The lockdown, as I’m sure will be the case for many, has been extremely challenging. There have been days where I’ve been fine and then days where cabin fever has really set in. I think it’s important at these times to have some perspective on the situation and to perhaps not be as harsh on ourselves. This situation is unique to all of us and it’s something we’re not likely to be used to and therefore we need to give ourselves a break. One thing I thought would happen during lockdown is that I would be drinking more alcohol. Me and my partner love a drink, whether it’s a glass of red wine or a craft beer like the ones from Melvin Brewing, we’re big drinkers usually. However, even though there was a surge in our drinking for the first week, it’s surprisingly not been the case that we’ve continued drinking a lot.
*This is a collaborative post.
The Relationship Before Lockdown
Ever since graduating university, my drinking habits have significantly reduced and I can’t have a night out like I used to because the hangovers end up being one or two days straight. They’re also a lot worse than what they used to be too. Even though I wasn’t a heavy drinker, when we did go out, I couldn’t just have the one drink. I’d have to have three or four and that’s also part of the lifestyle that London life has. When I got out for dinner with someone in the city, it’s very rarely one that ends at a reasonable time. When you’re trying to cut down on alcohol, it can be very difficult to do so. What changed for me was that I was going to be getting married in a year’s time and so we got a personal trainer at the beginning of 2020. That I feel was the turning point that I needed but prior to the lockdown I was still going out and drinking every so often. We don’t really have a drink during the week at home usually and instead, we’d likely have one on the weekend.
During Lockdown
And then lockdown happened. And everything changed for me. For the first week or so, we certainly did drink a lot more than we’d usually drink at home and as the gyms were closed, we also didn’t work out for two weeks. But then our PT started doing online sessions and it certainly kicked our butts into gear. We started working out two times a week instead of one and a family member started doing their own zoom workouts so as of now, we’re currently doing 4-5 workouts per week. As far as alcohol goes, we’ve really cut back, and to be honest, I really hate working out on a hangover, so I’ll avoid drinking on purpose most nights. I would say my drinking nowadays is at a fraction at what it once was.
Granted this is a lockdown and our lifestyles are certainly not the same. I’m hoping that when I come out of lockdown, I will have the same attitude towards drinking and therefore not drink so much. I’ve worked very hard to lose half a stone but I haven’t lost as much as I thought I would because I’ve built muscle up as a replacement. My ideal body weight would be 10st but I don’t want to lose the muscle, rather I would want to lose the fat. I’m certainly feeling a lot healthier than I did before and I think this is certainly something I’ll improve on both during the rest of lockdown and once we’re out of it.
Has your relationship with alcohol changed during lockdown? Let me know in the comments below.
*Disclaimer – This is a collaborative post with Melvin Brewing. All words are my own.
