Two Years Alcohol-Free: What’s Changed, What Hasn’t, and What’s Still in My Amazon Cart

I’m officially two years alcohol-free.

No champagne. No wine toast. No elaborate cake in the shape of a wine bottle with a red “X” through it (although now that I say that, someone please make that).

Just me, sitting here reflecting on the wild, brave, beautiful, occasionally boring, and deeply honest life I’ve built since I stopped drinking.

Let’s start with the good stuff. Because wow, there’s been a lot of it.

What’s Changed Since I Quit Drinking

1. No More Hangovers

I don’t think I understood how much of my entire personality was just being low-key hungover. Headachey, irritable, vaguely guilty. Like my spirit was wearing yesterday’s mascara and just wanted a nap. Now? I wake up feeling fine. Great, even. Occasionally tired, yes, but not because I poisoned myself the night before.

2. I’m Brave

Quitting alcohol is not for the faint of heart. It takes guts to walk away from something that’s socially expected, emotionally relied upon, and always within arm’s reach. Every day I stay alcohol-free is a reminder that I can do hard things.

3. I’m Proud

Not in a “look at me” way, but in a quiet, steady, soul-level kind of pride. Like I rebuilt something inside myself that had been cracked for a while, and now it’s stronger than ever.

4. I Have More Time

Time I used to spend drinking, recovering from drinking, thinking about drinking, planning how I definitely wouldn’t drink tonight but would inevitably end up drinking anyway, has been reclaimed. And you know what I’ve done with it?

5. I’ve Found Hobbies

Like, real ones. Things I actually enjoy. I’ve taken up weightlifting (which is surprisingly therapeutic when you’re a mom with 47 tabs open in your brain). I read again. I write. I get curious about stuff that has nothing to do with “pairing well with pinot.”

6. I’m Consistent and Motivated

Drunk me was a dreamer. Sober me is a doer. I follow through more. I don’t flake on plans because I “don’t feel well” (I drank too much last night and now the idea of pants is offensive). I show up.

7. I’m No Longer Complacent

Alcohol made it easy to coast through life with a “meh, it’s fine” attitude. Now I want more for myself, for my family, for my future. I’m up for a challenge. I am the challenge. Let’s go.

8. I’m Comfortable With Myself

Not every day is a self-love parade, but overall? I like who I am now. I’m not hiding. I’m not pretending. I’m not numbing. That’s huge.

9. I’ve Established Boundaries

Drinking me was a bit of a people-pleaser. Sober me has learned the beautiful power of “Nope.” No, I don’t want to go to that party. No, I’m not drinking just to make you feel more comfortable. No, I don’t owe anyone an explanation. Feels good.

10. My Relationships Have Improved

I’m more present. I listen better. I don’t pick fights after a few glasses of wine over things I can’t even remember the next day. The people in my life trust me again and that’s priceless.

11. I’m a Better Mother

This one gets me emotional. I show up. I’m present. I remember bedtime stories. I’m no longer parenting through a fog. My kids get the best version of me, not what’s left over after I’ve checked out.

12. My Mental Health Is Manageable

Alcohol used to make my depression and anxiety worse (shocker). Removing it hasn’t magically “fixed” everything, but now my emotions are more like waves I can ride, not tsunamis that drown me.

What Has Not Changed

1. I Still Impulse-Buy Totally Random Sh*t on Amazon

Listen. You can take the wine out of the woman, but you cannot take the 11 p.m. scrolling and mysterious package arrivals out of her. I quit drinking, but I did not quit questionable late-night consumerism.Yesterday I ordered a mini waffle maker, a bamboo bathtub tray, and a shirt that says “Mentally Somewhere Else.” No regrets.

2. My House Is Still a Mess

I had this fantasy that sobriety would magically make me a clean freak. I’d start meal prepping, organizing closets by color, and folding laundry with joy. LOL. No. My house still looks like a toy store exploded in it, and I’m still dodging Legos barefoot. But now I clean sober, which means I can at least find the motivation sometimes and I don’t smell like cabernet while doing it.

What’s the Verdict?

Life didn’t get perfect when I quit drinking. But it did get clearer, calmer, and kinder. I got to meet myself again, the real me, without the constant haze, without the crutch, without the self-loathing hangovers that whispered “you’ll never change.”

And she’s kind of awesome.

Sober me still has flaws. Still yells in traffic. Still overthinks everything. Still eats popcorn for dinner sometimes. But she’s present, awake, and trying. And most days, that feels like more than enough.

If You’re Thinking About Quitting…

Don’t wait for a rock bottom. Don’t wait until it’s bad enough. If alcohol is taking more than it’s giving, that’s reason enough.

You don’t have to be an “alcoholic” to want a different life. You just have to be honest enough to say, “This isn’t working for me anymore.”

And if you do decide to make that leap? I promise, two years from now, you’ll look back and be blown away by how far you’ve come, and maybe also by the sheer number of unused yoga mats in your closet. (They looked so promising in the moment.)

Here’s to messy homes, emotional growth, sober strength, and the occasional Amazon mistake.

Two years free. Zero regrets. Infinite gratitude.

And maybe just one more mini waffle maker.