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I never had a problem with alcohol.

Or at least I didn't think I did.

When I was younger I'd binge drink on the weekends but as I got older that went away.

In my 40's I'd drink a glass of wine or a cocktail every other day but I thought that was normal. I was under the impression that having the occasional drink was healthy for me.

The funny thing is that I've never taken a significant period of time away from alcohol.

It had become a staple in my routine. Funny how that happens.

Then a series of events happened...

6 weeks ago I watched a YouTube video Andrew Huberman did on the effects of alcohol consumption.

Then I started to question myself when was the last time I didn't drink it for a significant period of time as well as why I drank in the first place.

I didn't like the answers coming back at me so I decided to do Sober September with some of my clients. This also coincided with me going into Monk Mode.

During that time I'd do zero alcohol and dopamine-related activities to see what effect it had on my life.

It's been over 30 days since doing this. Here's what I learned...

1. Improved sleep

My sleep scores went up in a big way. I was getting more REM and deep sleep than ever before.

I was also going to sleep earlier & waking up earlier too. Not bad.

2. Enhanced recovery

Since I was sleeping better my resting heart rate went down and my body was recovering faster than before.

My Oura sleep ring tracks recovery through HRV (heart rate variability) and my scores went up by about 10%.

3. Better control of mood

I had more control over my mood & emotions than before.

It's not that I didn't feel emotions or mood shifts but more so I was better equipped to handle the ebbs and flows.

4. Less reactiveness

Having more control over my mood meant I had more control over my reactivity.

I was less reactive to small things and could better handle situations that would normally throw me off.

5. More energy

Because I was sleeping better and my body didn't have to work as hard to help me recover I had more energy.

This leads to being more productive at work and doing more physically active things.

6. More introspection

As a result of not drinking I gravitated towards meditation & journaling.

I journaled almost every day and this helped me become aware of the benefits you're reading about right now.

7. Dealing with emotions

I realized that I was using alcohol to numb stress & emotions. It was my crutch when things got hairy after a stressful week/day.

When I let go of the crutch I had to face my emotions head on. I had to feel them, let them pass through me so I could let them go.

This was the most powerful benefit of not drinking alcohol.

Some other things that happened during these 30 days:

· Journaled every day
· Grew Twitter from 215k to 271k
· Grew LinkedIn from 2100 to 25k
· Grew business by close to 70% in September
· Grew this newsletter from 34.5k to 44k
· Started writing haikus (serious lol)
· Hit 90's on my sleep scores
· Lowered resting heart rate
· Read more books

There's more but those are the most significant ones.

Alcohol is a powerful substance that 80% of adults drink on a regular basis.

I've had great times with alcohol for sure.

I've also had bad times with alcohol. I've got some regrets that came from times when I drank too much.

I don't know where I'm going from here. This has a big impact on my life and I'm going to continue on to see where this leads me.

This email is by no means saying you should give it up or stop drinking. It's not a judgment on anyone who drinks either.

I'm using this as a way to pause and recollect the past month of not drinking.

I find that getting older is a perpetual cycle of getting rid of the negative and adding in the positive.

Not drinking has had a net positive effect on my life so far.

Let's see where this goes.

- Dan

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