Staying Sober When Everyone Else is Drinking

Over the past year I have slowly started to drink less and with seeing and feeling the benefits, it becomes somewhat ADDICTIVE. Plus, when you start to really practise self-love and just be yourself, you don't need alcohol to have a good time. You just start to not care what other

people think and dance your heart out sober and it’s SO MUCH FUN!

So with the event last night behind me, I wanted to share with you my pre-event routine, what I drink throughout the night and what I do the next day (because despite not drinking, I'm still exhausted… and a tired Monica = a hungry one)

The day of my event I will always fuel up with a really solid breakfast (after my morning exercise). So yesterday morning I had breakfast greens cooked in coconut oil with poached eggs, avocado and a bulletproof coffee.

For lunch, I had a big huge giant salad with again, lots of greens, some capsicum and cucumber, roasted mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini and cauliflower in spices. Topped with tahini, smoked salmon and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.

As I was organising the event and doing the decorations, I had to be there 2 hours prior so I ensured I packed myself some food. Although I wrote down my dietary requirements; gluten free, dairy free and sugar free - you never know what you'll be given and you know me - I need TONNES of veggies for dinner. (Not just a little bit of steak and potato thanks).

I packed with me 2 boiled eggs, some guacamole with cucumber and capsicum sticks and 2 squares of gelatine. This kept me going all night until 2.30am, when I went to sleep.

During the night I actually just drank still or sparkling water in a wine or champagne glass. As it’s a young crowd - people ask questions about

drinking (as terrible as that is!)…so to avoid a million questions I simply asked the bartender to fill up a wine glass with water. They give you a bit of an odd look (like did I hear this chick correctly?) but I just look at them seriously and they hand it over! It definitely also helps when there is a good DJ at the event as I just get right into the mood and can have a good dance with only real food in my body! (and you have no regrets the next day!).

When people ask me if I’m drinking, I happily say ‘no I'm driving’ or ‘nah don’t really feel like it tonight’ and most people (the good, worthy of your time ones) are totally understanding. And frankly, anyone that judges you for not drinking is the

one with the problem - not you.

When you are comfortable in your own skin and have your soul sisters and brothers around you - you don't need no alcohol to have a blast of a time!

When my friend and I changed in the car and got to the after party, I promise you we were having more fun than most people there that were drinking… ripping up the dance floor in my gym gear (yes gym gear) and SNEAKERS. I defs got a workout at the same time. After the stress of decorating and helping to organise the event, it was epic to just be able to let loose and have a good solid dance and not give two shits what anyone else thought … or be drunk for that matter.

The next day is always still tough because getting only 5-6 hours sleep isn’t the greatest feeling and it’s hard to be productive and focused. When you don’t get enough sleep, the hormones that suppress your appetite are disrupted so you tend to overeat and feel hungry all day long even when you aren't. To reduce this I ensured that I had a BIG breakfast this morning. A big bowl of veggies, vegemite and avo on cauliflower toast and 2 poached eggs. Then I sipped on water/tea and tried to do some work while I was slightly alert and awake then had a nap at around 1/1:30 before lunch. By having a nap, it helps me to control cravings and hunger and gives me some more jet fuel for the rest of the day.

Lunch today was a massive salad with brussel sprouts, onion, red capsicum, cucumber, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, snow peas, broccoli, asparagus and broccolini on a bed of rocket/spinach with an egg and tonnes of olive oil. I roast my veggies in tonnes of spices and by adding an egg, it ensures I’ve had a ‘solid’ feed. If I don’t do this, I risk wanting to snack in the afternoon.

Dinner is a big bowl of zoodles (or 2 or 3 hehe) with pesto and some salmon followed by an EARLY BED so I'm feeling good for a productive day tomorrow.

THE BOTTOM LINE? Drinking makes me feel like CRAP. And I HATE feeling like crap. This reason alone is strong enough for me to not drink or be pressured in social situations. What helps you? Or what are your thoughts around this?