For one reason or another, Anne Hathaway has gotten a bad rap over the years. People love to be annoyed with her. They pick on her Oscar acceptance speech (and the fact that she even won an Oscar in the first place), and her wedding dress choice, and just about any decision she makes that the public can get its hands on.
Recently, the actress appeared on Ellen and said something that has made people (yet again) get their knickers in a knot. Hathaway is mom to two-year-old Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman, and having him in her life resulted in her making a very big decision. She told Ellen DeGeneres that she will quit drinking for the next 18 years.
Perhaps the annoyed folks out there took issue with how specific Hathaway was with her announcement. She didn’t just decide to stop drinking, but decided to do so for no more and no fewer than 18 years. She explained that after a recent night of drinking on vacation, she had to go to an important meeting the following day with Steven Knight, the director of her current project, and she stumbled through their talk. She also referenced a morning when she was hungover and accompanied her son to school. She said, “I did one school run one day where I dropped him off at school. I wasn’t driving, but I was hungover and that was enough for me. I didn’t love that one.”
It might be easy, if one enjoys a cocktail or glass of wine every now and then, to defend not giving up drinking. After all, no drinking means no wine pairings with dinner at fancy restaurants. It means not having something to turn to after a tough day. (How many times have we yearned for a glass of wine after a long day at work? Yes, this is self-medicating at its finest.) Plus, quitting drinking means missing out on all those beneficial antioxidants found in wine! (OK, that last one might be stretching it a bit.)
But upon closer look, Hathaway isn’t necessarily wrong. There are plenty of benefits to quitting drinking (even if you don’t consider yourself an alcoholic), whether you have children or not.
No more hangovers
Granted, you’ll probably only have a hangover if you overdo it, but even one drink can make you feel a little fuzzy the following morning. This is especially true the older we get. Imagine never again having that feeling upon waking up, and being able to tackle the day right from the word “go.”
Saving money
Let’s face it: alcohol is not cheap. Whether you like to indulge in a nice bourbon, Scotch, wine, or vodka, you have to shell out some good money for it. Use that extra cash and treat yourself to something that is better for your body.
Healthier
Stopping drinking can have countless benefits to your health. For starters, it can reduce the risk of heart attack, it will improve the health of your liver, and it can make you lose weight. Every drink is just a cup of empty calories, after all.
Looking better
No alcohol means clearer skin, brighter eyes, and losing weight. So far this seems pretty good. Looking good and feeling better? Sign us up…
Sleeping better
Sure, drinking can definitely make you pass out pretty easily. But if you’ve ever had a bit too much to drink, you know full well that you end up waking in the middle of the night. It’s most likely due to the sugar in the alcohol making its way through your system. Plus, when you do wake up in the morning, you’re more likely to still be tired. Who wants to drag themselves through the day just for a drink or two?
Deal with problems head-on
When you wake up foggy, tired, and sick from drinking, you can’t tackle your day the way you want to. No drinking means being able to deal with any and all issues head-on. It also means no more self-medicating with alcohol. Without that crutch, you’ll be forced to look your problems square in the eye and make them better. Sure that’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s certainly a healthy approach to life.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member