The "Nothing Burger" Realization: 2026 and the Year I Outgrew Alcohol
I’m going to share something that took me 5 years of nutrition coaching and a year of "dry living" to fully grasp:
Alcohol adds exactly nothing to my life.
In January 2025, I decided to go dry. Since then, I’ve had exactly two drinks.
One was this past summer—the day I was proposed to <3 It was a beautiful, monumental moment. Part of God’s plan.
The second was more recently, just a casual occasion.
And you know what the second drink taught me?
It was a total "nothing burger."
It didn't make the food taste better, it didn't make the conversation funnier, and it certainly didn't make me feel better the next day.
The Metabolic Price Tag
As a nutrition coach, I can give you the science: alcohol is a metabolic "pause button." Your body sees it as a toxin and stops everything else—including fat burning and muscle repair—to clear it out. This means, when in a calorie deficit, your body will burn through the alcohol in your system before burning through excess fat.
But as a human, I can tell you the feeling price tag is even higher. When you stop drinking, you aren't just losing "bloat" (though the "bye-bye bloat" effect is real and wonderful); you are gaining a level of mental clarity and steady energy that no drink can provide.
The Short-Term & Long-Term Gains
If you’re considering a dry stretch, here is what is waiting for you:
The Immediate Shift: Within 72 hours, your REM sleep fixes itself. You wake up without that 3:00 AM "hangxiety" heart race. Your digestive system stops being irritated, and your skin starts to glow from actual hydration.
The Long-Term Win: Your liver fat decreases, your insulin sensitivity (the key to weight loss) sharpens, and your brain fog lifts for good. You realize you don't need a "buffer" to enjoy your life.
Watch Your Own Bobber
Here’s the part where we need to change the culture. As people we have this weird habit of investigating why someone isn't drinking.
“Are you pregnant? Why aren’t you drinking? Just have ONE! It’s just A beer!”
Let’s stop that right now.
If someone says "No thanks" to a drink, they don't owe you a story.
They aren't necessarily "on a diet" or "in recovery" or "boring." They might just be like me—realizing that alcohol is a "nothing burger" that they’ve simply outgrown.
There’s a saying I love: "Watch your own bobber." If you’re so worried about what’s in someone else’s cup, you’re missing the joy in your own experience. Let’s normalize not drinking. Let’s normalize being fully present for the proposal, the party, and the Tuesday night dinner without needing a substance to "enhance" it.
My Challenge to You
I had one drink for a proposal and one drink for "no reason." The second one proved to me that I’m officially done with the empty calories and the metabolic drag. I mean, I’d be lying if I said I’m never drinking EVER again, however, if I could never drink again, it wouldn’t phase me a bit.
I’m choosing 100% energy and zero bloat.
Who’s with me?