Yes, Carla, and then I realised I was drinking way too much, couple of large glasses of wine every night, occasionally a bit more. I did 'Dry January' because I basically thought I was heading towards (or was already in) alcohol dependency - not saying that's the case with you. Felt better, as did my wallet. One of the doctors at work did it for pretty much the same reasons and was explaining to me how alcohol affects people's inflammation responses, essentially, it kicks off your immune system, so it wears you down over a prolonged period of time, produces anxiety, low mood, interferes with sleep patterns, etc. So that I could be a bit more conscious about what I was drinking, and make active choices, I downloaded the Drink Aware app and stuck to the weekly limit, working my way to being under said weekly limit. Part of the trick for me seemed to be not thinking that I was giving something up, or limiting something, as that was a bit grim, instead I opted for 'want to be better hydrated' and tasty herbal teas. It had to be a positive move. I'd say it took a good three months to settle into it and reverse thinking, so rather than 'not allowed wine tonight', it changed to 'have enjoyed that wine tonight' (and then forgetting to drink more the next night and the night after that).
The big issue for me is that I still need a crutch. Up > work > home > emotional labour feels like it should be supported with something. Not sure what that something is though.
