The Truth Is in the Data… and Apparently Not in My Wine Glass

I recently got my labs back, and I have to say… for a 70-year-old insulin-dependent diabetic, I was feeling pretty smug.

My A1c is awesome. My cholesterol is so good it could probably give a TED Talk. Most of my numbers are sitting right where they should be, quietly behaving themselves like well-trained children.

And then there’s my potassium. Slightly high. Because of course there has to be one overachiever in the group.

But here’s the thing—these numbers didn’t just magically appear because I turned 70 and decided to “age gracefully.” (Let’s be honest, there’s nothing graceful about half my gym workouts.)

Over the past few months, I made a change. A quiet one. No announcement. No dramatic “new me” speech.

I gave up alcohol.

It was less of a grand decision and more like, “Huh… I wonder what would happen if I just didn’t drink for a while.”

Turns out, quite a bit.

My blood sugar stopped acting like a toddler on a sugar high. My sleep improved. My workouts felt stronger. And perhaps most surprising—I started waking up feeling… good. Like, actually good. Not “coffee will fix this” good. Real good.

Now, I won’t lie—I do miss happy hour. There’s just something about that end-of-day ritual.

But I’ve found a replacement: club soda with a splash of 5-calorie cranberry juice and a generous squeeze of lime. And of course, it goes in a wine glass… because let’s not get carried away.

Also, let’s address the obvious: giving up alcohol did not magically give me abs. I checked. Repeatedly. Still waiting.

But something else happened instead. I got more consistent. More clear-headed. More motivated to keep showing up—for my workouts, my health, and myself.

And then the labs came back and basically said, “Yep. Whatever you’re doing… keep doing it.”

Now, are my labs perfect? No. That potassium number is still trying to stand out. And I’m still working on things—like building muscle and figuring out how to eat enough protein without feeling like I’m preparing for a bodybuilding competition.

But here’s what I’ve learned:

Small changes add up. Quiet decisions matter. And sometimes the thing you give up ends up giving you more than you expected.

So no, I don’t miss alcohol every day.

But I do appreciate waking up clear-headed, strong, and just a little bit smug about my lab results… wine glass in hand, of course.