Recent Thoughts on Alcohol from a Former Binge Drinker

Buckle up, this is some of my rawest stuff yet. This week I'm sharing some of my latest thoughts on alcohol.

Just like many of you, I grew up in a pretty large binge drinking culture. For pretty much all of my 20s and early 30s, I was crushing probably 30-40 drinks per week, easy.

I was the ultimate frat star in college.

And I was out at the bars until 4 AM in NYC every single weekend throughout my 20s and early 30s.

I had some of the most fun times of my life between the ages of 18-33, largely driven by alcohol infused activities. And therefore I have zero regrets.

Lived that life and absolutely dominated it.

To be clear - I still drink. And finding room for it is a big part of my brand and story.

I've gotten absolutely shredded while still consuming 10-15 drinks per week on average over the last year and a half.

But there's a big difference between getting jacked / shredded and optimizing your health.

And as I'm getting older, alcohol is starting to serve me less and less.

It's counterproductive to pretty much everything I'm trying to accomplish, including:

- Stay in good shape and build muscle (alcohol is empty calories, disrupts your sleep and recovery, and can interfere with building muscle) - Juggle two careers (I have zero time for hangovers or brain fog) - Manage my mental health - anxiety is increasing as I get older for whatever reason, and I'm noticing a large correlation between drinking and anxiety - Live as long and as healthily as possible (the research on the negative impact of drinking on your health keeps pouring out)

I also view limiting my consumption as a mental challenge and the ultimate display of discipline.

The real badasses are the ones who don't drink at all.

The ones who are so comfortable in their own skin and the natural state of their personality, that they don't need it to get through any situation.

I believe I started to drink a lot for deeply psychological reasons. My natural personality is a quiet, introverted person. Alcohol brought me out of my shell. It brought out a fun, wild side of me. And I loved it.

But the truth is, anything funny that I say or do while drinking is right there in me to do while sober. My personality is my personality - people can take it or leave it.

The real ones like me most when I'm sober. If someone only liked drunk Hal, then they were never a real friend and I don't need them in my life anyway.

Even present day where I'm drinking way less than I used to, 75% of the situations when I'm drinking is still out of habit, peer pressure, or using alcohol as a crutch.

I own alcohol. It doesn't own me.

There are still plenty of situations where I'm consuming it to truly enrich the experience. And those are the ones I have difficulty imagining completely cutting out of my life.

Don't worry, this is not an I'm quitting drinking post.

I'm not there yet. But I think it's possible I will be at some point.

So if you're doing any sort of dry January approach this month - first of all, good for you.

But I'd challenge you to think about what you can do when January ends to manage your consumption going forward when you settle back into your normal routine.

Because that's where you can make real, lasting change. If you just revert back to your prior ways for the rest of the year, I'm not sure if you accomplished much.

Stay well, Hal the Health Coach