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Valentina's avatar

Beautiful journey you had there, Robert. Thanks for sharing it with the world.

For me stopping happened naturally as soon as I started running regularly. One can't both have a glass of wine every nite for dinner, and also have a good run first thing in the morning. I wasn't even planning to never drink but that's where things went and I feel great! I probably had 2-3 glasses of wine in total this year & feels great. It's more fun that way for me. :)

Robert Istok's avatar

Thanks for the comment! Yes, running is definitely a great motivator, those 2-3 glasses of wine definitely show up in how you feel. Love that you found the balance! :)

Lea Balcerzak's avatar

Thanks for sharing this part of your story! When I moved to Italy for my master's last year, alcohol became the center of a lot of social interactions in a way that I hadn't experienced so regularly in the past. To me, wine is interesting from a nerdy terrior-esque perspective, but it usually loses its luster by the end of even that first glass. While that region of Italy didn't have tons of NA options, I've found myself now gravitating even more towards fermented teas or botanical beverages when I'm in parts of the world that offer them on the menus. They satisfy that itch to try something new and learn about a beverage, its ingredients or origin, without the inevitable sleepiness that hits me after a glass of wine.

Robert Istok's avatar

I never heard about fermented teas, I am going to look for them! Or is this just a different word for Kombucha?

Thanks for sharing it, definitely felt a bit boring always ordering sparkling water

Lea Balcerzak's avatar

They can be similar, but not always the same. One of the more known companies in the space, Copenhagen Sparkling Tea, markets themselves as an alternative to champagne. Some other companies I really like are Bouche (based out of Berlin), Arensbak (Danish), and Feral (Italian).

Robert Istok's avatar

Really cool, added these to my list of things to try, thank you!!