150 days without alcohol

The idea of the “150 days without alcohol” experiment came to me on the first day of January. Like probably most of the humanity, I got up with a severe hangover. Actually, I got up only to change between the bed and the toilet. That day I looked at me in the mirror and no longer recognized myself. If my former self had been shown a picture of what I would look like, he would probably never believe it.

I used to think that I could never gain weight and that I would never lose my desire to do sports. But unfortunately that was not the case. Regular fast food and partying one day a week will leave their marks.

The last year I let myself get carried away. In this year alone I gained 15 kg in weight and came to a proud 107 kg! Frequent stomach problems, the inertia and laziness that came along with it, slowly became too much for me. Maybe the university also contributed a lot to the laziness.
Well, something had to change and this experiment was born. Why exactly 150 days and not 30, 60 or 100?

Because I chose my favorite festival “Rock am Ring” as the end date.
I wanted to lose weight, get fitter, get rid of my stomach problems and become more productive throughout the day in the 150 days without alcohol.

Weight — 14 days without alcohol

After just two weeks, I noticed how my appetite for fast food decreased, and I wanted to exercise more. I lost weight steadily during the 150 days and was able to reduce my weight from 107 kg to 95 kg. I have to let you know that during this period I went to the gym, went jogging from time to time and also followed two diets (egg diet & keto diet) for 40 days.

Increased productivity — 14 days without alcohol

I noticed a significant increase in my productivity. I was no longer tired all day and was able to get many things done. Unfortunately, I did not feel this effect every day. Over the course of the experiment there were highs and lows in this regard. However, I was certainly more productive than before.

Better sleep — 21 days without alcohol

My sleep became better and more restful after three weeks without alcohol. I was able to sleep longer without waking up. Although it’s still not perfect to this day, as I haven’t been able to get a deep sleep for years. I always wake up immediately at the slightest noise. I wake up several times at night and have trouble falling back asleep right after.

Better skin — 30 days without alcohol

In the first few days my skin became noticeably worse. It became greasier and more pimples appeared. As if overnight, my skin improved after a month without alcohol. Until the end of the experiment I did not experience any more skin impurities. I have to say that I stopped eating fast food more often, which probably also contributed to the improved skin condition a lot.

Liver values — 3 months until full recovery

I was curious if all the fast food and long party nights had an effect on my liver values. Shortly after New Year’s Eve, I went to the doctor and had them determined. I was not surprised to see that two out of three liver values were elevated and one was at the borderline.

As you can see from the table below, after just one month, two of the three liver values are back in the normal range, while the third value has dropped by about 20%. After three months, the GPT value, which is always the slowest to regenerate, was also back within the normal range. After four months, all three liver values were below the normal range.

Immune system — No change

I can’t say that my immune system got better or worse without alcohol, because I very rarely get sick anyway. At least I didn’t get sick once in the 150 days without alcohol.

Hangover — First day with alcohol

On the 151st day, I held a small party to mark the end of the experiment. I was curious to see how quickly I would get drunk and how severe the hangover would be the next morning. After the first glass of “Bloody Mary” I was already getting tipsy. And with the next few glasses, I got drunk pretty quickly too.

After sleeping it off, I got up without any problems or pain and felt as if I had gone to sleep without partying the night before.
I was very happy about that and I hope that this effect would last longer.

What were the disadvantages?

There were a few downsides that I noticed for myself during this time. I realized that it wasn’t the drinking itself that I was missing, but rather the connection that you build with your fellow human beings while drinking.

I always feel like when I meet someone new or haven’t seen someone in a while, there’s a bit of a barricade between us and conversations are usually superficial. However, once you drink with that person, you develop a stronger connection that is hard to put into words. Just the toast helps break down that barricade. You confide in the other person more and maybe talk about things that are on your mind that you wouldn’t otherwise tell. This allows you to unburden your soul for a while and makes you feel better.
Of course, you can achieve all of this without alcohol, too. But I made the experience that it takes longer without than with.

I also noticed that I blamed alcohol much more often for things for which it was not responsible. I always had a feeling of sluggishness the next day after partying. But I had the exact same thing when I partied for a long time without alcohol. And if I ate something unhealthy during the night, my stomach also would hurt the next day.

I noticed another disadvantage during my vacation in Croatia. Everywhere I went I saw signs advertising beer, “If you want to really experience Croatia, you have to drink what the Croatians drink.“
As a person who likes to experience everything, I took this advertisement to heart and felt the whole time that I was not experiencing an important part of the culture. For me, food and drinks are an important part of a country’s culture.

How difficult was it?

The 150 days without alcohol passed quickly for me, and it had been relatively easy to keep going. When I was partying, all I had to think about was how much money I was saving and how I was going to wake up the next day without a hangover, and I lost the desire to drink. I had also been permanently motivated by the positive body changes. I experienced a few weak moments. Only as soon as the temperatures rose and especially as soon as there was a barbecue, I caught a craving for a cool beer. But as soon as I got home, this craving disappeared again.

What did I learn from this?

Now, almost a month after the end of the experiment, I have much less of a craving for alcohol than before. I now plan to limit my drinking to larger parties and birthdays and to relax more often on weekends. But I won’t always give up on a beer or two when there is a nice steak nearby.

Conclusion

I never really saw a problem with alcohol in my case, since I never drank alone or every day, or even woke up thinking, “I won’t be able to get through this day without alcohol.”. This is what makes an alcoholic to me. Nevertheless, I noticed the above changes in my body. My expectations were met, and I lost significant weight and my productivity increased.

I learned that you don’t always have to be there when your friends go out partying somewhere and that it can also be good to enjoy Sundays and not be hungover. The experiment also showed me that the positive effects peak after just one month, and after three months at the latest, the liver values are also back in the normal range. From now on, I will take such a break for myself every year in January.