I don't really drink anymore.

This did not happen because of religious beliefs or a bad drinking experience where I vowed to myself “I will never drink again.” It happened through discipline and some force, at first.

I have always been a fairly thin girl, but I did not like the way fat sat on my hips and belly. After rummaging through numerous articles on fat-loss tips, exercises and body toning, alcohol was always mentioned as a substance to avoid. I took it upon myself to experiment with my body and try to stop drinking for a bit to see if I could get results.

Long story short, yes. I lost fat.

But that was just the beginning of it. At first, I would tell myself that I haven’t drunk in a month, so it’s okay to have a little fun and that everything works in moderation. I would have the occasional drink, but my tolerance became lower. I suddenly realized if I want to sneak a drink, I need one, maximum two, and I’ll be drunk.

After a while, I stopped looking forward to having drinks, but friends would invite me out and I did not want to miss my college experience. So I would go, drink and feel awful.

The scarcity of my alcohol consumption made me notice how toxic alcohol felt inside of me. Each time I drank, the alcohol would upset my stomach. The initial feeling, the first hour, was my body loosening up, causing me to act care-free. After the hour would pass, I would space out and then feel the spins. The morning after, my insides would ache from inflammation. I would be nauseous and extremely hungover.

One day I asked myself, why do I continue to do something that gave me a care-free feel for one hour tops only to reap its toxicity for hours on end. Why continue the routine of something I did not enjoy? Was it the social impact, or was it something I had been used to for most of my life and never cared to question?

I stopped drinking.

Months after I made the decision to completely stop drinking, I decided I could indulge in the occasional glass of wine. At this point, one glass and I would fall asleep.

Wine doesn’t feel as wrong on my body as other, stronger types of alcohol. Yet it doesn’t give me the same sensation I used to get from drinking.

I do not miss that drunken sensation. That sensation gave me a limited time of fun; a fun that always left me with skewed memories and temporarily unconstructed decisions.

This kind of experience changed my views on how a person can have fun. I discovered new ways of enjoying my time and preserving those memories.

My body feels healthy and refreshed, my mind has a clearer perception and I found better ways to manage my time.

Last but not least, I achieved my original goal of fat loss.