Sobertarian January: A Final Analysis

Welp, we did it! We (barely) survived Sobertarian January! Things did not go as expected this month, but we ended up learning a lot. We can easily say it was not as terrible as we thought it would be, and we’re pretty confident anyone can do this!

First things first. We ended our Sobertarian month on January 29th. Why? Because we took a trip to Indianapolis and wanted to explore what the city had to offer. Of course we could do that without eating meat or drinking booze, but we love trying new beers and a couple of the recommendations we received included meat.

The biggest thing we noticed was that our grocery bill went up, quite significantly actually! We spent most of the month trying new recipes and we had to buy lots of new ingredients. Also, we bought so much produce every week. We were used to buying a decent amount of meat and freezing a portion, but we couldn’t do that with produce. We also bought a lot more sparkling water and fun non-alcoholic beverages. Plus, we ate out a lot less because we cooked at home so much. But, we saved money by not using a single ride share, not ordering booze at bars, and not buying late night drunken second dinner snacks.

Beard’s Experience
Welp, spoiler alert: I had nearly the complete opposite health experience that Jules had. I did catch her cold, but it lasted like a day and half. One of the shortest colds I’ve had in recent memory. I slept better. I had more energy throughout the day. I was more focused and productive at work. I was able to wake up easier, and besides when I was sick, I didn’t miss a workout all month. Because of this (and no booze calories), I also lost the little bit of spare tire I had forming. If didn’t like drinking so much, I could go boozeless forever. But alas, I love a good wine, good beer, and a well-crafted cocktail. I’m pretty sure all of these positive results came from going boozeless, but I could easily go 90% vegetarian too, I think. Growing up, my family had a huge garden, so I’ve always enjoyed vegetables and figuring out good ways to use them. But, I still crave a good burger, bacon, and other random and tasty meaty things. Surprisingly, the form my alcohol craving took was wine. I didn’t even really miss beer.

I’m definitely going to continue to curb my alcohol intake. I asked a coworker before we started this adventure, “Aside from pregnancy, when was the last time you remember going 30 days without a drop of alcohol?” I know I couldn’t, not since I was 16 or something. That’s kind of crazy to think about, especially considering the difference I saw in how I felt. I can however still appreciate the craft that goes into well made boozy drinks and well made meaty items, so I will continue to drink and eat those things when the mood strikes. I think that’s the trick: if you’re going to drink or eat things that might not be that good for you, at least make them quality. It’s a mix of personal satisfaction and moderation. But, working in the occasional Taco Bell run won’t kill you.

Broad’s Experience 
To be completely honest this was the worst month I’ve ever experienced, health-wise. But, it had nothing to do with being boozeless and meatless. I was sick basically the whole month. First, I had a stomach bug. Then, I had a cold. Then my cold turned into a sinus infection. Finally, I ended with the flu…full on flu for a week. Besides the illnesses, I noticed a little bit of a difference. I was sleeping a lot better. I weirdly felt lighter, if that makes sense? I didn’t miss meat at all. I liked the meat substitutes we had and can easily incorporate them into our regular diets. I did miss wine. We really like our Friday nights at home on the couch with a bottle or two of wine. I didn’t miss any other booze, though. The good news is that I lost weight, a whole bunch of weight! Most of it was probs due to my sicknesses, but I’ll take it.

I would like to keep eating more vegetarian dishes in February, and cut back on the booze too. We talked about just splitting one bottle of wine at home on Fridays, and continue to not drink Sunday-Thursday, which we have been doing for the past year or so. I don’t want to completely cut out meat, because I just really like it. I love a good steak, burger or pepperoni on my pizza.

What’s Next?
We will definitely continue to incorporate more vegetarian options into our lives, especially at home. We had fun cooking all these new recipes and love eating more produce. We also really enjoy tofu and other meat substitutes. And we found out we LOVE vegetarian chicken nuggets, so those have now become a staple in our freezer. But, we’ll still enjoy some of our favorite meats from time to time when we get a craving. It’s all about balance!