I Did the Sober Curious Challenge, Here’s How it Went
Let’s face it: drinking is fun. We’ve all got fun or hilarious memories of times we’ve indulged in the sauce. Which is a large reason why the decision to STOP drinking is so emotionally charged. This week on the Dope Ass Podcast, Andrea shares her history with alcohol and what happened when she decided to be sober curious. Listen in and think about trying the challenge for yourself.
Alcohol has always been an extra treat for Andrea. There’s nothing more fun than going out with your girlfriends and kicking back a few drinks. Even though it wasn’t frequent, there was something about her drinking habits that bothered her. But then Andrea read the book, Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington, and decided to take on the challenge: see what happens when you commit to no drinking for a month.
On today’s episode of the Dope Ass Podcast, Andrea shares what happened when she decided to go dry for a month. Spoiler: she liked it so much she extended it. There’s no judgement about drinking to be found here, just an honest look at drinking habits and what you can do to keep your experiences with alcohol positive and healthy. Tune in!
[00:23] - Back from L.A.
[01:29] - Sober Curious
[05:44] - Boone's Farm and Zima
[07:47] - Weight loss experiment
[10:16] - What if I'm not fun anymore?
[11:39] - An extra little gift
[13:27] - Sober firsts
[15:57] - Mood & sleep
[18:04] - Mommy wine culture
[19:52] - Reduced alcohol plan
On the Dope Ass Podcast, Andrea Levoff and her roster of hilarious, inspirational, and always-opinionated guests are tackling everything from motherhood to fashion to travel and spirituality---with a seriously dope ass lens. But don’t take our word for it. Learn more about your dope ass host and her mission to make everyone see the world through hot pink-colored glasses at https://www.andrealevoff.com/.
This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.
NO DRINK, NO PROBLEM
This week’s episode of The Dope Ass podcast is dedicated to American Airlines. Shoutout to them for keeping me updated on my flight’s delays (more time in L.A, WOOHOO) and for sitting me next to a man who got absolutely sloshed on the flight back to Chicago. He really gave me the perfect segue to bring my sober-curious time back into conversation with my current reality.
So without further ado, let me tell you about my two month stint as a non-drinker. It all started when I read Ruby Warrington’s book Sober Curious. While I’ve luckily and thankfully never had any health-related issues with alcohol, I had been wanting a change for some time and Ruby’s words and experiences truly inspired me. So I started with a month of going alcohol-free in November.
But I had some rules for myself. Not drinking wasn’t going to stop me from having fun. I wasn’t going to miss out on seeing friends or going to events just because I couldn’t toss one back. I really held myself to that, and along the way found out that I really don’t need alcohol to dance like a crazy person, laugh with my friends or form new connections. More than that, I found that I was able to do all of the above, and then some, while being sober. Maybe my tolerance for bull sh*t went down and I left a few nights early cause they were lameeee, but having a genuinely good time stayed on the table.
That, plus the lack of hangovers, which HELLO are a sign we’re doing something terrible to our bodies, kept me chugging (or not chugging haha) along. While I hypothesized that not drinking would help me melt pounds off of my body in a matter of minutes, that wasn’t totally the case. I don’t think I was drinking enough before for that to be a huge factor, but I will say my workouts felt better and I’ve gotten more toned since I stopped drinking, so I have NOTHING to complain about on that front.
In fact, everything about not drinking — my increased energy, mental clarity, heightened ability to connect with reality — felt so great that I extended my one month trial to two, even approaching a girls’ trip to New York with psycho levels of dedication. Did I spit an accidental sip of a tequila soda back into my water? Maybe. Do I regret holding myself accountable to unparalleled levels? Definitely not.
Going sober was one of the best decisions I’ve made. And while I’m back onto the occasional drink, what I learned about myself and society—yes, I’m going there—was powerful. From “wine mom culture” to “GNOs” we are sold the idea that alcohol is integral to almost every experience of our lives. Even when it makes us feel gross or even just less than our best. And we go along with it because it’s fun (sometimes) but mostly because it’s easy.
It might just be the desperate need inside of me to be *different* talking or it could be that temporary sobriety has elevated me to genius-status, but I’m so over that. And I want everyone I know, if they feel so inclined, to be over it too! Drink when you want and don’t when you don’t. It’s all about building a life that feels good. And that’s my two cents.
If you’re interested in going sober-curious, check out Ruby Warrington’s amazing book, linked above, or reach out to me (@andrealevoff on Instagram)! I’m so happy to tell you more about my experience.