Your piece rang so many bells with me, Jane, particularly the "mental ping pong games" and that "alcohol had started taking up space in my brain." Eventually I found it easier to not drink at all, than to play referee. I think January is as good a month as any to quit drinking.
The perimenopausal night sweats are definitely affected by alcohol. I am 47 and had to cut back a few years back when I realized overdoing it was definitely leading to the middle of the night, waking up soaked in my own sweat, really hot and uncomfortable.
I think our society needs to look in general at how much alcohol consumption is encouraged and expected. My husband and I did what I dubbed “Dry Lentuary” the past two years - no drinking, 40 days, 40 nights- actually we were in that when the pandemic started...which I was grateful for as it set me up to not depend on booze. Resetting the habit of reaching for it a little too much is important, and I think most of us are not alcoholics, but just in bad habit patterns.
I still love a good glass of wine —but I really try to only have a glass or two on weekends these days. My sleep really is better for it.
I'm doing it too, for the first time. Still waiting for the luxurious head of hair, the clear skin, the subtraction of years off my face, the disappearing eyebags, the weight loss, the euphoria and the forest creatures that clean kitchens. So far the best thing I can say about it is that the moderator of one of those Facebook groups, who is Irish, has coined some absolutely ingenious curse words and applies them liberally to his posts, all of which I fully intend to steal for my own nefarious purposes one day (but will not repeat here in a "family newspaper").
As someone who has never had a drink, I found this fascinating. I'm trying to imagine what I partake in that would cause this level of adjustment or stress to go without for a month. I think my struggle is more about what habits to add. (I know I should exercise, but I haven't found anything to replace swimming during the pandemic.)
Your piece rang so many bells with me, Jane, particularly the "mental ping pong games" and that "alcohol had started taking up space in my brain." Eventually I found it easier to not drink at all, than to play referee. I think January is as good a month as any to quit drinking.
The perimenopausal night sweats are definitely affected by alcohol. I am 47 and had to cut back a few years back when I realized overdoing it was definitely leading to the middle of the night, waking up soaked in my own sweat, really hot and uncomfortable.
I think our society needs to look in general at how much alcohol consumption is encouraged and expected. My husband and I did what I dubbed “Dry Lentuary” the past two years - no drinking, 40 days, 40 nights- actually we were in that when the pandemic started...which I was grateful for as it set me up to not depend on booze. Resetting the habit of reaching for it a little too much is important, and I think most of us are not alcoholics, but just in bad habit patterns.
I still love a good glass of wine —but I really try to only have a glass or two on weekends these days. My sleep really is better for it.
I'm doing it too, for the first time. Still waiting for the luxurious head of hair, the clear skin, the subtraction of years off my face, the disappearing eyebags, the weight loss, the euphoria and the forest creatures that clean kitchens. So far the best thing I can say about it is that the moderator of one of those Facebook groups, who is Irish, has coined some absolutely ingenious curse words and applies them liberally to his posts, all of which I fully intend to steal for my own nefarious purposes one day (but will not repeat here in a "family newspaper").
As someone who has never had a drink, I found this fascinating. I'm trying to imagine what I partake in that would cause this level of adjustment or stress to go without for a month. I think my struggle is more about what habits to add. (I know I should exercise, but I haven't found anything to replace swimming during the pandemic.)