Six Things That Surprised Me About 200 Days Without Alcohol
Notes from an experiment in not numbing.
Two hundred days ago I quietly stopped drinking.
No dramatic declaration. No rock bottom moment. Just a small internal decision to see what life might feel like without alcohol in it.
What I didn’t expect was how much it would reveal.
About my body. My mornings. My social life. Even the parts of myself that prefer clarity over escape.
Two hundred days later, here are six things that genuinely surprised me.
1. No One Cares as Much as You Think They Will
When I first stopped drinking, I imagined people would notice.
I imagined questions. Maybe encouragement. Possibly even applause.
Instead, mostly nothing.
It turns out most people are far too busy living their own lives to track whether you are or are not drinking. Even the people you think might clap for you often don’t.
Not because they don’t love you. But because this kind of decision is incredibly personal.
Which, in a way, is liberating.
If you are hesitating to experiment with something in your own life because you are worried about what people might think, don’t.
Odds are, they are not thinking about it nearly as much as you imagine.
2. No Beauty Treatment Works Like Not Drinking
The physical changes surprised me.
Not because I expected them to be dramatic, but because they were.
The inflammation quietly disappeared. My body feels like it is shrinking back to its natural shape. But the most noticeable shift is my face.
It is simply less puffy.
There are not enough beauty tools, lymphatic drainage facials, massages, or cosmetic procedures in the world that can replicate what happens when alcohol leaves your system.
Ironically, I probably eat more sugar now than I did before. When I drank, that is where most of my sugar lived. Now it often comes in the form of Bramble Berry Crisp ice cream from Jeni’s. But even with that, my body feels lighter.
My face looks like itself again.
And I cannot overstate how joyful that feels!
3. Sometimes I’m the Only One Not Drinking
Most of the time, I do not think about alcohol anymore.
Greg and I go out to dinner all the time and I simply do not order wine. It has not felt like a big deal.
But the other night I had my first moment of real discomfort.
I arrived early to a dinner party at an ultra-chic Hollywood spot. I only knew one person in the group and ended up sitting alone at the bar while I waited.
At first, I felt perfectly comfortable in my skin.
But as the minutes passed, the bartender casually asked, “Not drinking tonight?” People slid onto stools beside me and ordered martinis and old fashioned’s. The bar glowed with that familiar cocktail-hour seduction.
And suddenly I felt different.
Not tempted exactly. Just aware.
Aware that I was the only one with a glass of water.
I watched the ritual of it all. The beauty of the drinks, the sensuality of the room. It was something I always found alluring in the past.
Eventually the moment passed. My friends arrived. The night unfolded normally.
But it reminded me that while the decision is clear, the journey is not always effortless.
And that is okay.
4. Mornings Became Sacred
Truthfully, I have always been a morning person.
But now I live for them.
When I open my eyes, I feel something close to elation. I am eager to meet the day.
The first thing I do is take Rufus outside, and in those early moments it often feels like the universe is showing off. I hear the frogs. I see the stars. Sometimes the moon is still hanging quietly above the ranch, lighting the silhouettes of the pine trees.
The air is cool. Everything is still.
Nothing is lost on me anymore in those moments.
I am not waking up with a headache. I am not reaching for Advil. I am not fumbling around the kitchen trying to recover from the night before.
Instead, I am present.
It reminds me of being a little girl. Waking up with a full heart. Curious about the day ahead.
There is something profoundly spiritual about that simplicity.
And it is one of the greatest gifts these last 200 days have given me.
5. The High Isn’t Worth the Hangover
Let me shoot it to you very straight:
Life without alcohol is clearer. Sharper. More radiant.
Moments feel richer now. I experience them through this crystal clear lens, and when that happens I feel completely certain that alcohol no longer belongs in my life.
But I would be lying if I said I never feel bored.
Not that my life is boring. It is not. In many ways it is steadier now, and that steadiness is actually very beautiful.
But alcohol did provide a kind of thrill.
The rush of a buzz. The temporary euphoria. The altered state that makes everything feel a little more electric for a moment.
I do not think anyone can honestly deny that.
The problem is what comes after.
For me it meant cloudy thinking, anxiety the next day, and occasionally decisions that did not align with the person I wanted to be.
So yes, the buzz felt good for a moment.
But the high simply is not worth the hangover.
6. I Didn’t Replace Alcohol With Another Escape
One question people quietly wonder is whether I have replaced alcohol with something else.
THC. CBD. Gummies. Something to take the edge off.
And yes, I experimented a little.
Mostly in situations where I was in big crowds or social environments where alcohol used to play a role. I thought maybe a tiny gummy might help my nervous system relax.
Here is the truth.
I hate it.
It does not agree with my body at all.
I feel foggy. In slow motion. Less sharp. Like I cannot quite keep up with a conversation the way I normally can. My wit disappears. My mind feels dull.
And that feeling made something very clear to me.
I actually prefer myself completely unaltered.
No substances. No buffers. No chemical lift.
Just me in my most natural state.
That realization has felt like a kind of victory.
Two hundred days is not forever.
I am not declaring myself anything. I am simply paying attention to how I feel living this way.
What I know right now is that I like the woman I am when my mind is clear, my mornings belong to me, and I am fully present in my own life.
There is a steadiness to it. A quiet kind of freedom.
And perhaps the most surprising part of all is realizing that the version of myself I was always searching for, the one who feels peaceful, grounded, and genuinely alive, was never on the other side of another glass of wine.
She was here the whole time.
I am curious about you.
Have you ever experimented with taking a break from alcohol?
If you have, what surprised you the most?
And if you have thought about it but have not tried yet, what is holding you back?
No judgment here. How can I help?
With love from the ranch,
Catt
I love this, Catt! I made a decision to quit drinking a little over six years ago for very similar reasons and felt so much of what you’re experiencing (and still am)! I also know I’m a better mom because of that decision as the effects trickle down. Thank you for sharing your experience. I love this for us!❤️❤️
Thank you for sharing your experience and your vulnerability. I have thought about eliminating alcohol but I haven’t committed to it. My family drinks, my friends drink, and I do enjoy a glass of wine or a martini at happy hour but after 3 glasses of wine and waking up with a headache I regret it. Would love some advice on how to start and what to say when in group situations when I would be the only one not drinking. For reference I’m 60.