30 Day Challenge: Meat-Free and Alcohol-Free

On 17 September 2020, I decided to go on a meat-free diet and remove alcohol from my life.

I noticed that, in the last 3 months, I have substantially increased my intake of meat and alcohol. Prior to this period, alcohol was only for social gatherings and meat consumption was limited to couple times of week. I blame COVID and lockdown for this behaviour. The mental stress this is having on everyone is a serious concern and I wanted to ensure these habits do not become the norm for me.

I am roughly halfway through this experiment and having this as a challenge motivates me to fight the urge to pour myself a glass of a red or enjoy craft beer.

I will not be a slave to my cravings.

The benefits are obvious. I interestingly sleep better and wake up more refreshed. My body feels lighter and good.

Finding those trigger points was important early on. For example, I know while watching TV after work, I prefer to have a beverage. Instead, now, I go for a walk or call a friend etc. The trick is to remove yourself from the environment that triggers these cravings. I noticed doing solo tasks keeps you focused and you forget about your cravings. For example, I can spend hours playing PS4 and my cravings are non-existent. Therefore, my suggestion is to review when you get those cravings and consider what you can do differently instead of succumb to your cravings.

Most importantly, I do not want to be the kind of person who consumers alcohol daily and lives a meat-heavy life. This cannot be my identity and for this reason, I started this 30 Day Challenge.