How to Cut Out Cocktails During Quarantine
It has officially been 9 weeks of being in quarantine, 3 weeks of being on the Whole 30 diet and a little over 2 weeks of being single. Three things I can confidently say I hadn’t written down for my New Years resolutions in 2020. I’ve found that the most important thing to do in life is to make lemonade out of lemons (or at least something similar)… so while there have been unprecedented things I’ve had issues dealing with during one the last few months, not drinking is one I feel I’ve mastered.
For all of you who are dealing with the emotional turmoils of this year, trying to keep sane on a crazy diet or who just have had it (!!) with staying in place, here are three things that have helped me S.I.P. without SIP’n on cocktails.
Creativity in my free time
Connectivity with friends and family
Consciousness to subside bad coping mechanisms and social pressures
Creativity - While I’m not a practiced artist, I am someone who loves putting in a bit of effort for a beautiful reward- especially the hot and tasty ones. However, between my limited diet and lack of baking resources (thanks again, COVID)… I’ve had to stretch to other mediums. I found some old acrylic paints in our old arts and crafts closet and put paintbrush to cardboard. I blotted backgrounds and figures which melted into soft faces and delicate fingers, breathing life into every corner of my canvas. It was almost as if the perceived “pause” on life was rebelliously pumping out of my fingertips and onto my remnants of amazon boxes. It’s wonderfully time consuming and my soggy, paint-covered cardboard is a true metaphor for my life at the moment. While painting started as something I pushed myself to do when I felt my mind wandering, it quickly became a ritual I enjoy with my morning coffee.
Connectivity - As an extrovert, it’s no shock to me that it’s easy to mix cocktails with social activities. What is more shocking, however, is that cutting one out does not decrease the other. Alcohol sales are up over 25% from last year, and if the people stopping by Palm House regularly are any indication, people are not putting their glasses down despite not having a bar top to do so. Humans are just desperate to bond, and itching to feel something with all of this isolation.
At a time where being buzzed is at an all time high, how do we feel connected when we can’t be together or have put drinking on the back-burner? First, I try to find activities to do with family that double as necessities. A trip to the grocery store turns into a cathartic conversation and a socially distanced workout with friends turns into a discussion of all the cool online classes we’re taking. Instead of just drinking on our patio or lifting a glass of wine to our laptops over zoom, we’re sharing laughs and silly ideas. The second thing I do is try to really focus on my conversation. It feels like “being present” is the theme for 2020 and with my instagram account disabled, it’s easier than ever. While my family is doing the notorious “talk and phone scroll” with a cocktail on the occasional night, I now chat along while sipping a mocktail or take some personal time to do something I can feel more involved in.
Consciousness - The biggest change I’ve seen from refraining to drink the last few weeks has been noticing the various voices that pop into my head when I’m fighting the urge. “I’m funnier when I’m buzzed,” “everyone else is drinking, so I should too,” “I’ve had a long day and I deserve it,” “I miss the flavors of my homemade cocktails,” “I’m stressed and I just need to let loose for a bit.” I think if I read those lines a month ago and had to select a few I identified with, I’d only pick one or two.
It has taken a lot of internal discussion to pinpoint why I feel like I need something in the moment and THEN to find a suitable replacement instead of caving. I want to blame my newfound abilities on my daily kundalini yoga classes, but maybe that’s wishful thinking. “Wanting to be funnier” and “letting loose” resulted in physically putting my hair down, putting makeup on, dressing up or just faking a smile until it stayed effortlessly. “Everyone else is drinking” and “I miss the taste” resulted in deliciously crafted mocktails. “I’m stressed” or “I deserve it” resulted in warm tea, a call to a friend or wrapping myself in an oversized sweater.
Ultimately, do I see myself kicking alcohol completely? Absolutely not. But, it’s been empowering to see a craving completely disappear when I felt more occupied, confident or comforted. Who knows, maybe these mocktails will be my drink of choice for this decade!