Sober, curious...
As the whole country seems to be going sober I have somehow been swept along for the ride
Surgical menopause, the gift that keeps on giving…. I’m jesting, clearly!
I have never coped well with a hangover, NEVER. But after having my hysterectomy, it started to really kick the shit out of me! Whereby before I could lie in and sleep off my hangover, after children, it was a carefully constructed overnight stay for either myself or my girls, as they were always up with the larks, but even more if I went out the night before, as though they knew I was hanging and were going to make me suffer!
I’m digressing, the point being that after my hysterectomy, my sleep was one of the first and somewhat harshest side effect that I had to cope with, I was literally coping on 3 hours sleep a night for 7 years (I will come to this in another post).
Alcohol was just making everything worse, I know that cortisol goes up after drinking etc etc etc, but not being able to sleep it off meant it was no longer really an option for me.
I had to re-think how I was going to do life, yes, this sounds OTT but you don’t realise how many social functions have alcohol at their centre. I no longer “do” dinner dates, I do lunch. I attend matiness now rather than the old going for cocktails beforehand and clubbing and drinking well into the night post theatre.
Don’t get me wrong, I will have a drink, I am not teetotal but I have to regulate my drinking as it just does not make me feel good anymore, I have always suffered with hangovers, but these days they are sooo brutal and can last for days. I do not have time for that!
My life has changed now, I cannot, and will not waste days feeling like death warmed up, I go to the gym most days, I meet friends for coffee, I go on long walks, I do yoga and Pilates. Who even am I? But you know what, I’m so much happier, I was one of those all or nothing people, I could go weeks without a drink and then I would go mad, binge drinking with no real care for anything or anyone. When really, the only person I was hurting was myself, so yes I have a glass or two now but that’s where it stops as I have so much I want to achieve now that I cannot be taken down by a three day hangover.
Cheers!