Think passing out on the couch can be considered a great night’s sleep? Think again. Alcohol knocks you out, but it also fragments your sleep, meaning you wake up multiple times without realizing it. The result? You wake up feeling like you barely slept at all, because, well, you didn’t.

High-achieving women are used to making decisions and staying motivated. They are driven by success, by goals, by pushing through obstacles, and thrive in environments where their decision-making and motivation are on point. But alcohol disrupts both of these traits.

Think about the last time you told yourself you’d do something, and then didn’t. Maybe it was getting up early to exercise, saying no to a draining commitment, or sticking to a habit you were building. How did it feel afterward? Disappointing, right? That disappointment chips away at our confidence and keeps us stuck.

It turns out that over years of alcohol use, I had wired my brain to respond to stress, fear, discomfort - or on the flip side - excitement, celebrations, happiness, with alcohol. Looking back at Past Me, I can see now when I attempted moderation, how deeply I wanted to be a woman of my word. I just didn’t know how to do it yet.

I had many breaks from drinking (including a number of Dry January challenges) before I finally quit. But each one brought me closer to that last Day 1.