If you’re tea-total, can you tell me the benefits?

[Butterscotchsauce]

I’m leaning towards giving up, just need some inspiration to help motivate me a little more.

If you’ve given up drinking, I would love to hear what you have found to be the benefits to your life or to others around you please, thank you

Energy. Clear-headedness. Mood stability.

And no danger that drunk you will say something out loud that sober you would never.

In terms of people around me, a couple of them would still be alive if they'd managed not to drink, so there's that.

Keeps me slim, liquid calories are the worst.

I don’t need many calories because of size, age and activity. I’d rather use them on food, which I enjoy. Alcohol uses up masses of my calorie needs for the day.

I save a lot of money.

You already know that alcohol is detrimental to health and skin appearance.

I have good health, don't spend a fortune on alcohol as it would not be used ..As previous poster stated I am alive and will never do a lot of the stuff that people who do drink have done due to being clear headed. When I see the price of alcohol it amazes me.

Look in detail at what alcohol does to. your body. You are literally poisoning it and putting your organs under strain as a result as they hard to clear the toxin.

It's madness when you think about it logically!

I am not fully teetotal, but I very rarely drink eg a half glass of champagne at Christmas. I got totally out of the habit when I was pregnant, breastfeeding and having small children, and now it holds no appeal. I don't get hungover, fewer calories and no stress on my liver. And no drunk comments as per the previous poster.

Other people appreciate that I can drive them home!

Stable, don’t rely on it for confidence, can always drive, no fear of making a fool of myself, not boring!

Always in control, no hangovers, more money,
I do have the occasional wine but only very rarely with dinner. I don't particularly like the taste so one is enough for me
I have seen what alcohol does to people and I don't like it . I don't want to subject myself to that.
Alcohol changes personalities and sometimes not for the better. And it creeps up on you. I have a family member and a close friends who are alcoholics.

I was a Bacardi girl through and through. Dabbled with G&T when it became fashionable. Then I had a brain aneurysm when I was very sober. I was extremely lucky and received immediate attention but was so ill afterward the operation- and it wasn’t unlike a very bad hangover which lasted for over a week. I also realised that if I had been drinking when it happened then I may not have received the correct care.
I haven’t had an alcoholic drink in 9 years. It’s fab! I’m always clear headed, know exactly what’s going on and I don’t have to rely on others to get home. It’s also a lot cheaper because there’s no desire to ‘just have another!’ There are many alcohol free options in bars these days so it’s not just a choice between Coke or lemonade. It’s just a way of life now - no biggy.

Cost and calories. I do occasionally drink, but probably under 5 units a year, and I do use alcohol in cooking. I work in healthcare and a seeing increasing numbers of young people (as in 20s and 30s, not kids), particularly women, with alcoholic cirrhosis so there’s that. We are also seeing more alcohol related avn of the hips.

Best skin I’ve ever had my whole life, easier to maintain my physique, way more energy and emotional clarity. Anxiety levels way lower. Easier perimenopause. Basically everything!

I trult believe alcohol free people are way hotter☺️

Losing that awful morning anxiety and rumination on what did I say, do, etc. Even after only a couple of drinks I would wake jittery and I don’t miss that at all.

Saved loads of money.

Saved calories which helped weight loss.

My skin and eyes look way better, I have better quality sleep and i'm slimmer.

Mentally I have far less anxiety and I'm more conscious when stress comes visiting and I don't numb it all with an evening drink, think it makes me feel more present.

Did sober October and dry january for a couple of years, and then not drinking became the norm.

No issues sleeping
No hangovers
Clear headed
Convenient - I can always drive if I want to
Setting a good example to my teen (his dad has gone the other way)
Money saved

I'm not completely t-total. I have maybe 6 glasses a year - xmas, new year, my birthday, maybe a wedding reception. The first glass of wine always tastes lovely, crisp and clear, the second tastes sour and I just don't want it.

It's a happy compromise. I can join in with a toast and then revert to water. 🙂

Im not teetotal but I’m finding that I’m making the choice more to not drink when I go out. I don’t drink on a daily or weekly basis though so I’m a social drinker. It’s not something I would have done when I was younger, I felt like I had to drink when I went out. I wonder if it’s an age thing as I'm almost 50, plus it takes so much longer to get over the hangover now!

Felling of control. I hated drinking alcoholic stuff just because that is what people do.

Now I drink very rarely and very little, only when I specifically want it (half a glass to taste a wine).

In my (EU) country there has been a huge rise of non alcoholic beer, both alle style and radler style. It shows that many people don't really want to drink alcohol all the time, once they have a proper choice.

No wasted days feeling crap
no anxiety I’ve upset someone saying something I shouldn’t
Cost
being able to drive
clear head for the kids (although they are teens now) So make sensible choices - like not staying out because I’m pissed and want to when they want to go home.

I didn’t enjoy it anymore. The one thing I miss is the feeling less self conscious thing, I don’t miss feeling drunk but I miss feeling self conscious if I’m out - but that’s just me and general anxiety I think

So worried about cirrhosis of the liver. I watched a panorama where the presenter was diagnosed with it and she was so young and never knew she had a problem- scary and one of the reasons I’m considering stopping

I lost 3 stone when I stopped drinking.

For me it’s been completely life changing in every single way, all of them for the better. I’ve been in AA for getting on for 20 years though and as we say “you can have alcohol - or you can have everything else”.

Keeps me slim, always in control, saves money, my arteries thank me

Alcohol is literal poison, it’s so bad for you and increases your chances of many diseases. It’s also expensive and makes you feel like shit the next day. It’s just not worth it. I’ve not drank in maybe 3 years now and I’ll never go back. It’ll become your norm really quickly!

For me the benefits are the huge reduction in breast cancer risk. Been there, done that, it was shit, don't want a repeat.