“you’re so lame”…”who are you?”…”what’s wrong with you?”… “where have you been?”

Alright alright… so I’ve gotten a lot of questions about why I don’t drink anymore, why I don’t go out on the weekends, why I go to bed the same time as my grandma, etc… SO I thought it was only appropriate to table all these questions while I’m sitting at home on a Saturday night with my dog and watching The Fault In Our Stars (amazing moving btw… bawling as I’m typing).

Let’s get a couple things straight…

NO, I have not completely banned alcohol from my life… I just don’t make it a top priority anymore. NO I am not judging you for going out and drinking every weekend… I could truly care less what anyone else does. And by NO means am I “anti-alcohol”.  If you know me at all.. or have ever met my parents… you know that isn’t even genetically possible.  However, I have dedicated my life to health & fitness. I have goals that now stretch a lot further than what bar I’m going to on Friday or which heels I want to wear on Saturday.

So why the hiatus….?

1.  My Mental Health

For the last year or so I was using alcohol as a stress reliever.  A way to escape from any anxiety or anger that crossed my path during the day.  One thing would go wrong and it was.. “okay it’s time for a drink.”  Stress. Drink. Sleep. Repeat.  That schedule pretty much consumed my life.  Sure, this a common ritual for most people on Friday at 5 or when they get home from work after a long day.  But when this became the norm around noon every day and started affecting my work, my workouts (which obviously weren’t happening), and my overall mood/attitude… I figured it was time for a change.

2.  Bad Decisions…

Like really bad ones…. we’re just gonna leave it at that.

3.  Rebound Time 

Lets talk hangovers.  When I’d start drinking… I really didn’t know when to stop.  Your “casual” happy hours, or the nights where “I’m not gonna drink that much”… yeah okay well, those didn’t happen.  SO any night out would end in a gruesome hangover.  And when I’m hungover you can consider that day shot to hell.  I would move from the couch maybe twice (unless I needed food, water or bathroom), god forbid I saw the light of day, and I’d spend the day wasting away in the anxiety of what bad decisions I made the night before… Well you see, I just don’t have time to waste my days like that anymore.  

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4.  Money

“A healthy lifestyle is too expense…”

Okay… and your $100 bar tab 2-3 times a week isn’t…?

I know after a couple shots I used to be that girl that thought she was Bill Gates buying everyone and their neighbor’s brothers’ girlfriend a drink.

Well, like many other 24 year olds, I am on a budget.  And that budget leaves very little room for my $200 bar tabs every week.  To be honest.. no, this is not a cheap lifestyle.  But your body & your health are the most valuable things you will ever have, so spending money on things like produce, training, and supplements are investments that I am consciously making for myself and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

Spark Notes Version for my Skimmers:

• Top Priority: Career in Health & Fitness

• NO I am not judging you for going out, so don't judge me for staying in.

• Time is of the essence... Hangovers are not.

• I make REALLY bad decisions while intoxicated.

• NO I have not stopped drinking completely or forever...this is a personal decision I have made to keep me on track towards my goals.

Cheers ;)