CO-WORKER:
Are you losing weight? Your face looks thinner.
ME:
I shaved off my beard.
CO-WORKER:
No it’s not that. You look different.
I think to myself… yes I do! I’m not bloated and swollen from my body taking in empty calories and trying to heal from a constant stream of vodka running through my veins.
I have not lost weight yet. Dammit. LOL
I just love sleeping through the night. No more 2am talks with myself about how much of a loser I am. It also means I wake up more refreshed and ready to go. No hangover helps too.
I didn’t lose any weight, but my face did unbloat. My skin and eyes got brighter and clearer. Energy and overall feeling improved. My nervous system got calmer. No more dark suicidal thoughts. My self esteem and pride returned. I can drive anywhere, anytime. I don’t make an ass of myself. I don’t have stupid fights with my husband. I no longer have a short fuse. And more!!
Better sleep, but by far the most rewarding aspect is clear and consistent thinking! My emotions have leveled off and I’m back to my calm, patient and stable self. Life events are no longer an emotional rollercoster:slightly_smiling_face:
Haha. I know those 2am talks with myself and that sick feeling in my stomach when I would think about myself. I am so happy not to have felt that in weeks!
It’s weird looking at photos of ourselves from before right? The swollen eyes really trips me out.
Yes, it is like my face is half the size! I see my friends who still drink and you can really tell.
My face looks thinner, stomach is not bloated, weight loss is slow. No hangovers!!! Anxiety free for now!! Eyes are no longer red, wrinkled or baggy. I can think more clearly, memory is better. A little bit more motivated.
Hate those self hate talks. 
Had the same. Someone asked me if I was dieting cus my face looks thinner. I have lost a few pounds. I also love waking up fresh and not feeling like crap!
I thought the way I was looking was because I was getting older and then realized… nope is cause im poisoning myself and my body is just trying to survive. Thankfully. At 44 I still have plenty of life to enjoy. I don’t want to look like I’m 60 before I get there.
Friends have been telling me for a few weeks how good I look since quitting drinking…one friend (who has known me since HS) even used the word radiant!
I’m not sure how much of that is physical, and how much of it is inside out, because personally the best gift my sobriety has given me is my joie de vivre back…for the first time in nearly 2 decades, I don’t feel crushed daily by self-hatred, despair, and suicidal feelings. I can face and HANDLE life’s problems instead of drowning in them, I like and respect myself for the first time in a LONG count of years, and I have motivation and ambition again!
In short, sobriety has literally given me life back!
The best thing is waking up hangover-free, but instead i stay up so late that i am still tired in the morning. I did loose a lot of weight during 2018 when i started doing one hour cardio training almost every day. So nobody realizes that i stopped drinking - which is good
Same here. For me it was being able to exercise discipline in the one area where I was lacking. Every area of my life, work, relationships, faith, finances was being negatively impacted by alcohol. No matter how much discipline I applied in these areas, there was a limit as to making them better, and it was all because one area, drinking, actually had a place in my life, and it was out of control.
So many years I tried to discipline through moderation, and failed. Once I exercised complete and total discipline by quitting completely, every other aspect of my life got better, and I am getting better at getting better each and every day.
But the biggest benefit is in being better for myself, I can be a better husband, father, and friend.
My diabetes is under control!
I actually have time and energy to go to the gym and see results way quicker! Also the quality of sleep improving helps in countless ways, especially problem solving which I do daily as maintenance technician.
Just today, I noticed that my nail beds are far healthier. I have pitted nails from psoriasis and even though I have not cut out all gluten, they are better than when I cut all gluten, but did not cut alcohol.
That’s amazing! I have had insanely high blood pressure that I keep telling the doctor I’ll lower so I don’t want medication. I have dropped it down with some lifestyle changes but I’m looking forward to checking my bp. I’ve been waiting to let some time pass. I think today will be the day!
It’s terrible what this stuff does to slow down muscle growth, right?!?
Good ridensce!