The astounding differences a few years and a clear mind can make
As I celebrate 3 years of sobriety this week, I've been reflecting on the differences that I feel and notice when comparing myself to a few years ago. My life has changed immeasurably since I had my last drink back in March 2022, but it's the physical changes that we don't tend to notice until we look back on old photos.
In almost all of the photos of me drinking, my eyes are bloodshot, sleepy and half closed. These days there's an actual light in my eyes, they're clear and bright and I'm not cross-eyed! Back then, I would've shouted over you, taken over the music, and been a royal pain in the bum.
These days, I love nothing more than a good deep conversation with someone - I'm 100% present and taking it all in, no longer distracted by the constant need to pour another drink or the feeling that I need to slow my drinking down to wait for everyone else.
Who doesn't love showing off their red wine teeth? I have the same "smile" (or should we call it a grimace?) in almost every drunken photo. Horrendous! For many years, I wasn't actually happy so this was just a mask that I wore to convince people that I was having a great time.
The photo on the right is one of my all-time favourites - taken halfway up a volcano in Lombok, I was so utterly happy. When I posted my holiday photos when I got home, this one received the most comments for how authentic and real my smile looked - having gone through a marriage break-up a few months before, this was probably the first time I had properly smiled in a very long time and shows that I was on the path to healing.
I think this is by far the most staggering difference. Bloated, red-faced, tired (I'm pretty sure this was taken at about 3am one night), but still up and still drinking. You just know that the next day would've been awful, I would've been a terrible parent and would've made terrible food choices.
Fast forward 3 years and I workout 6 days a week and eat mostly healthily. I've lost 12kgs and am fitter than I have ever been. My bio age is 5 years lower than my actual age and, apart from a sore shoulder and a bung knee, I'm doing pretty good!
We all know that quitting or reducing our alcohol intake can have massive health benefits but until you see the difference side by side, it's really hard to actually believe it. If I can manage to look like this on the outside, imagine how good my insides must be feeling!