January Reset. No Gluten. No Alcohol.

I've been dealing with some minor, intermittent skin issues for years. It's been treatable, but last year the eczema came hard, spread further and was a little gnarlier... so I started seeing a dermatologist and allergist. They tested for chemical allergies, environmental allergies, had me change everything that I put on my skin or clothes and none of it helped. I suspected a food allergy or something, but the allergist disagreed, and wanted me to come in weekly to get shots. Yeah right.

Despite everything else they suggested, things got worse toward the end of the year... peak gluttony season.

In December, we did an "advent calendar of beer" from Confluence, so I was having at least half of a craft beer every day for nearly a month - probably my longest consecutive drinking stint ever, haha

Combined with all the heavy food and parties, I sorta just felt like shit during the entire holiday season. Why do we do this to ourselves???

So, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try dry January, but also upped the ante and removed gluten from my diet. Maybe it'd help with the eczema.

The first week of dry January was no sweat, but gluten-free January was a different story. I'd done a gluten free stint before, so I roughly knew the constraints, but I'd forgotten how much of a pain in the ass it is… especially when you’re just getting started, and also when you love gluten.

Week two. I honestly expected dry January to be harder, but it was still no thang. It probably helps that I have far fewer drinking buddies than I used to, hahah... sad.

In week three, I started to recognize that this is probably the longest dry stint that I've had since I started drinking 20+ years ago. It felt good knowing that it was this easy to not drink. I hadn't had any big cravings, mood swings, or anything else that I hear about when folks give up alcohol.

Some friends of mine, Kari included, started to question the point of this exercise. For me, the point was that I needed a break and a reset. I drank more than I wanted to last year, I wanted to know that I could do it, and I wanted to troubleshoot these skin issues. Kari made her January slightly damp one afternoon tho, lol. She couldn't resist a bloody mary from the Library... which is hard to argue with. They are amazing, and I look forward to enjoying one again.

The final stretch

Honestly, still surprised at how easy the no alcohol bit was. The gluten part remained pretty sad and annoying though.

Kari and I went to Eatery A, one of our favorite wood-fired pizza joints and ordered pizzas. She got the normal crust, which is incredible, and I got the gluten free crust. We both ordered a local NA beer and Kari pointed out that there was probably gluten in it. Dammit. I forgot... and then took my first bites of cardboard pizza while she enjoyed her delicious, full octane, hand tossed, gluten pizza. I was jealous.

And my eczema was clearing up... double dammit. I did not want the solution to my issues to be going gluten-free. I love bread, pizza, and beer so much.

Final thoughts

Along the way, I went to breweries, bars, dinners, sports games, a whiskey party, and other social/drinking events. I was offered adult bevs multiple times and was often the only person not drinking, but I stuck to the program.

Alcohol free cocktails are more regularly available and many are just as creative and flavorful as the boozy boys. I even had an alcohol free MARTINI, and it was actually GOOD. How does that even make sense? “Near Beer” on the other hand is… decent, but has a little ways to go... especially Gluten free NA beer. lol. why.

I mean, I know why... but, God.

Forbidden foods that started to sound good as the month progressed: real pizza, a gin martini, a library bloody, a crispy pilsner, and a bourbon: neat. It started to become apparent that some of the things I enjoy were missing.

But I’m glad I did it.

I think it’s important to shake your routine up and test yourself every now and then. I didn't notice anything profound, but parts of my skin cleared up. I enjoyed not having even the slightest hangover, felt a little lighter, lost some holiday fat, and believe that my general mood and emotions stabilized a tiny bit. I may also be making things up to make myself feel better, hah.

Going forward, I'm going to make my allergist test for gluten and other food intolerances. I plan to enjoy alcoholic beverages with friends/family again (very soon probably), and will likely scale back my gluten intake a lot. 

However, I'll still make exceptions for the good stuff.