01 Wellness Spotlight

Sober October: Reframing to Refresh

“You’re not drinking?! “Wait come on just have ONE you’re so boring!” “Well then you make ME feel like I CAN’T drink.” I have heard it all. Now look, I am the first person to say and stand for “you do you” and to empower the choices of anyone to live and express themselves how they see authentic and fit so long as it’s not hurting another. However, there is a stigma and a huge pressure that comes from abstaining from alcohol and THIS month, I am here to help support you through it if you are interested in challenging yourself to cut back or completely cut off alcohol. Sober curiosity is on the rise, in fact, now 28% of college students abstain from drinking with that number conintually climbing. Gen Z is leading the charge (I truly am so impressed with their generation) with over 61% of those surveyed sharing interest to significantly cut back on alcohol use 2024. While I sit oddly on the cusp between Gen Z and Millennial, seeing this shift both via TikTok and within my own communities of friends, I believe there is a conscious shift in how our society will connect and consume alcohol within the next decade, and for the sake of our mental health, this excites me.

I love wine, shoot I am Italian-american and I’d like to think I have a pretty good palette that can appreciate the complexities of a centuries-perfected beverage. But candidly, unless its REALLY good, high-quality, “that bottle’s very nice let’s savor or save it for a celebration”…average wine does not love me, nor does my brain the day after consuming. My gut spins in circles, my anxiety ramps up after a terrible night of twilight sleep and that voice in my head, the negative one I’ve compassionately named “Tina”…well her words override the more positive self-talk I try so hard to keep as my main mental operating system.

About a year ago I quit alcohol completely for 8 months (with the exception of a glass during new years and my birthday) and wow was it transformative. After listening to the now infamous Huberman Lab episode on “What Alcohol Does to Your Brain” I was floored learning the importance of grey matter in our brain, how it shrinks due to alcohol use, the causal effects of prolonged moderate drinking (something I considered standard especially living in a cold and bustling metropolis like NYC) and the deep interconnection with the Gut-Brain axis and the essential poisonous effects alcohol, even “moderately” can have to our person. It was confronting, it was honest and I knew I could do better, both for myself and to see if walking away from alcohol, even for a time, would truly give me the edge I was looking for. Here’s what abstaining from alcohol did for me:

1. I FELT: I was forced to meet my negative and anxious emotions head on- no numbing effect, or prolonging the pain by lamenting to isolating into a drink

2. I REALLY SLEPT: My bloating in the morning, crankiness and irritability at stressors, and my SKIN (people kept asking why I got filler and botox and that I looked refreshed…while I do minimal use of both, I hadn’t had an appt in over 6 months and I looked better than I did even with fresh injectables— skin was glowing, eye-bags smoothed, skin-plumped, etc.)

3. I PURGED: friendships, business relationships, music that felt “unsettling”, clothing that felt like a figment of my past etc. This was the most transformative effect. I got very CLEAR about what was actually supportive of my best and most well self…and realized quite a few areas of my life where alcohol was clouding my instincts and my discernment.

4. I CHANGED: Now that the core of my social life was no longer centered on “going for drinks” I said no to more parties but yes to walks in the park, art classes, fitness classes, coffee dates, art museums, golf outings etc. I found more joy in the people I could hang with sober and felt more full by the relationships that didn’t revolve around alcohol. In a sense, I felt my roots, my connection to personal values and beliefs became stronger as the “simple things” became more valuable than ever.

By and large the best choice I made from 2023-2024 was changing my relationship to alcohol and this month I am encouraging you all to consider the same. Not because I am speaking to you from a pedestal, or saying I am a shining example of wellness…but because I believe we all deserve to explore new habits that can provide us with clarity, with a chance to evolve our perspectives and to invest in ourselves through what we INJEST (or choose not to).

I am excited to work with Whoop this month on Sober October (here’s my link to try Whoop FREE on me for the month and track your data to truly measure if your sleep, recovery, HRV and stress levels improve from abstaining form alcohol) and ALL of this months Tip of the Week will be graphics you can save to help provide some support, some mental frameworks to get through the tough days, and some best practices when it’s more of a challenge!

Cheers to challenging ourselves, reframing alcohol and remembering that Shirley Temple’s aren’t only for the kiddos!

SOBER BOUNDARIES

When you first choose to abstain from alcohol one of the most difficult challenges is setting boundaries against the peer pressure to drink. Holding a boundary for your health can be challenging but through practice and some go-to phrases (which I shared with this downloadable guide below) it becomes easier as each day and experience passes. REMEMBER why you are exploring this path and know that eventually…people stop pressuring when they know you are committed.

03 Nutrition

Protein-Forward Pastina

This Italian sick day favorite is simply comfort food + a little extra nutrition for when the sniffles hit and 15 min is all you have the energy to give toward a meal!

PROTEIN-FORWARD PASTINA:

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 oz Chicken Bone Broth

• 1 cup dry Pastina pasta

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 2 shallots, minced

• 3-5 gloves fresh garlic, minced

• 1 tbs butter

• 1/2 tsp. flaky Maldon Salt

• 1-2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

• ½ lemon, juiced and zest

• ½ tbs cracked black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a medium- large pot, sauté the minced shallots and garlic on medium/high heat until fragrant.

2. Add two cups of Chicken Bone Broth and 1 1/2 tbs butter to the same pot and bring to a boil

3. Stir in a box of pastina and reduce the heat to low.

4. While the pasta simmers, beat two egg yolks in a separate bowl and set aside.

5. Let the pasta simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. The pasta is done when all but a small amount of stock has been absorbed.

6. Turn off the heat and add abother 1/2 tbs of butter. Stir until the butter is fully melted.

7. Next, mix in at least half a cup of grated fresh Parmesan cheese. If you love cheese, feel free to add more.

8. WITH THE HEAT COMPLETELY OFF, Pour the whisked egg yolks into the pasta pot and stir immediately until well combined.

9. Garnish with fresh black pepper and more Parmesan cheese, and a squeeze of lemon or lemon zest if desired.

04 Shopping
More TRAVEL, wedding season fits, meeting outfits and favorite glasses all for you this week!

Shop my LTK site for more.

05 FITNESS

06 NKO CLUB SPOTLIGHT

Honest, committed, powerfully vulnerable: that’s J.R. I had first seen JR within NeverKnockedOutCrew’s content, his incredible commitment to the community and to class and frankly his delicious BBQ (JR next time I’m in Texas I am coming for you)!! By far though was makes me so inspired by him is his vulnerability and openness to support others through his own mental health journey. Within his instagram bio he is a proud “Suicide Survivor” who found his drive and peace through pedaling and wanting to be present for his family after the tragic loss of his brother. He contributed to an amazing video the Crew created for National Suicide Prevention Month seen here.

Men like J.R. is who the world needs to see more of. Open, positive and a beacon of light to show that life’s shadows can be the catalyst to our greatest light if we allow it. In fact, J.R. is an avid amateur cyclist and is featured here in a video about the SBT GRVL cycling event in Colorado every August. He’s a cheerleader to others and injects energy and joy into the rooms he walks into. J.R. is an energy that cannot be missed and is so needed in today’s world, an example among men.

Give JR a follow on instagram @theridewithjr and/or follow him on Strava to connect if you share his love of cycling (the outdoor kind)!

Cheers to you J.R.! Thank you for being a shining example to so many and for being proof of the power of staying Never Knocked Out!

WANT TO NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR THE SPOTLIGHT?

Follow @NKOclub on IG and fill out this NKO Club Nomination form to submit a friend and fellow club member for their rightful place in the spotlight!