Most people that know me from high school or college aren't going to believe this, but it's true! TooTurntTosha has left the building. Haven't had a single drink in 8 months!
We'll get to my sober story at the end but first, let's talk about the detrimental effects of alcohol on the human body.
Negative Effects of Alcohol Consumption
"High levels of alcohol intake are hazardous and can cause a-fib, hemorrhagic stroke, and cardiomyopathy as well as esophageal and liver cancer."
- Dr. William Li, Eat To Beat Disease
I just worked on a liver floor for 4 months, trust me, this stuff catches up to you 😭
Hormone disruption:
Alcohol places an excess burden on the liver, even after ONE or TWO drinks. This can cause:
Increases estrogen and androgens and depletes progesterone
It leads to inflammation, period problems, acne, weight gain, heightened anxiety, and depression.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction
Presents as: presence or absence of anorexia, malaise, nausea, morning headache, poor weight gain, hypoglycemia, abdominal pain, fatigue, weakness, myalgia, and growth suppression.
Increases cortisol (stress hormone)
This leads to adrenal fatigue if prolonged, and poor sleep.
Brain damage:
Alcohol has a dramatic effect on brain health.
According to a John Hopkins study, people who drink just 1-7 alcoholic drinks per week have smaller brains than nondrinkers.
A study published in Scientific Reports showed that people who drank a few times a week had lower total brain volume in early middle age (39-45 years old).
Low brain volume is associated with brain fog, poor memory, mood changes, and other neurological symptoms.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky found that binge drinking lowers the activity of brain stem cells that are needed to make new neurons.
The effect was especially pronounced in the brain's hippocampus region. This is the part of the brain responsible for building short and long-term memory. The good news here is that the damage was able to be reversed once the binge drinking stopped.
Gut issues
Alcohol is literally poison to the stomach.
Hurts the gut lining, impairing nutrient absorption
Increases intestinal permeability (leaky gut) triggering systemic inflammation
Contributes to gut dysbiosis
Disrupting the microbiome leads to unhealthy overgrowths.
Dysbiosis is linked to a vast range of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Induces gut inflammation
Presents as constipation, diarrhea (beer sh*ts!!), or chronic bloating.
Immunosuppression
A study in the journal Alcohol Research found that excessive alcohol consumption increases your susceptibility to pneumonia, greater likelihood of ARDS, sepsis, alcoholic cirrhosis, and certain cancers; a higher incidence of postoperative complications; and slower and less complete recovery from infection and physical trauma, including poor wound healing.
Alcohol consumption damages immune cells such as epithelial cells, T cells, and neutrophils in the GI system.
My Sober Story
These facts, though as eye-opening as they are, weren't what made me quit drinking.
I was a big party girl in high school and college. I started drinking around 15 years old. I had a lot of self-esteem issues and alcohol just made it all go away. It was my liquid courage, it made me feel confident, it allowed me to hang out with more people, get more people to like me, and it helped me fall asleep at night. But it also made me make the biggest mistakes in life, even came close to dying a couple of times (not going to talk about those stories lol) but that still didn't make me want to stop.
When I turned 21, I was kind of over it. I felt horrible and unhealthy at the time and drinking just made it worse. I felt like my body was rejecting it. I couldn't drink a beer without my stomach turning inside out. Six drinks and I would throw up and I NEVER throw up. My body was talking to me. In the years that followed, I slowly calmed down with my drinking, but still drank on every occasion, went out with friends many weekends, and blacked-out here and there. 🙄
Then at 23, after 7ish years of binge drinking, I was sick of the shame-overs. I just woke up one day and thought, I don't want to feel like this ever again. So I quit. I did a religious fast for 90 days to see how I felt, and I just never went back. 🤷♀️
Now, at 24, my health and cognitive function are just way more important than taking the edge off every once in a while. And I’m so in love with my real, authentic self, I don’t need the alcohol to mask my insecurities. Not even one beer is worth sabotaging how I feel right now- that's how good I feel!!
But this is a big commitment, especially at my age. To be able to resist what 90% of my friends like to do for fun was hard at first. I had to really sit down with myself and ask:
What reason do I have to drink?
To have fun?
Alcohol was a mask for my insecurities. The real, authentic me doesn't need alcohol to have fun or be confident. I'm still the blast I was when I did drink.
To relax?
Drinking poison and nursing a hangover the next day is not 'relaxing' to me.
To cope?
Definitely, better ways to do this lol. Journaling, deep breathing, praying, walking, etc.
To fit in?
My girl @healthillie said it like this: 'Why would I want to "fit in" to a sick society?'
And anyone who judges you for not drinking clearly doesn't have a life outside of drinking
To be happy?
If you look around at the bar in the middle of the night, no one looks like they're actually happy.
Things that make me happy are drinking a warm cup of coffee in the morning, hiking up a mountain, watching the sunset, and reading about how to live better. Drinking alcohol held me back from all of these things.
How I do it
After going this long with no alcohol, I honestly have no craving to drink. The short-term temptation just doesn't outweigh the groggy and tired feeling I get afterward. Plus, alcohol doesn't even taste that good. If anything though, I do crave the experience of drinking something fancy, but that's what mocktails are for!!!! 8)
Handling social pressure
This is the hardest part. I still go out with friends because I enjoy being around people, getting dressed up, and having a good time. When I ask the bartender for a virgin pineapple Moscow mule, I always get a weird look. And then people ask me in that drunk white girl voice, Why aren't you DrInKiNg!!! or they say Just have oNe DrInK, it's just one! Come on!! Drink drink drink... blah blah blah. I don't really hang out with people that are that aggressive anymore but I still get the questions. And my answer is always, One drink ? For what? What is one drink going to accomplish for me? $5 out of my pocket and a one-hour buzz... just to feel foggy the next morning and rob me of my productivity, no, no thanks.
People's comments are just a projection. They honestly don't know what else to say when they see someone not drinking. And peer pressure is embedded into our subconscious. No cap. So I don't take it personal. This is no hate to people who drink, but I'm just on another level at this point in my life. Not just alcohol, but anything that comes in the way will not be tolerated..
I am on the road to optimal health, mentally and physically, and drinking alcohol, even occasionally, just doesn't fit in that lifestyle for me.
If you're looking to limit or even quit drinking, here's some more info:
Mocktail Drinks
Zac Effron
Jennifer Lopez
Logic
Shania Twain
Pharrell Williams
Tyler, The Creator
Bradley Cooper
Tyra Banks
Robert Downey Jr.
Mallory Ervin
Lana Del Ray
Rob Lowe
Eminem
Daniel Radcliffe
Russel Brand
Blake Lively
Kendrik Lamar
Mike Posner
Brad Pitt
Jim Carrey
Keith Urban
Tim McGraw
50 cent
References
Li, William W. (2021). Eat to beat disease: The new science of how your body can heal itself. Grand Central Pub.
Stevenson, S. (2021). Eat smarter: Use the power of food to reboot your metabolism, upgrade your brain, and transform your life. Little, Brown.