by Angela Perez
Back in the day, when I was drinking alcohol (i.e., early last December) and going out to bars on the regular, I kept a list of hobbies and activities I planned to engage in. This list included traveling to Vietnam to discover the differences in pho by region (and to scuba dive there), going back to Curacao to scuba dive, getting a marine boat captain’s license (so I could drive a small scuba boat), writing a novel, write more for my Southern food blog, Speaking of the South, take a deep dive into learning the basics of cooking, and learn to bake bread. There were many more travel-related adventures on the list. And, while I did some traveling in the U.S. and took the cooking class, I was not as fully engaged in either because some days, I must confess, I was hungover.
Drinking alcohol in middle age just wasn’t working for me. Every day after drinking alcohol, I woke feeling tired, anxious, depressed, and unfocused. And it didn’t matter whether I drank a couple of drinks or had a blowout; I just didn’t feel good after imbibing anymore.
And so that lonely list of hobbies and adventures sat on my desk, gathering both coffee stains and my ire. At least, it did until I stopped drinking a few weeks ago. Within two weeks of not drinking, I felt infinitely more focused, excited about life, and engaged with the world around me. Alcohol dulls the senses. And, sure, it numbs pain and anxiety at the moment, but when the effects wear off, that pain and anxiety return tenfold. And I was just too worn out to do a damn thing that mattered to me.
Now that I ain’t drinking, I am making my hobbies happen: I have enrolled in a course for a marine boat captain’s license and am also planning diving trips. I am writing every day – including this article. Typically, I would not be able to write on a Sunday morning because I would be too hungover from my Saturday night antics with gin and soda water.
Living alcohol-free allows me to daily take a deep into academic research on Southern foodways as well as non- and low-alcohol cocktails and beverages (and the culture of alcohol). The world around me finally feels real – not some blurred patchwork unreality of hangovers, regrets, and guilt. When you cut out the booze, you’ll be fully present and capable of integrating a hobby into your everyday life. I learned the hard way that scrolling through your phone while you are wallowing in your bed in agony from last night’s bender is not a hobby. Though, it is a lifestyle that won’t get you where you want to go in this oh-so-short life.
My advice from these hard-won lessons: put down the liquor drink and pick up a guitar, a pen, a tennis racket, whatever makes your heart flutter, and get with it. Also, it helps to share your hobbies and journey with others – you don’t have to get sober or work on staying sober alone. You shouldn’t. I recently discovered that a dry bar and bottle shop in Wilmington, NC, Mocksie, regularly puts on a “Sober Hobby Social.” For upcoming dates and details, click here.
What hobbies did you start once you got sober? Add your new passions to the comments. I might also include your response in another upcoming article about sober living.
