I’ve given up alcohol. And I didn’t have a problem in the first place.

People tend to do “I’ve given up alcohol because I had a problem with it” posts quite often. But for me, it isn't the case.

I’ve never been addicted to it, never needed it - but I don’t want it anymore.
I thought I’d give a little context and how I lead to my decision.

I started drinking in my teens, when I was about 14 (living in a pub when you’re a teenager is quite helpful in being able to ‘just take some of these alcopops as they’re out of date’. Thanks mum & dad 😅). My friends and I would go to the local park like the classy beings we were, and just be teenagers whilst drinking a variety of beverages that we didn’t really like (apart from WKD’s, Smirnoff Ice’s & Mad Dog 20/20 - oh and Sourz. That was a right treat). Teens being teens, we lived for the weekends and summer holidays when we could drink and have fun.

Since then, I knew that alcohol didn’t change me in terms of my personality. I just laughed more, maybe cried sometimes - but in general I was a happy drunk.

In my late teens and early twenties park life turned into pub & club life. Most weekends we again would go out, maybe a Friday, or Saturday - or both, and then be hungover for a day and then the week started with our part time jobs and dossing around in college or whatever we were doing. Oh bless us with such little responsibilities.

Throughout this time, I very much remained a happy, merry drunk and always have been to be honest. On the odd occasion around a hard time in life such as grieving - I may have had some crying drunk times - but hey, alcohol is a depressant - it was bound to happen!

In my early twenties I also got into fitness, so the ‘every weekend drinking’ started getting less as I would rather be at the gym. I still enjoyed the odd weekend out or drinking with my friends at each others houses over the years but the hangovers got worse and I felt my time was being wasted.

I’m not sure if it was around the time my Nana and then my Auntie passed away within a year of each other - that I really had a ‘life is too short’ mantra in my head. I hated wasting time. And for me, a waste of time was feeling hungover and unable to do anything the day after a night of drinking.

In my late 20s into my 30s I was drinking probably every few months, and every hangover I felt just wasn’t worth it. So I started drinking less in total.

Then around this time last year, I had an evening with my cousins at my house and I drank an obscene amount of Prosecco. I passed out, threw up and then passed out again and woke up the following day feeling absolutely horrendous. In fact it was one of my top 3 worst hangovers (and that’s saying something). I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t even move out of the bed. And usually I’m a functioning hungover person able to walk the dogs at least. But no, nothing. My main feeling was guilt for harming my body. Again I was a happy drunk - had a blast, but this hangover was unreal. I knew how hard my liver was working trying to detoxify my body from the poison, and it was like a switch was once and for all, flicked. I vowed to myself to never do that to my body again.

Since then, I’ve had the odd beer in the summer or out for dinner but this year so far all I’ve had is non alcoholic drinks. And you know what? I can still have a good time.
I think when we are younger, we use alcohol as a confidence booster. You wouldn’t have caught me dancing in the Corn Exchange or Twilight Zone (absolute throwback for us Camborne 90’s kids I know), stone cold sober! But these days, I don’t go out clubbing, and if I’m at a wedding or any other event, I have a right nice time enjoying it all with everyone without having to get inebriated. The top brands make zero percent alcohol drinks now, so it’s not like I’d be stood there with a glass of water in my hand - non alcoholic drinks are no longer boring to drink! I love a Corona Zero haha.

In all honesty, I don’t enjoy the feeling of even getting tipsy anymore, I hate hangovers with a passion and since really honing in on my health and levelling up my knowledge - it’s been a huge eye opener to how damaging alcohol really is for us internally. I saw a quote the other day along the lines of saying alcohol is the only drug that is widely celebrated. It’s so true - hard day at work? Go have a glass or bottle of wine or a beer. Celebrating a birthday, wedding, funeral - all includes alcohol. It’s the norm. And people in the long term will be so much healthier without it.

I’m honestly not being all ‘I’m so great as I don’t drink alcohol' - this is literally my observation and own decision. Everyone makes their own choices and that is absolutely fine. My family enjoy a drink too! It’s normal. But I am happy with my decision, I feel better in myself for not drinking alcohol. I’m not saying I’ll never have another drink ever again, but I’m really not bothered anymore.

Note: I’m in no way giving advice, just a reason behind my most recent decision, based on wanting to improve my health. There are heaps of good blogs and accounts to follow on Instagram for getting sober and cutting alcohol out of your life if you decide to do so :)