How 90 Days No Alcohol Changed My Life as a Hospitality Professional

In 2020, I would often wake up in the middle of the night with numbness in both of my arms, which was a terrifying feeling.

My doctor suggested I should try massage therapy, but a few months later, while out for a run, I experienced a painful tightening in my back and left arm. After seeing a chiropractor, he discovered a lump under my left armpit and advised me to have it examined further.

What followed was a diagnosis I wasn't prepared for: a 21-inch benign tumour that was gradually shifting my body out of alignment as I worked my shifts for months, leaving me increasingly injured.

Through some self-reflection, I realized that my lifestyle choices were negatively affecting my health.

At that point, I was consuming alcohol three times a week and casually smoking cigarettes when drinking. Although I was functioning well, I hadn't recognized the detrimental effect that alcohol had on my well-being.

After my experience and, fortunately, having the tumour removed, I realized it was time to take ownership of my choices regarding how I live my life, especially working late at night in the restaurant and how socially acceptable the drinking culture is.

I chose to cut out alcohol for 90 days following my health issue to see how it would affect me and understand its role in my life.

What I learned had a lasting impact, especially regarding my health.

Drinking on autopilot

Growing up, alcohol was seen as socially acceptable, which led me to start drinking consistently at the young age of sixteen. Because I was introducing a harmful substance into my body, I never truly felt well.

I was unaware of the impact alcohol had on me, including a lack of motivation, feeling fatigued, and using it as a means to escape from childhood trauma that I'm now beginning to uncover.

As I reflected on my drinking habits, I began drinking on weekends during my teenage years, and my consumption escalated throughout my twenties. When I entered a career that required me to work Monday to Friday, my drinking habits slowed down, yet I continued to binge drink on weekends well into my mid-thirties.

I was consuming alcohol on autopilot and mostly out of habit.

90 days dry

Ninety days without alcohol sounds like a long time until you're on the other side of it.

Within weeks, the things I had quietly accepted as normal started disappearing. The acid reflux I'd managed for years was gone. The cigarettes I told myself I only smoked socially were gone, too. And the arms that had been waking me up numb at night were gone as well.

I’m still not sure if the tumour played a role in the numbness in the arms as much as the alcohol, but to this day, I think it’s a bit of both.

“My body had been keeping score, and the tumour was my body's way of making me pay attention.”

As a result of this experience, I was passionate about becoming a nutritionist for hospitality professionals because I have firsthand experience of how easy it is to become unhealthy in a fast-paced industry.

What struck me most wasn't the physical changes; it was the awareness. For the first time in years, I could feel the difference between choosing a drink and needing one.

I have discovered how to drink mindfully rather than on autopilot, and I no longer indulge a few times a week, instead I live a lifestyle that incorporates healthier alternatives, such as sauna, exercise, and breathwork.

The shift wasn't about willpower. It was about substitution. Give your nervous system what it actually needs, and the craving for alcohol will naturally lose its grip.

You are powerful

It can feel challenging when you begin this health and wellness journey because it requires you to look at your life and remove the things that don’t align with your highest good.

Personally, I had to rebuild and leave relationships that were unhealthy so that I could create a life that I felt was worth living for myself and my children.

Unfortunately, we are a culture with ongoing health problems, and we are taught to seek our medical doctor for advice. Although this is true and should always be our first step, we can’t always rely on one physician to solve our problems. We must learn to take more responsibility and empower ourselves regarding our well-being.

Community

One of the real reasons alcohol is so embedded in hospitality culture isn't the taste. It's the sense of belonging and community, and although it can be fun, it can also cause some individuals to self-destruct.

That's exactly why I built JP Wellness & Nutrition specifically for hospitality professionals. Not as a platform for perfection, but as a community for people who are in the middle of figuring it out, and want that support system.

My health, my relationships, and my finances are in better balance now than at any point in my career. Not because I found a magic protocol, but because I stopped outsourcing my wellbeing and started building a life I actually wanted.

You have more power over this than you think. The first step is usually the smallest one, whether it be ninety days, one decision, or one shift in the right direction.

Disclaimer: If you have AUD (alcohol use disorder), please seek professional help from a doctor or counsellor.

Ready to take that first step? Book a free wellness call and let's talk about where you're starting from and where you want to go.

Check out the store for digital products.