checkered history in this department. When
I reach for a drink, do I want it, or do I really NEED it? Well, if I’m injured
and can’t run, had a hard day at work, and come home to a 5-year-old who has
already taken down Mommy with a 15-hour tirade of screaming, I will fill that
wine glass to the top for sure. But there are also many days it doesn’t even
cross my mind to have a drink. I guess I am somewhere on the spectrum.
Profiles of Alcohol Consumption - Where Am I?
Actually, I know exactly where I am on the spectrum relative
to other alcohol consumers - I am in the 87th percentile. I got this
from a fascinating study of alcohol consumption done by the National
Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), and
detailed in Philip J. Cook's book "Paying
the Tab," If you let me digress for a moment and go a bit deeper on
this study, I think you’ll find this fascinating. I promise, we will get back
to the question of alcohol and running performance, and what happened when I
took 40 days off.
If you take all adults in this study and put them in
“deciles”, you can better answer the question “where am I relative to other
alcohol consumers” and “how much does the top 10% of alcohol consumers drink”.
Here are some highlights on how it breaks down – see if you can find yourself in
here:
- At the 60th percentile (ie, 60% of all adults in the study), the average adult consumes 0.63 drinks/week. That means almost two thirds of all adults have one drink every other week or don’t drink at all. Really? Who are these people?!? I know a few, but two out of three adults is huge. It turns out there are lots of them, for reasons of personal preference, religion, and more.
- At the 70th percentile, it’s 2.17 drinks/week. This is likely an occasional drinker, such as someone who consumes once on the weekend or when they are out a concert, game, or dining out.
- At the 80th percentile, it’s 6.25 drinks/week. This is close to your “one glass of wine with dinner” kind of drinker. Some health experts say one glass of red wine per day might actually be healthy for you.
- At the 90th percentile, it’s 15.28 drinks/week. At first this sounds like a lot, but if you have a daily libation like I do, you’re already pretty close. Consider the size of your pour as well…a tall glass of wine or pint of beer is actually two servings. So you might be closer than you think.
- To make you feel better, take a look at the top decile, because they come in at 73.85 drinks/week. Think about that number for a second…that’s 10 drinks per day, every day, without stopping, ever. That’s two bottles of wine with dinner or a 12-pack of beer with lunch. It is shocking…and it’s also 1 in 10 adults around you right now. One factoid about this group that I find interesting is that the top 10% consumes enough to drive well over 50% of all alcoholic purchases in nearly every category (wine, beer, spirits, etc.). So they next time you ask yourself “why is this beer commercial so stupid?”, realize they are targeting people who are already drunk every hour of the day. “Butt joke…Horses…Budweiser” could be about all they can retain.
Okay, digression complete. But fascinating, no?
The 40-Day Sobriety Test - What Happened
So on October 16th, I took a break from alcohol.
Not for any specific purpose or amount of time, but just to see what happens,
and a secret hope my athletic performance would get a boost. I focused on
making sure I didn’t just swap out one vice for another, but as you’ll see,
that took more work than I expected. Here’s how it panned out:
Week 1: It only took a few days for my sugar cravings to go
through the roof, part of a persistent increased hunger that was particularly
challenging in the evenings. Soon I turned to decaf tea, but it took some
effort to not snack all the time. I also noticed my anxiety was higher when I
didn’t have an easy outlet to “unwind” on a daily basis. In my social world, I
found most people thought it was great I was taking a break, but a few
suspected (hoped?) there was a deeper gossip-worthy story behind it.
Week 2: My sleep improved dramatically, although in a weird
way. Normally I feel groggy on my way to bed, and wake up once in the night
around 2am (usually blaming Ace, the pug who sleeps at my side). Now my brain was more active at bedtime, but suddenly my eyes would
close and I would wake up 7-8 hours later. It felt great! Another odd effect was that my poop was amazing. I had thought my somewhat loose morning routine was due to coffee, but apparently alcohol was contributing. I was also three
pounds lighter, which is about 2% of my bodyweight. The math doesn’t quite line
up on that one, however, given that I only cut about 2,000 calories/week out of
my diet by removing alcohol. One friend suggested it could be that I’m not
mowing down pretzels/Chex mix/other beer friendly snacks that always seem to
accompany a drink.
Week 3: Thanks to the improved sleep, I felt like I was
recovering better from harder workouts. It was interesting to me that it took
three weeks for this to kick in. On the social side of things, everyone now
wanted to meet for coffee instead of beers…one vice replacing another! I became hyperaware that coffee is a very
different social lubricant than alcohol…you can get folks talking, but it’s a
bit harder to get to the truth. My checkbook was showing I was saving about $100/week.
Week 4: This was the first week where I felt I had a “new
normal” routine, and wasn't thinking much about alcohol. I stayed
with the nightly tea, and the sugar cravings pretty much disappeared. My
running felt better, but I wasn’t going any faster. I hadn’t lost any
more weight (still the three pounds) but also hadn’t gained it back. My friends
and family were getting used to me not drinking, and all the awkwardness that
started with this little experiment pretty much ended. Meditation and focus
came more easily, which was nice. I also didn’t miss that often-judgmental internal
voice that comes with a few beers.
Week 5: On Thanksgiving, I was handed a glass of champagne
while toasting and giving thanks for everything that had happened this year. It
was a very special year, and I have a lot to be grateful for. In the moment, I
decided my sobriety test would come to an end, and I drank that one glass. It
tasted magical, like it was made with fairy dust.
Since Thanksgiving, my alcohol consumption has returned to more regular intake, but
only to about half the level of what it was previously. It turns out a nice cup
of tea can be a great way to relax at home, and I probably wouldn’t have found
that without this little experiment. I also enjoy the meditation on a clear
head, which feels like a good enough treat to skip drinks the previous night. The
weight came back, but honestly I ate
enough on Thanksgiving to cover the measly three pounds. I’m still not sure if I’m running faster
or adapting to training, but the sobriety test had undeniable benefits to my daily routine.
I hope sharing this was helpful, and perhaps encourages you
to put your own consumption in check, alcohol or otherwise. If you have stories
of your own, please share!
See you on the trails…
