I haven’t caught a cold or the flu in over three years.

That’s not a coincidence.

It’s the result of three things working together: consistent exercise, proper sleep, and a diet I completely rebuilt from scratch. This article is about the diet part.

I’m not a nutritionist. I’m someone who used to have heartburn, bloating, bad skin, and felt heavy after almost every meal. I was getting sick regularly.

Today I eat clean, spend less money on food than I ever did, and my body feels like it’s finally working with me instead of against me.

Here’s the system I built.

What I Removed First

Before adding anything new, I cut what was quietly draining me. This is where most people need to start because addition without removal doesn’t work.

Meat. Replaced with fish, legumes, tofu, and plant proteins.

Added sugar. Including the hidden sugar inside most packaged food.

Alcohol. Gone completely. There’s a separate article about that journey.

Soda and sweetened drinks. Replaced with water and unsweetened tea.

Ultra-processed food. If it comes in plastic packaging with a long ingredient list, I don’t buy it.

A practical rule I use when shopping: if it has more than five ingredients or contains added sugar, I leave it on the shelf. Fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts need no label check at all.

This one filter eliminated most of the problem.

One thing worth saying: this is my list. You don’t have to cut meat completely or quit alcohol to improve your diet. But it’s worth paying attention to how your body actually feels after eating certain things. Build your own removal list from that.

What I Eat Instead

My diet is what most people would call boring but I think of it as a system.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with nuts, seeds, and fruit like blueberries. Almost the same every day so I don’t spend mental energy on it.

Lunch and Lunch 2: Steamed colorful vegetables with rice, quinoa, lentils, or sweet potatoes. Protein comes from tofu or fish. I cook once and eat the same meal twice.

Shakes: Protein powder with almond milk, chia seeds, nuts, raw cacao, cinnamon, oats, and fruit. One shake at around 10:30am and another as my last meal, no later than 7pm.

Five meals a day, and I try to finish my last solid meal as early as possible so it doesn’t interfere with sleep. That detail alone made a noticeable difference.

The principle behind all of this is consistency over variety. Your body adapts well to routine. Decision fatigue around food is a real drain and it leads to bad choices. Eating reliable meals removes that friction.

How I Stay Hydrated

Most people are mildly dehydrated most of the time and never connect it to their low energy, poor focus, or bad skin. Hydration is one of the most underrated things you can fix quickly.

My routine is simple. I start every morning with two cups of sencha green tea. During the day I drink around two liters of rooibos tea, no sugar, nothing added.

No juice, no soda, no sweetened anything. Green tea in particular gives you hydration plus antioxidants and a calm, steady energy that coffee doesn’t always give you.

If you want to change one thing this week, replace one coffee or soda with an unsweetened tea and increase your water intake. The effect on focus and energy shows up faster than most people expect.

Quick favor: If this resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you subscribed to Running Home. I share more stories like this about growth, awareness, and the messy journey back to yourself. It’s free, and it helps me keep writing honestly. Thank you. — David

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The Supplements I Take Daily

Food first, supplements second. But there are real gaps that diet alone doesn’t always cover, especially if you train hard or live somewhere with limited sunlight.

Here is what I take every day:

Omega-3 because it’s anti-inflammatory and supports brain and heart health.

Vitamin D3 with K2 because it’s essential if you don’t get regular direct sunlight. D3 supports immunity and mood, K2 makes sure calcium goes where it should.

Magnesium because it supports sleep quality and muscle recovery.

Zinc because it supports recovery and immune function.

Creatine because it’s one of the most researched supplements available for muscle strength and cognitive function.

Ashwagandha because it’s an adaptogen that helps manage stress and cortisol levels.

Algae-based supplements as a plant-based source of key micronutrients I don’t always get from food alone.

None of these replace a clean diet. But together with good food they close the gaps.

How I Solved the “What Should I Cook?” Problem

This was my biggest barrier for years. Standing in a supermarket with no plan, buying random things, wasting food, spending more than I needed to.

AI fixed it almost overnight.

I use this prompt in ChatGPT every few days:

“I need three vegetarian recipes for today’s lunch and dinner. I’m trying to save time and electricity, so I only want to cook once a day. The recipes should work for both lunch and dinner, meaning I cook at midday and eat the same meal again in the evening. The recipes should be as healthy as possible and support muscle building, recovery and sleep. First suggest the options, then I’ll choose and you can describe them with a shopping list and the preparation. Consider that I work out every day and do intense and long running sessions.”

I adjust until I get three options I actually want to cook. Then I have an exact shopping list with quantities. No waste, no guessing, lower cost.

I also use a shopping list app (Bring) which helps me avoid impulse buying entirely. You can adapt the prompt to your own diet, vegetarian, keto, whatever. The principle is the same: go to the supermarket with a plan.

Where to Start: A 4 Month Plan

You don’t need to change everything at once. That’s exactly how most diet attempts fail. Too much, too soon, and you quit by week two.

Month 1: Remove the worst offenders. Soda, energy drinks, sweetened drinks, obvious junk food. Replace with water and unsweetened tea. Just get used to this first. Once you cut what your body doesn’t need, your sleep and energy will already shift.

Month 2: Fix your shopping. Use the AI prompt before you go to the supermarket. Try not to buy anything on impulse. It’s better for your health and your wallet.

One practical rule: never shop when you’re hungry. In that state you can’t think clearly and you’ll buy things based on how you feel in that moment, not what you actually need.

Month 3: Build your boring routine. Pick one breakfast you can eat every day without thinking. Oatmeal, eggs, yoghurt with fruit, whatever fits you. Remove the decision entirely. Set fixed times for your meals and shakes. If you want to improve your sleep specifically, try to finish your main meals before 6pm so your body has time to digest before bed.

Month 4: Add one supplement. Start with Vitamin D3 with K2 if you live somewhere with limited sun, or Omega-3 if your diet is low in fish. If you train regularly, consider adding a protein powder, ashwagandha, and zinc on top of that.

After four months you’ll have a foundation that actually holds.

The Bigger Picture

I didn’t change my diet in isolation. It came by getting serious about running, fixing my sleep, and quitting alcohol. Each change made the next one easier.

But here’s what I didn’t expect: when your body works properly, everything else opens up.

You have energy to do the things you actually want to do. You don’t lose days to feeling heavy, foggy, or sick. You show up to your work, your training, your relationships without your body being the obstacle. That’s not a small thing. That’s the difference between living reactively and living deliberately.

Health is not the goal. It’s what makes the goal possible.

The plan above is not a blueprint. It’s a starting point. With time you’ll figure out what works for you specifically. Pay attention to the small signals: how you sleep, how your skin looks, how your mood shifts, how your energy holds through the day.

I started thinking about food differently somewhere along the way. Less as something to enjoy in the moment and more as something that either supports or undermines the life I’m trying to build.

When you’re healthy, you’re free.

That’s the whole point.

Thanks for sticking with me through this one. If you’re going through something similar, or have your own experience with this, drop a comment. I read every one. — David

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You’ve had a long, exhausting day. You feel tired, so you go to bed. Then your eyes pop wide open.

No sleep. Just millions of thoughts about tomorrow, today, work, family. Your brain replays an awkward moment from a meeting three weeks ago. Why did you say that? But wait, you should be sleeping. You roll back and forth, searching for the right position. It feels like suffering for hours.

Eventually, you fall asleep. Then you wake up at 3am. Then 4am. You need to pee. Now you’re stressed because you have to get up early and you know you’ll be tired. The stress makes it harder to fall back asleep.

You finally drift off. Five minutes later (or so it feels), your alarm wakes you. You know immediately that today will be hard.

This was my life for years.

Until a few years ago, I didn’t pay attention to my sleep quality. But once I started, I realized I’d probably slept poorly my entire adult life. Mostly because of alcohol, bad diet, smoking, and stress.

After I cut those out, I still had difficulties calming my mind and falling asleep. That’s when my sleep exploration journey started.

In the last three years, I’ve tested countless options. Many helped. Some didn’t.

I’m going to show you both sides because the following results are based exclusively on my experience. Even if something didn’t help me, it might help you. Give it a chance if you struggle with sleep.

One more important thing: I’m hypervigilant from growing up in a stressful environment. My nervous system stays on high alert, which makes deep sleep difficult. I also experience insomnia and sleep paralysis occasionally.

If you have similar issues, these solutions come from someone who genuinely struggles, not someone with occasional trouble falling asleep.

What Worked

Consistent Sleep Schedule

10pm became my religion. I wake up between 7 and 7:30 every day without an alarm. If I don’t go to bed at 10pm, I start feeling extremely sleepy because my body wants to follow this routine. Consistency matters more than I ever thought.

Dark, Cold, Silent Bedroom

I used to heat my bedroom and sleep with the window open. Traffic noise woke me at 5am. Birds even earlier. Light infiltrated from the kitchen.

Now: I close the bedroom door during the day, don’t heat the room at all, and unplug every small light-emitting device in my apartment, including the water boiler and microwave. Those tiny lights are visible from my bed, and they disrupt sleep.

The room stays dark, cold (around 16-18°C), and silent.

No Caffeine After 12pm

I used to drink coffee at 5 or 6pm. Sometimes my hands shook from too much coffee and not enough water.

Then I learned: six hours after your last coffee, half the caffeine is still in your body. Coffee at 3pm means caffeine circulating at 9pm, making it harder to fall asleep.

After implementing the 12pm cutoff, I started feeling pleasurable tiredness in the evenings.

Eating and Drinking Smart

Alcohol: Cutting alcohol had a huge impact. Even one beer disrupted my sleep quality measurably.

Liquids: I try not to drink too much after 6pm. Otherwise, I wake up to pee.

Food: I stopped eating huge meals late in the evening: pizza, steaks (I cut meat completely anyway), cakes, tiramisu. I try to finish my last meal around 6pm so my body isn’t digesting while I’m trying to sleep.

Light meals like lentils with vegetables result in better sleep than heavy, spicy, carb-heavy meals. I can’t always stick to the 6pm rule, but on most days I manage it, and the results show at night.

Exercise in the Morning

Exercise is great. Outdoor exercise is better. Morning exercise is best.

I learned this the hard way. I love running in the park after work at sunset, but running stresses my body significantly. It takes 4-6 hours to calm down after a run. Running at 5pm means I still have physiological stress at midnight.

Now I run during my lunch break. My body has time to calm down before bed.

Gym sessions cause less stress but can still hinder sleep if I go too hard. I aim to finish by 4-5pm.

Important: exercise has a huge positive impact on my overall stress levels. When I didn’t exercise for two weeks, my work stress increased dramatically, which negatively impacted my sleep.

Summary: Exercise is very good, but prioritize morning workouts.

Less Screen Time

I work from home, staring at screens all day. I watch movies on the big screen, play with my phone more than I should. It has a negative impact on my sleep.

Not just the blue light. The apps like Bumble and LinkedIn increase my stress. I tested this multiple times: when I didn’t use my phone all afternoon or all day, I not only felt more relaxed but also fell asleep easier and didn’t wake up multiple times.

I recently started using red light mode in the evening, but I don’t have measurable evidence it helps. It’s not just about the light. It’s the content I consume on screens.

Not Over-Scheduling Days

Perfectionists and productivity people like me want to get a lot done. Slow weekends are for the weak, I used to think.

But over-scheduling generates stress. Even when I know I can handle all the tasks, the lack of time and the packed calendar make my days stressful.

What I underestimated: the time needed to calm down after stress. I thought a few minutes of breathing would help, but it’s not true. Sometimes it takes hours for my nervous system to calm completely.

On over-scheduled days, I end up in bed with all the day’s tasks running through my mind, making sleep impossible.

On days when I have time to read, to be bored, I sleep easily with much better quality.

Warm Bath (Not Sauna at Night)

A warm bath helps me fall asleep, but only if it’s not too hot and I don’t spend more than 30 minutes in it. After the bath, I don’t do anything stressful except slow yin yoga or reading.

I take a warm bath 3 times a week, and it helps me sleep better.

Sauna is different. Evening sauna stresses my body much more due to high temperature. My body needs more time to calm down. Morning sauna works better but is harder to test regularly.

Lots of Outdoor Time

Spending time outdoors, especially in the morning, helps me sleep better. On days with lots of sunlight, less screen time, and more steps (mostly during vacations), I always felt nicely tired, and sleeping wasn’t a problem.

Getting morning sunlight supports my circadian rhythm. I want to test this more consistently after reading Why We Sleep.

Quick favor: If this resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you subscribed to Running Home. I share more stories like this about growth, awareness, and the messy journey back to yourself. It’s free, and it helps me keep writing honestly. Thank you. — David

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Stretching

This is my secret weapon.

20 to 60 minutes of yin yoga or full-body stretching decreases my stress and helps me wind down. While stretching, I focus only on my body and breathing.

After stretching, I usually fall asleep faster, and my sleep quality is higher.

Important: it’s not intense yoga or Pilates. It’s slow stretching where you hold poses for 2-4 minutes. If I do this after a warm bath, a good night’s sleep is almost guaranteed.

Quick favor: If this resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you subscribed to Running Home. I share more stories like this about growth, awareness, and the messy journey back to yourself. It’s free, and it helps me keep writing honestly.

What Didn’t Work

Various Teas

Chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and many others. I never felt any positive effects, but I had to pee during the night. Give it a try. It might work for you.

Various Supplements

Magnesium, L-Theanine, Melatonin, CBD, Valerian Root, and many others I found on the internet. None helped. There’s no guarantee supplements will help you sleep better. They didn’t help me, so I stopped buying them.

Mouth and Nose Plasters

I thought maybe I had sleep apnea or snored. I ordered mouth plasters and nose strips to open nasal passages. No problem sleeping with plasters on my face, but the effect was insignificant. My sleep quality was as bad as before.

Listening to Boring Content on Spotify

A friend listens to boring stories when he goes to bed and falls asleep immediately. It sounded promising, so I tried easy stories, white noise, and other boring channels.

My thoughts are simply stronger. After a while, I didn’t hear anything from the noise. My own thoughts took over again and again.

Walking Before Sleep

I expected the same impact as stretching and yoga, but walking outside for 30 minutes before bed didn’t help. I thought walking would release stress and help me calm down, but I felt more awake after, especially when the weather was cold.

Meditation

The biggest disappointment.

I still practice meditation today, but not for sleep benefits. I can meditate for 60 minutes without problem, and my watch shows I’m in deep relaxation. But once I get into bed, sleep doesn’t come. It feels like my mind wants to catch up on the thinking I skipped during meditation.

Meditation definitely has benefits, but for me, it doesn’t help with sleeping, even body scan versions

Final Thoughts

I’m still not a perfect sleeper. I probably never will be. But I sleep better now than I have in years. Not because of supplements or hacks, but because of consistent habits: same schedule, dark room, morning exercise, less caffeine, less stress.

I sleep 8 hours almost every day. The quality varies, but it’s more positive than negative. And having a good night’s sleep impacts every other area of my life. I look better. My eyes are more awake. My skin is better. I have more energy. When I get enough REM sleep, I’m very creative and simply think faster.

Sleep is not negotiable for me anymore because it increased the quality of my life.

If you struggle with sleep, start paying attention.

The body knows what it needs. You just have to give it the conditions to actually rest.

Thanks for sticking with me through this one. If you’re going through something similar, or have your own experience with this, drop a comment. I read every one. David

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I’ve been a runner for the last three years. Training, stretching, planning, running shoes, and marathons became part of my life, and I love it.

It’s great to participate in events like big marathons around the world and meet like-minded people who enjoy this simple activity. I feel like I belong to the running community.

But running isn’t just a hobby I practice regularly. It’s also been a teacher. This sport taught me more about life than my own parents did. It gave me the mindset to master other areas of my life as well. It helped me understand what consistency and discipline really mean beyond frequently used buzzwords.

I want to share this wisdom with you, not just to motivate you to run (okay, maybe that too), but because these lessons helped me build the life and mindset I always lacked. They gave me unshakable inner strength, confidence, and loyalty to myself.

Here are the most important lessons that three years of running taught me.

Being Fit Changes Everything

People tend to overestimate their fitness level. I certainly did. Back when I was a smoker who drank alcohol regularly and went to the gym two or three times a week, I used to tell myself I was actually fit. I don’t know if it was a protective mechanism or if I just loved the sound of that sentence, but I was lying to myself.

When I had to take the stairs at the metro station, I’d be out of breath. When I helped friends move and carried a few boxes, I needed a break after each trip. And I was in my 20s. Looking back, it’s obvious I was in terrible shape.

After three years of running, I have a different understanding of what being fit means. I’m 38 years old and I feel great. I have energy every day and can take the stairs anytime without even switching from nasal breathing to mouth breathing. I always see young people taking the stairs next to me looking like they just finished a marathon. They’re breathing heavily, their faces distorted. I remember how that feels.

But being fit isn’t only about breathing easily. It’s about being able to participate in other activities like hiking or cycling without even thinking about whether you can do them. You know you can. You have more choices, which means you have a richer life. You can help other people better. You can play with your dogs and kids. You don’t have to be the blocker in family activities because you can’t keep up.

Being fit is amazing.

From my running experience, I’d say that if you can run 10 km (6.2 mi) without being completely exhausted, that’s a good sign. But you can choose your own activity to achieve the same level.

I Can Do Way More Than I Thought

Growing up with the mindset “I’m not good enough” was always a limitation. I always thought I was weak with poor genetics. When I first considered running a marathon, friends asked with surprise if I was even able to run a marathon at all. Obviously, those questions created more doubt.

But running is a great sport where you can control distance and speed on your own and adjust based on how you feel. So I started training anyway. I remember that at the beginning, running 10km (6.2mi) seemed unimaginable. Then when I ran 20km (12.4mi) for the first time, which isn’t even a half marathon, I celebrated it intensely. These milestones showed me that maybe there was more in me than I thought.

I continued with my training (it was literally bro training, nothing professional) and achieved 25km (15.5mi), then 30km (18.6mi), and one day I ran 35km (21.7mi) for the first time. On that day, I felt dizzy because I didn’t have a good hydration and nutrition strategy, but I did it. The last 5km (3.1mi) I ran circles around my apartment building because I was scared I’d drop unconscious or even die, and I wanted to be able to get home quickly.

After 35km (21.7mi), the last step was running the marathon. I did it. I was exhausted, but deep down I knew I’d held myself back because I didn’t want to risk not finishing. But on the last kilometer?

I literally sprinted.

From that moment when I finished my first marathon and proved to myself what I was capable of, I started asking: What else can I do that I thought I couldn’t? In which other areas of my life did I avoid things because I limited myself with the belief that I’m not good enough?

These questions changed my approach to work and dreams completely. Today, I don’t ask if I can do it. I ask how I could do it. That mindset shift eliminated self-doubt and boosted my confidence. I know that if I have a proper plan and work toward a goal regularly, I can achieve almost anything.

“7 Bad Days and 23 Good Days Is a Great Month”

Running helped me turn my black-and-white, often perfectionist thinking into a more nuanced mindset. Earlier in my life, if I had a bad day in a week, I’d say the whole week was bad. I let one bad day define everything. If I couldn’t deliver the same performance every day, I was sure I’d failed. I gave too much power to bad days while undervaluing good ones.

Either perfect today or nothing was my primary mindset. This led to giving up quickly when I didn’t get perfect output. If I lost 2 subscribers in a day or 20 followers on X, I’d think I’d absolutely failed and want to quit immediately.

Running changed this. A marathon training usually takes at least three months, and the only thing that matters is the result at the end. If I have a bad day on Monday and run slower than planned, or if I have to run a shorter distance because I don’t feel great or have an injury, that doesn’t mean I should quit immediately.

If I have 3 bad training sessions in two weeks, I’m still doing a great job.

The same applies to gym sessions, writing, reading, or anything that’s a long-term game. Before my first marathon, I skipped training, got sick, and couldn’t run because of work, but I still finished with enough energy to sprint the last kilometer.

I started applying this to other areas of my life.

Read only 2 pages of my book? Great.

Only wrote 300 words? Great.

Felt weak and just did some biceps curls in the gym? Awesome. I was there.

I stopped thinking about one day’s performance as defining my overall effort. That helped me establish better consistency and look at myself much more positively.

Today, if I have 7 bad days and 23 good days in a month, I consider it great and I’m confident the next month will be even better.

Quick favor: If this resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you subscribed to Running Home. I share more stories like this about growth, awareness, and the messy journey back to yourself. It’s free, and it helps me keep writing honestly.

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Patience Is an Underrated Life Skill

Another weakness I had is not being patient enough. I always wanted quick results. That was part of my black-and-white mindset. If I could have it now, great. If not, I didn’t want it at all. I started many blogs and tried building social media presence, but when I didn’t get the results I wanted quickly, I simply quit.

Running taught me patience in a simple way. In endurance sports, you can achieve quick success at the beginning. You’ll be able to run 5 or 10km (3.1 - 6.2mi) in a short period. But then development slows down. Visible improvements get rare, and it feels like you’re only putting in work without achieving huge milestones.

But that’s not the truth.

Improvement is happening under the hood, in my body. My heart gets stronger.

My technique improves. My overall running dynamic gets better, but over a longer period. Until one day, I realize my heart rate is lower at the same speed. The higher pace feels more normal and I can hold it longer.

To achieve these moments, we need patience.

One week after another.

One month after another.

People say building endurance takes years, and they don’t lie. Applying this mindset to other areas of life can be very beneficial.

Thanks to this, I didn’t quit my job and got a promotion. Thanks to this, I didn’t jump into bad relationships. Because of this, I gave myself time to think about important decisions and didn’t act on impulses.

If somebody asks me for life-changing advice, patience is always in the top 3.

Doing Hard Things Regularly Is a Life Hack

I’ve heard about this a lot, but I only started feeling it when I switched from a hobby training plan to a more ambitious one.

Why?

Because my first training plan wasn’t hard enough.

I skipped training when it was raining. I went to the gym to run on a treadmill when it was cold, which is much easier than running outside. When I slept poorly, I skipped training. When it hurt, I slowed down or stopped. I couldn’t feel the positive effect of doing hard things because I didn’t do anything hard.

Then I set my first time goal for my next race, and everything changed. I watched videos about improving my running form. The experience after my first marathon, with the energy on the last kilometer, lit a fire in me. I wanted to become better.

After that moment, there were no more excuses. I understood that discipline makes the difference between the guy who runs a marathon in 4 hours and the one who runs it in 3 hours.

The rise of my ambition led to an unexpected benefit: the effect of doing hard things regularly. The first thing that comes to mind is that if I do a very hard interval training in the rain, on my way home I feel accomplished. I smile. I look at myself in the mirror next to my front door: completely exhausted, wet, and dirty. I feel like a gladiator in that moment.

After these trainings, my day only gets easier. It doesn’t matter what challenging task or meeting I have later because I know the hardest part is already behind me. It gives me confidence. I feel like Russell Crowe in Gladiator and I know nothing can defeat me.

Even if it sounds silly, it’s true. Doing hard things regularly increases my tolerance for pain and stressful situations.

The confidence from those hard things gives me the self-image of a man who doesn’t give up when situations get hard.

I can trust myself much more because I know I have the strength that carries me through difficult times.

Many of these elements develop simultaneously, and they brought my life to a level I couldn’t even imagine before.

The Finish Line Won’t Make Me Happy

We love to believe that achieving X will make us happy. I believed that too. But the harsh truth is that if we’re not happy along the way toward our goals, achieving those goals won’t make us happy either.

This was a big realization after I ran my first marathon in Vienna. I finished the race and didn’t feel any different than after a regular training. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing to cross the finish line and I was happy about my result. But I didn’t feel happier than before.

I had this question unwillingly on my mind: Why did I run that marathon at all?

After a couple of days of reflection while having a running break so my body could recover, I started to miss my training. Being outside, learning about running technique, checking out new running shoes on the internet, the feeling of accomplishment, talking about running with other like-minded people, posting on Strava how the training went.

These feelings gave me the answer to why I ran that marathon.

Because I love the way to that event. The months of training, the good and hard times, and everything that comes with being an everyday athlete.

I understood that the race is just a tool to give me a path and direction, but it’s not the most important part. The most important is the journey.

That’s what makes me happy because I love running.

Since understanding this concept, I’ve started looking at my life and asking where else I could have an enjoyable journey. Obviously, my full-time job came to mind. The goal can be a promotion or a raise, but do I enjoy my daily job enough to go in those directions? When I have a girlfriend, do I enjoy everyday life with her or only the big moments?

These are very important questions to raise. I started to shift from focusing on the romantic image of the end of my life, where I saw myself in a house with a wife, dogs, and garden in a Hollywood kind of way. I know that what I’ll have at the end of my life doesn’t really matter.

What truly matters is if I enjoyed the way there.

The regular weekdays.

My small hobbies.

My job that I spend so much time with.

We’re all going to cross that finish line of our life, but that’s not what makes us happy.

The journey is what matters.

My Conclusion

Running taught me a lot about life, about my own body, and how I look into the future. But it doesn’t have to be running. I’m not here to promote this sport and convince you to buy nice running shoes. It’s not about that.

I simply wanted to highlight what the simplest hobby can teach us when we take it seriously. When we go beyond and walk the extra mile. I learned all these things when I started to handle running like something that matters. It went from a little hobby to an important part of my life.

I’m ready to sacrifice free time for it. I’m ready to spend money on it. I’m ready to get wet, dirty, injured, and completely exhausted for it.

And I can tell you, if you start treating something in your life like I treat running, that thing will teach you a lot about yourself and life in general.

So don’t half-ass it if you love it.

Give it your best and watch how your life changes.

Thanks for sticking with me through this one. If you’re going through something similar, or have your own experience with this, drop a comment. I read every one. — David

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When I was 35 years old and had another broken relationship behind me, I recognized something I never had before: I was running in circles.

My life was always the same. Be single, find a girlfriend to feel loved (because I didn’t love myself at all), do everything to keep that relationship alive. Serve. Maintain harmony. Ignore my own needs, wishes, and desires.

And then it would end. Not nicely, but with panic, helplessness, fear, and emptiness. Because besides the relationship, there was nothing I could live for.

But the last time it ended, something clicked. I finally saw the pattern. And I decided to break the cycle.

For the first time in my life, I put myself in focus. My well-being. My interests. My life. Because I realized something nobody told me in my early years: if I have my shit together and I’m happy alone, I can have healthier relationships with others.

I took this seriously. And here are the seven things I stopped doing when I got serious about change.

1. The Victim Mentality

My mother was the definition of victimhood. That was her way to get attention, and I learned it from her. I loved lying on the couch telling myself that I did everything right, but life was unfair to me. Everyone around me had a better life. They had luck. I didn’t.

After that last breakup, I caught myself every time I started sinking into the victim mindset. I reminded myself that I have control over my life and can do something about my misery.

For the first time, I felt how empowering it is to realize I’m not helpless. This new mindset turned into a life-changing habit. Now, if there’s something I need to do, bureaucratic stuff, taxes, sport, writing, I go into action immediately. No procrastination, no excuses. I simply do it because I have control.

2. Saying Yes to Everything

I was a huge people pleaser. I wanted to be liked and loved in a very needy way. If somebody asked me to help them move, I did it even if I didn’t have the time. If somebody invited me to a party, the default answer was yes. I often had panic attacks and shaking hands because my body was sending obvious signals that it was too much. I ignored them.

After the breakup, I started saying no and stating my own opinion. Most people appreciated the honesty, and nobody got annoyed when I declined an invitation. That positive experience gave me confidence. I knew I could survive even if just a few people liked me.

Today, my default answer is no. And I’ve never regretted saying it. Not once.

Quick favor: If this resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you subscribed to Running Home. I share more stories like this about growth, awareness, and the messy journey back to yourself. It’s free, and it helps me keep writing honestly. Thank you. — David

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3. Scrolling Instagram

I used to scroll Instagram for hours every day. As someone who didn’t know who he was or what he wanted, I became a target of the algorithm. I felt jealousy constantly and was never content with my life because I always compared myself to others. Instagram injected the toxic feeling into my brain that my life was shitty.

In 2023, I deleted it. The positive improvement was bigger than I expected. I started executing my own plans. I became confident in my own ideas. I realized my life wasn’t shitty at all, I just had to give it a chance.

Today, I still don’t have Instagram and can’t imagine installing it again. I’m too busy with my own life to scroll through someone else’s.

4. Drinking

One year and four months today since I had my last beer. It wasn’t just about making a serious change, it was about the health benefits. The brain fog, the hangovers, the dry skin, tired face, and wasted weekends.

I had been drinking for more than 20 years, so it was a long journey. But now I’m not sure if I’ll ever drink again. Being sober strengthened my confidence because I no longer rely on alcohol for social events, dates, or a boring Friday at home.

If somebody asks if I want a drink, I tell them with almost pride that I don’t drink. Most people don’t have a problem with it. And I got back my weekends, my performance, my sleep, and I feel amazing every single day.

5. Late Nights

I’ve heard so many times that after 10pm nothing interesting happens in life. The chain reaction of not drinking anymore led me to test this habit too.

At the beginning, it felt weird to turn off the light so “early.” But today it’s one of my most important habits. If I go to sleep early, I sleep better. When I sleep well, I have more energy. I can focus better and my nervous system is balanced.

There are exceptions like the movie theater or dinner with friends, but the default is 10pm. No TV shows until midnight, no video games, no phone scrolling. This change provides the foundation for every other important habit in my life.

6. Junk Food

When the big turning point arrived, I wanted to dive into health much deeper than ever. I cut processed sugar completely, stopped eating junk food, and became my own cook. When I go to the supermarket, almost everything I buy is fresh, not processed or wrapped in plastic.

People say if you want a healthy life, focus 80% on diet and 20% on sport. I agree. In the gym, I always see guys who show up regularly but can’t lose the belly fat because their diet isn’t good enough.

Since changing my diet, I feel healthier than ever. My skin is clear, my hair loss slowed down, and it positively impacted my sleep too.

7. Reacting Impulsively

This is a smaller change but very beneficial. There’s a line that says: if you don’t control your emotions, your emotions will control you. I took it seriously.

When somebody messages me at work with something annoying, I wait before I reply. I’ve caught myself typing something rude because I got angry, then deleted it and changed it to something constructive. It gives me a better feeling because I show myself they can’t control me.

This habit also applies to shopping. Every time I put something in my basket, I wait at least one day and ask myself if I really need it. Most cases, I don’t order anything because I realize I don’t need it at all.

This habit protects me, my relationships, and my wallet.

The Compound Effect

None of these changes happened overnight. And none of them work in isolation. They build on each other. When I stopped drinking, going to bed early became easier. When I slept better, eating healthy became easier. When I ate healthy, I had more energy. When I had more energy, I could say no to things that drained me.

Sometimes growth isn’t about adding more to your life. It’s about removing what’s holding you back.

What do you need to stop doing?

Thanks for sticking with me through this one. If you’re going through something similar, or have your own experience with this, drop a comment. I read every one. — David

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Quitting alcohol can feel impossible when it's been a long-time companion. Even knowing the well-documented health risks, many people struggle to stop because alcohol affects not just your body, but your entire social life.

Here’s how I approached it and what worked.

Make It Your Own Decision

Quitting alcohol only works if it comes from you. If you try to quit because it’s trendy, someone else expects it, or you feel pressured, the chances of slipping are high. The first moment you’re alone without support, you might drink again.

Be honest with yourself. Ask: Do I truly want to quit? Am I ready to change my habits? If your answer isn’t firm yet, don’t force it. Start by reflecting on your reasons and thinking about the life you want without alcohol.

Tips:

• Make quitting your personal choice, not anyone else’s.

• Identify your motivations: health, clarity, relationships, or freedom.

• Recognize your doubts and give yourself time to grow your willpower.

Learn About Alcohol in Detail

Once your decision is your own, strengthen it with knowledge. Understanding how alcohol affects your body and mind makes your choice more solid and easier to stick to.

Focus on the facts: how alcohol impacts health, sleep, weight, energy, mood, and mental clarity. Look at both short-term and long-term effects, and read about the benefits people experience when they quit.

Tips:

• Use neutral, science-based sources for accurate information.

• Track your own habits and notice patterns or triggers.

• Compare your current lifestyle with what life could be like without alcohol.

Quit Completely, Not Gradually

Based on my experience and observation, I don't recommend trying to reduce alcohol gradually, though I recognize different approaches work for different people.

For me, cutting down seemed easier at first, but it was very easy to slip back into old habits. Two drinks quickly turned into three when I was out with friends or on vacation. The constant decision-making about "how much is okay today" created mental fatigue.

Committing to quitting completely gave me clarity - it removed the daily negotiation with myself and allowed my body and mind to reset faster.

Tips:

• Consider what approach feels most sustainable for your situation.

• Remind yourself daily why you decided to quit.

• Treat slip-ups as learning experiences, not failures.

Important note: If you have severe alcohol dependence, please consult a healthcare professional about withdrawal, as sudden cessation can be dangerous in some cases.

Quick favor: If this resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you subscribed to Running Home. I share more stories like this about growth, awareness, and the messy journey back to yourself. It’s free, and it helps me keep writing honestly. Thank you. — David

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Test Your New Life

Before committing fully, try short test periods — one day, a weekend, or a week — without alcohol. Go to social events or nights out and practice staying sober.

Use this time to reflect on how it feels and what you learn about yourself. Were there situations that felt especially difficult? How did it feel to answer the question “Why don’t you drink?” Did you feel pressured, or was it easier than you expected? Multiple test runs can help you prepare before you quit completely.

Tips:

• Plan short trial runs without alcohol (a weekend, a week, a month).

• Go to events or social situations and stay sober intentionally.

• Reflect on your experience before committing fully.

Identify Risky Situations

At the beginning of your new life, you’ll find yourself in many situations where you used to drink. Think about those moments and make a list. It might be after work, dinner with friends, Sundays at your parents’, watching sports, or social nights with colleagues. Prepare yourself by reminding yourself why you quit before entering these situations.

Tips:

• List your triggers and risky situations.

• Mentally rehearse how to handle these moments.

• Plan alternative activities or responses to stay engaged without alcohol.

Remove Alcohol from Home

If possible, remove all alcohol from your home. It might not work if you live with someone who still drinks, but if you can, clear it out. You could give it away, but that might draw attention and raise questions you don’t want to answer. In that case, pouring it out is best.

I did this myself — pouring out my wines, scotches, and vodkas one by one. It took time, and the smell was a wake-up call that strengthened my decision. With no alcohol at home, the risk of giving in during weak moments is much lower.

Tips:

• Remove all alcohol from home if possible.

• Clear out accessories like cocktail tools or fancy glasses that remind you of drinking.

• Restock your home with non-alcoholic drinks you enjoy, so you always have alternatives ready.

Don’t Broadcast Your Goal

Many people expect too much support from others. Announcing you’re quitting often creates resistance and social pressure. You don’t want to answer “Why don’t you drink?” a thousand times or listen to monologues about living life to the fullest.

Instead, quietly stick to your plan. If someone asks, say it’s a phase or that you want to be fit for tomorrow. You don’t have to lie, but you can spare yourself the constant explanations. This also allows others to adjust to your new behavior gradually.

Tips:

• Avoid announcing your goal to everyone.

• Use simple answers like “I’m getting up early” or “Not today” if asked.

• If you share, frame it as a temporary phase to reduce pressure.

Find Alternatives

Even if you quit alcohol, you might still want a drink in hand. Find alternatives you enjoy. I sometimes drink non-alcoholic beer, Coke Zero, water with lemon, or tea. The more you explore, the more you realize how many enjoyable drinks don’t contain alcohol.

Tips:

• Experiment with non-alcoholic drinks until you find what you like.

• Keep replacements on hand to satisfy the ritual of drinking.

• Some ideas: sparkling water, herbal teas, non-alcoholic beer or wine, kombucha, fresh fruit juice, vegetable juice, mocktails, coconut water, ginger beer, soda water with bitters, matcha.

Quitting alcohol is a challenge, but if you commit and follow the steps above, you can change your life for good. At some point, you’ll ask yourself the same question everyone who quit once did: Why did I wait so long?

And one more thought I always carried with me:

I never regret not drinking, but I regret drinking many times.

Stay sober.

Thanks for sticking with me through this one. If you’re going through something similar, or have your own experience with this, drop a comment. I read every one. — David

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You've probably heard about the benefits of quitting alcohol. If you're still not convinced, take a look at this ultimate list of positive effects. Hopefully it will help you make your decision because I assume that's why you ended up on this post.

There are a couple of health-related benefits I cannot confirm on my own. I quit drinking alcohol a year ago, but I don't know exactly how that reduced my risk for cancer or heart disease because I cannot feel it directly. For these invisible positive effects, I turned to science and looked at studies that give us solid confirmation. When it comes to the more perceptible advantages, you can read about my personal experiences and how I felt after I decided to remove alcohol from my life.

I wrote this article because I truly believe that people can have a healthier and better life if they quit or at least drastically reduce their alcohol consumption. My conviction is strengthened by the fact that I grew up in a house with my alcoholic father and I also misused alcohol for more than 25 years of my life.

Health and Longevity

Lower risk of heart disease and cancer

In my opinion, this is the most important benefit because these effects are invisible. Both my grandfathers died from alcohol-related complications. They had strokes, and once you reach that point, recovery is difficult or even impossible.

Fortunately, I haven’t experienced alcohol-related cancer myself, but science shows that quitting alcohol lowers the risk significantly. The National Library of Medicine published a cohort study of more than 4.5 million adults followed for 6.4 years. People who went from not drinking to heavy drinking had a 34 percent higher risk of alcohol-related cancers. Those who cut heavy drinking down to moderate or mild lowered their risk by about 8 to 9 percent. Sustained abstinence led to the greatest reduction in cancer risk.

When it comes to heart health, research shows a more mixed picture. Many large studies suggest light to moderate drinking is linked to a 20 to 30 percent lower risk of coronary artery disease. But newer studies show there might be no truly safe amount of alcohol for heart health. Even light drinking can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation and certain strokes. This is why experts no longer recommend alcohol for heart protection. Quitting completely removes alcohol-related risks and gives your heart the best chance to stay strong over the long term.

References:

NCBI, JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(7):e209667

NCBI, Alcohol and Cardiovascular Disease 2022

Stronger immune system

Since I quit alcohol I haven't been sick once. I also exercise regularly and eat healthy, so I can't say it's only because of quitting alcohol. But research supports the idea that stopping alcohol helps your immune system.

The study Alcohol and Immunology: Mechanisms of Multi-Organ Damage (2022, ScienceDirect) shows that long-term alcohol use weakens the immune system, causes inflammation, and makes people more prone to infections. It also notes that alcohol-related immune problems can harm organs like the liver, lungs, and intestines.

If you're often sick and you consume alcohol regularly, then it might be worth experimenting with quitting alcohol for a while to see how your immune system responds.

References:

Alcohol and Immunology: Mechanisms of Multi-Organ Damage - ScienceDirect, 2022.

Alcohol Use Disorder and Immune System Dysfunction - Frontiers in Immunology, 2023.

Better digestion and gut health

I often had heartburn before I stopped drinking alcohol. It was recurring pain, usually when I was hungover. Since I quit alcohol I don't have any of those symptoms. I probably also eat less junk because I'm never in a calorie deficit, so my digestion can work at a normal level and doesn't have to process alcohol plus the pizza and burger the next day.

Studies show that alcohol damages your digestive system in several ways. It kills off the good bacteria in your gut while allowing harmful bacteria to grow. A 2025 study showed that drinking alcohol regularly reduces beneficial gut bacteria and increases dangerous bacteria that cause inflammation. Alcohol also weakens your intestinal wall, creating holes that let toxins leak from your gut into your bloodstream. This causes inflammation throughout your body and makes digestion much less efficient.

Reference:

Alcohol Use Disorder and the Gut–Brain Axis: A Narrative Review of the Role of Gut Microbiota and Implications for Treatment - Microorganisms Journal, 2025.

Healthier skin and appearance

Sometimes I look back at old photos of myself from the days when I was drinking three or four times a week. I'm always caught off guard by how different I looked in those moments. My face seemed tired and heavy, and I honestly didn't feel attractive at all. Luckily, I stopped drinking soon enough and never went so far that my face turned red or swollen. I remember seeing people at work who arrived with those lasting marks on their faces from alcohol. It was as if you could see the history of their drinking right there in their features.

For example, there's one picture of me tipsy, enjoying my third beer after already tasting some Russian vodka during a trip to Moscow. In another photo, I had just finished a run. The difference in my skin and overall appearance is remarkable. My face looks clearer and so much healthier when I take care of myself.

Most people don't notice these changes in the moment, but alcohol quietly steals our natural vibrancy. Instead of making us more appealing, it actually takes away from our looks. Healthy skin and lively eyes are what really draw others in and give us confidence. Alcohol dehydrates the skin, leaving it dull and dry. That dryness can even speed up the formation of wrinkles.

When someone quits drinking, their body begins to heal in visible ways. Skin regains moisture and color. Eyes become brighter.

Quick favor: If this resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you subscribed to Running Home. I share more stories like this about growth, awareness, and the messy journey back to yourself. It’s free, and it helps me keep writing honestly. Thank you. — David

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Fewer accidents

Have you ever tried to ride a bike when you were drunk? I did only once in my life. On a Wednesday, I wanted to have a beer with one of my drinking buddies and we ended up having five beers and one tequila shot. Then I tried to ride home. I was present in my mind but my body didn't cooperate at all. I sat on my bike and shook like a ninety-year-old man in a freezer. I couldn't hold the handlebars straight and decided to walk home pushing my bike. That wasn't easy either.

Fortunately, I haven't had any accidents while being drunk, but the statistics show that alcohol dramatically increases accident rates and fatalities. Every day, about 34 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes, which equals one person every 42 minutes. In 2023, 12,429 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. The risk multiplies rapidly with blood alcohol level: drivers with a BAC of 0.08 are 4 times more likely to crash than sober drivers, while those at 0.15 BAC are at least 12 times more likely to crash. About 30% of all traffic crash fatalities involve drunk drivers. Even small amounts affect driving ability, with 2,117 people killed in 2023 in crashes where drivers had BACs between 0.01 to 0.07.

The facts speak for themselves. You will lower the risk of accidents where you or other people could be involved.

Reference:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) - Drunk Driving Statistics, 2024.

Longer life expectancy

Hopefully you've developed a better understanding of the advantages of not drinking alcohol that lead to a longer life. If we simply add up all the positive effects I described above, it's unquestionable that a sober life reduces early mortality. But just because I like the facts that smart people have collected during various studies, I want to support my statement with research as well.

Recent high-quality studies challenge the long-held belief that moderate alcohol consumption extends life. A 2024 analysis of 107 observational studies with over 4.8 million participants and 425,564 deaths found that higher-quality research shows no longevity benefits from moderate drinking. When studies properly separated former drinkers from lifelong abstainers and followed participants from younger ages, low-volume drinkers had similar mortality risks as non-drinkers. Earlier studies suggesting benefits were flawed because they included former drinkers (who often quit due to health problems) in the abstainer group, making moderate drinkers appear healthier by comparison. The World Health Organization now states that no level of alcohol consumption is completely safe, and even low-risk drinking increases cancer-related death risk, especially in older adults.

Reference:

Alcohol and longevity: Moderate drinking brings no benefits - Medical News Today, 2024.

Mental & Emotional Wellbeing

Mental clarity

Many of us have heard about brain "fog" - cloudiness, slow thinking and poor focus describe that fog best. When I was drinking regularly, I didn't realize how much mental energy alcohol was stealing from me. It wasn't just the obvious hangover days - it was the subtle cognitive drain that happened even when I wasn't actively drunk or hungover. Simple decisions required way more mental effort than they should have. I'd sit in meetings struggling to follow complex discussions, constantly asking people to repeat things.

The change isn't immediate - it happens gradually over weeks and months. Don't expect the first day of quitting to give you the clear mind that Buddha had. First, you notice you can concentrate on tasks for longer periods without your mind wandering. Then you realize you're grasping complex concepts more quickly. Reading transformed completely for me. Before, I'd read the same paragraph three times and still not retain the information. Now I can dive deep into complex topics and actually remember what I've learned days later.

More emotional stability

Here's where mental clarity connects to emotional balance. When your mind is clearer, you can actually process your feelings instead of being overwhelmed by them. I could cry when I was hungover because for no reason I felt depressed. My anxiety was more intense than ever. Guilt, shame, regret and self-blame shaped my day.

I used to think that alcohol calmed me down, but it actually makes us more anxious. When I was happy, I became euphoric by drinking alcohol, and my anger turned into rage. It's an amplifier for our emotions. The rollercoaster pushed me into a negative spiral. I often drank again when I was hungover to ease those negative feelings. How stupid is that? I was treating hangovers with alcohol, just like my father did.

Quitting alcohol made my inner world steady. I don't have those emotional ups and downs anymore. I feel well-balanced and all my emotions are in normal ranges. The constant emotional chaos smoothed out, and I stopped having those random days where I felt inexplicably depressed or anxious for no reason.

Improved self-esteem

Emotional stability naturally leads to better self-esteem. When you're not constantly on an emotional rollercoaster, you can start rebuilding your relationship with yourself. On Sundays with my usual hangover I often felt ashamed, as I mentioned above. I wasted a weekend again and guilt arose in me for being unproductive. On these days, sometimes my strategy was cleaning up my apartment just to feel productive and useful. It was a negative cycle.

Skipping gym sessions and meetings with friends weren't uncommon because sometimes I thought I would throw up if I left the house. All these broken promises to myself lowered my self-esteem drastically.

Being sober helped me come back to the right path. If I say that I'll go to the gym, then I really go. If I have a meeting with a friend, then I show up fresh and full of energy. All these small commitments to myself strengthen the feeling that I can trust myself. When you stop drinking alcohol, you can build self-trust and regain the confidence you might have lost due to alcohol.

Increased confidence

Self-esteem and confidence work together, but they're different. Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself privately. Confidence is how you show up in the world. Social events without alcohol were unimaginable for me. I didn't have the confidence to network with people without having a drink in my hand. Most of the time I had already drunk something before the event just to be relaxed enough. My mindset was that I needed a drink when I was in company. Alcohol became a crutch for these situations, which gave me the impression that without it, I wasn't able to show up.

Then I stopped drinking and had to meet people without alcohol in my blood. That surprisingly showed me that I'm actually able to do that. Relying on alcohol gives you a false sense of confidence. You stop training your social muscles - how to handle difficult situations or even be funny. Everything comes from alcohol, and you know that deep down, which also kills your confidence the next day. Being funny while you're sober or handling difficult emotional situations gives you the space to learn and grow, which leads to real confidence in the long term.

Physical Performance & Energy

Better sleep

I've never been good at sleep due to anxiety developed in my childhood. Alcohol often helped me fall asleep when I had a busy mind, but it destroyed the quality of my sleep. Waking up felt like I had slept four hours and a demanding day was ahead. Alcohol woke me many times during the night with dry mouth and a heavy head.

When I quit alcohol, my sleep improved radically. Not after one day, but after weeks and months without alcohol, my body developed new sleeping quality. I don't wake up during the night, I don't have that dry mouth where I have to drink water and then go to the toilet. There's no vicious cycle anymore. Including meditation and a lot of sport also helped me clear my mind before going to bed. And the next day is full of energy.

Research confirms exactly what I experienced. A 2025 NCANDA study found that alcohol use was associated with delays in sleep start and end time, reduced sleep duration and efficiency, and increased wake after sleep onset. The research tracked 55 healthy young adults over 28 days using objective Fitbit measurements and found that increases in sleep heart rate were associated with prior-day alcohol use.

Reference:

NCANDA Sleep and Alcohol Study, 2025

Improved energy

More energy is a natural result of having better sleep. On Friday evening, after work, after gym I'm still vital. That was the moment I realized how much quitting alcohol helped. There are no days anymore where I try to survive with coffee or energy drinks. I don't even drink coffee anymore. I don't have the energy crashes during the day.

This isn't something you'll feel immediately when you quit alcohol, but after a couple of weeks or months, the accumulated energy you save every day and every night - not trying to compensate for the damages caused by alcohol - will give you an energy boost in the long term.

The science behind this is fascinating. Alcohol significantly impacts energy levels through multiple mechanisms. Several hours after drinking, alcohol raises the body's level of epinephrine, a stress hormone that increases heart rate and stimulates the body, resulting in nighttime awakenings. Harvard Medical School reports that alcohol may account for 10% of cases of persistent insomnia. Additionally, alcohol's sedative quality robs you of energy by making you feel drowsy or lethargic during the day, especially after poor sleep. This creates a cycle of chronic fatigue and reduced daytime energy levels.

Reference:

Harvard Medical School - "Alcohol and Fatigue"

Fat loss

Alcohol contains high amounts of calories and sugar, depending on what you drink. After I quit drinking, people at the gym started noticing that I looked different. They said I appeared more shredded. Indeed, I had dropped from 95kg to 85kg. It's important to mention that I also run many kilometers weekly and maintain a strict, healthy diet. Realistically, cutting alcohol helped me lose 3-4kg over the past year, while the remaining weight loss came from exercise and diet.

The problem with alcohol goes beyond just the empty calories in drinks. Drinking also makes you incredibly hungry. I remember countless times coming home like a ravenous monster, craving food after consuming large amounts of alcohol, only to go straight to bed afterward.

Another significant factor in my fat loss has been improved sleep quality. When you sleep well, you don't experience that energy deficit. Your basic needs are satisfied, and you don't feel the constant urge to eat. It creates a positive chain reaction. I used to eat pizza for lunch on hangover days, then lie motionless on the couch, barely surviving until the hangover passed.

The numbers tell the whole story. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, making it nearly twice as calorie-dense as protein or carbohydrates which contain 4 calories per gram each. A standard drink provides around 100 to 150 calories of "empty calories" without essential nutrients. Regular consumption can quickly add 300-600+ extra calories daily, which would require approximately 30-60 minutes of running to burn off. Beyond the caloric content, alcohol inhibits dietary fat oxidation and stimulates food intake. A 2021 comprehensive review found that food energy intake was significantly greater in the alcohol condition compared to non-alcoholic beverages, creating a double impact on weight gain through both direct calories and increased food consumption.

References:

Joining the Dots: Individual, Sociocultural and Environmental Links between Alcohol Consumption, Dietary Intake and Body Weight - Nutrients Journal, 2021.

Alcohol Consumption, Weight Gain, and Risk of Becoming Overweight in Middle-aged and Older Women - Archives of Internal Medicine, 2010.

Higher productivity and focus

I used to struggle with brain fog, especially on Mondays after weekend drinking. I'd sit at my desk feeling mentally sluggish, taking twice as long to complete tasks that should have been simple. My attention would drift constantly, and I'd find myself re-reading the same email three times just to understand it. In meetings I didn't concentrate but waited for the end and hoped nobody would want something from me.

Skipping sport, postponing things I always wanted to get done like sorting out my closet, starting that immigration task, requesting a new passport - all of this was part of my life. And not doing these things I actually wanted to do made me feel useless. I hated the feeling, but the "fog" and lack of energy were always stronger than me.

Now I don't face these problems anymore. My mind is clear from the first hour until the last one. In meetings I'm engaged and don't count down to the end of the session. Sometimes I work in the evening or early morning and it's not a problem at all. My mind has a steady state without having those lows and highs.

In the last 365 days I was more productive than ever. I could get done many administrative tasks, I successfully passed the naturalization test, I ran two marathons, cleaned up my apartment and storage room, planned vacations, attended three world-class concerts and much more. And all these things contribute to my confidence and the feeling of having a great, exciting life. When I drank alcohol, I had some fun nights but I was never as satisfied as I am now.

Lifestyle & Social Benefits

More quality time

You might think that you miss out on fun and novelty when you quit drinking, but it's a delusion. As a result of more energy and better sleep, you have more time awake. In this case, awake means that you're fit, productive and cognitively sharp. You can have great conversations with your friends and loved ones, you can spend more quality time with your dog or cat and most importantly with yourself.

Since I've been sober, my weekends feel like a week. I do sport, read, write, spend time outdoors, eat healthy, watch my shows and also have time for friends. The quality of my sessions in the gym is high and that boosts my confidence as well. A few years ago, my Saturday was nothing more than surviving with the guilt that I didn't do anything, again. You'll be surprised how many extra hours you have if you don't have to deal with the negative consequences of alcohol.

Better relationships

I only have to think about my parents where my father was an alcoholic. They fought day and night just because he was drinking. I also had conflicts in my earlier romantic relationships because I felt jealous or talked nonsense. When I went out to party, I ended up in weird situations, almost in fights with strangers because I couldn't shut up.

Today, I have peace in my life. I have better and deeper relationships instead of drinking buddies. I don't have conflicts with others while being drunk. Obviously, you can have conflicts with others when you're sober too, but the probability is higher when you're drunk and you tend to be confrontational.

More money in your pocket

My friends and I often joked about calculating the money we've spent on alcohol in our lives. Honestly, I don't want to know that figure. I've been drinking for 25 years and with age, the money I spent on high-class drinks like single malt scotches, champagne, high quality tequilas and cocktails increased. Going to eat in a restaurant with a girlfriend usually included at least one bottle of good red wine and a starter champagne that boosted the bill to $120-140. Today, I can live almost 10 days on $120 having breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Having more money in your pocket can be used in many different ways. You can save and invest that money for your future or you can improve the quality of your life by buying high quality fruits, vegetables and fish instead.

There are many other things that can give you the pleasure I used to get from alcohol. The financial freedom alone makes sobriety feel like a raise you give yourself every month.

No hangovers

I saved the best benefit for last. No hangovers. That was what drove me to quit alcohol. From the age of thirty-two, the days after drinking became harder and longer. The first day of suffering was physical pain. My stomach was bad, headaches, sensitivity to light, nausea. Everyone who has ever drunk too much knows these problems. The day becomes about survival - dark room, pizza, coke and preferably not moving at all.

Then came the second day where I had more mental suffering, usually on Monday at work. I hated people, I didn't want to talk and prayed for the day to be finished. I didn't have weekends and then I needed to work again.

After I quit alcohol and didn't have to suffer from hangovers, it feels like having a life of much higher quality. I get up on Saturday and Sunday fresh. I'm full of energy, ready to do sport, tidy up my apartment, spend time outside. I'm able to do creative work, I can meet friends and on Monday I have the feeling of having a great weekend behind me. I simply have more time to live and enjoy and it's one of the best benefits of quitting alcohol.

Conclusion

There's no guarantee that you'll experience all of the benefits I mentioned above if you decide to quit alcohol. It depends on your drinking habits - how much, how often and what you drink. But think about it: Even if you get 50% of the positive effects and 25% of them are invisible (because you can't sense the reduction of cancer risk), your life will be much better than before.

The real flex of our time isn't having a bunch of money but being healthy, vital and full of energy even at a higher age. The consequences of drinking won't cut you off from your loved ones too early and you can be there for them, enjoying a high quality life.

In my next article I'm going to explain the steps that helped me give up drinking after 25 years. Believe me, I was one of those people who never would have thought about this step and now I'm the one promoting the sober lifestyle. This simply means that you can do it too!

Thanks for sticking with me through this one. If you’re going through something similar, or have your own experience with this, drop a comment. I read every one. — David

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