Tell me about your alcohol free life

[Upthebracket22]

I am turning 50 next year, am perimenopausal and basically booze makes me feel SO shit these days! I don’t even drink much anymore and then when I do, I feel so rough.

So I am thinking of having a booze free 50th year to see what it’s like - so can you tell me your stories of being alcohol fre- it’s a big step for me!

i have read a few books like ‘unexpected joy of being sober’ etc but still a bit nervous!!

It's amazing.

More energy, better skin, better diet, a whole new lease of life now I don't drink. Immediately lost weight, too.

I don't miss it at all. That was the biggest shock!

Pretty much gave up alcohol 3 or 4 years ago after I got absolutely shit faced at an event and had a four day hangover.

Don’t miss it at all. Not even a little.

Having said that, I haven’t noticed any amazing health benefits either like glowing skin, or losing weight. The hangovers (even ‘normal’ ones that don’t last 4 days) just weren’t worth it any more.

Alcohol doesn’t even come into my brain OP. I became teetotal after a mental health breakdown but even before then I was a terrible drinker - emotional, high strung, every time ended in an argument. Hangover and feeling like death the next day too, för what?? Oh, the list of regretting what might have been said and second guessing myself. Awful.
I am a much calmer, happier, goofy person without alcohol. I have the best time without, alcohol definitely didn’t add anything to my life. I hate that feeling of losing control and embarrassing myself as well. Criiinge.

What I will say is that I barely hang out with people who drink as a result of the above - partly because I do not like drunk people (people say some nasty things!!) and partly because they feel judged by my decision not to drink. No matter how many times I say I feel worse drinking, they think I’m out to judge them. So the one downside I suppose is not being invited to drinking events. If you drive you might find yourself invited for a lift, too.

Good luck.

@Vallmo47 friendships is one of my worries to be honest - lots (the majority) of my friends drink- will I have to find a new social life?

I too haven’t noticed any amazing skin or weight loss but I do feel better and I haven’t missed it at all. Even going to Italy and Spain I didn’t think about having a glass.

I like being sober, I like having control over my actions,I like to know that I can get in the car and drive. I wouldn’t go back to drinking.

I'm not alcohol free but only drink on maybe 2 occasions a year. Its not something I think of at all never really been a crux of mine anyway.

I don't drink for no other reason than I just don't. I'm not against it in moderation. It's just not my habit to drink and it can become your habit not to drink too. Find alternatives that you like as a 'go to' instead.

I drastically reduced my alcohol intake about 5 months ago, from a bottle of wine 4 or 5 nights a week. I now have a few sips on a Fri and / or sat and that's that. Mostly nothing at all. I agree with pp, I can't say anything really has changed drastically. I lost about half a stone at first, which seems to have gone back on. The main thing for me though was mental health and it's definitely improved that. I was hungover most days of week. Never to an extreme degree but always groggy, tired and snappy. That's largely gone. And my anxiety is under control. The main thing for me that I love is how empowered I feel. I've known I needed to rein it in for several years (I'm mid forties) and I never thought I was capable of it. My dh has carried on drinking at home too, which I thought I'd never be able to handle but it's absolutely fine!

P.s Ditto to the change in friendship groups.

I have gone from drinking a lot to occasional. It doesn’t necessarily have to be totally not having it.

i used to drink a lot to self medicate mental health issues. I’m much happier now and rarely drink. Just doesn’t occur to me. And def feel much better in general life.

but I went to a 50th a couple of months ago and got quite tipsy - and interestingly it was a very different experience. I just had fun, danced a lot. And then didn’t have a mega hangover. So I think my body and kind have sort of rebalanced so that when I do occasionally drink it’s not the hellish experience it has become.

I stopped drinking completely about 4.5 years ago after nearly losing a family member to it and my perspective completely changing. It's poison that alters your personality and perceptions. What's so bad about being fully aware and being sober? You can still do all the same things as if you'd had a drink but can remember them and make better decisions. Not to mention the health benefits and cost savings.

I have a glass of wine maybe 4 times a year so I can't say I don't drink at all. But I find life so much easier since I gave up drinking. I never get hangovers, I never have the morning after paranoia, I've not lost a single friend but I have noticed that some people aren't good for me and I keep them at arms length a bit more.

Socially, took about 3 months before people stopped asking me about my not drinking. Now no one mentions it (been about 5 years) and increasingly more people I know are stopping.

I do occasionally get FOMO when I leave an event at 10 or 11pm because I'm tired and I know in the old days I'd have pushed on for another couple of hours. But really I'm grateful for a sensible bed time!

I went to a Michelin starred restaurant last week and they had a non alcoholic drink pairing. I've never seen that before but it was amazing, I was so impressed and the "sommelier" spent ages talking me through each drink, it made me feel quite special 😆

I stopped drinking almost 2 years ago. I have zero plans to restart.

No issues with friendship groups either. My friends all drink and I still go to the pub with them. I can still talk and join in stupid conversations and laugh at jokes.

I've found non alcoholic gin which is amazing. A lot of pubs now stock it too. That and a slimline tonic is my favourite going out drink.

I'm not a big fan of sugary drinks so the non alcoholic gin is perfect.

I run a blog and I'm planning to do a top 5 sober festive drinks post soon.

I haven't really had alcohol for years. Odd glass on special occasions. Hangovers become awful and I would spend the day worrying if I had embarrassed myself.

Socially can be trickier - I can enjoy an evening in a pub staying sober. Happy to go to BBQs, dinner parties etc and stay sober. I don't really go out in town because bars and clubs really aren't my scene. I think if that is what your friends do it might be harder.

It’s been three years for me and I agree with the poster above who said after a while you just don’t think about it any more. The first few months are the hardest by far. Once you get past that, it’s so much easier. Think of it as your brain kind of needed rewiring to stop booze being the default thing in so many different situations.

My skin is vastly improved and I get compliments on it all the time. I haven’t lost weight (I eat too much sugar) but I look noticeably less puffy and bloated - I can see it in photographs of myself and my husband has commented on it too. I save a tonne of money and I can drive anywhere I want without having to think about whether I’ll be safe to drive back. It’s great!

I’ve been really lucky that my friendships haven’t been affected at all. My tip would be to present it to people very firmly as a decision you’ve already made: ‘I’ve decided not to drink, please respect that’. If you invite people into the decision then they’ll start trying to persuade you otherwise. When I told people I was thinking of quitting they’d all say ‘oh you don’t need to do that, just cut down a bit’ but once I said ‘this is what’s happening’ they stopped arguing.

My best friends are those who will happily drink in front of me without making it a ‘thing’. I’ve even been on a girly all-inclusive holiday with a couple of them where they were on the cocktails all week and I was on the mocktails and we just never made a big deal over it. They weren’t getting really pissed though and I guess I might feel different if people wanted to get really hammered but thankfully none of my friends really do that any more.

I would be so interested in the top festive AF drinks please!

I went to a Michelin starred restaurant last week and they had a non alcoholic drink pairing. I've never seen that before but it was amazing, I was so impressed and the "sommelier" spent ages talking me through each drink, it made me feel quite special 😆

Omg @RNBrie Pleeeease tell me where that was? PM me if it’s too outing to say? That sounds amazing!

This.

In the last year, I think I've had four glasses of wine, all at celebratory meals. And the first glass, drunk slowly with food, has tasted lovely, but I've not wanted a second glass.

I have the odd glass maybe once or twice a year for special occasions other than I don't drink because of my medication.

I honestly prefer being sober anyway, no nasty hangovers, no wasting my days in bed feeling crap. My brain feels more with it.

My df is a functional alcoholic (he is slowly getting better but it's taken him decades) and I always knew I never wanted to be like that.

I am not 100% tee-total as I might have a glass of something fizzy at a wedding but I never drink at home now and can go 6 months plus without having a drink. I quit drinking over 10yrs ago due to a chronic illness that alcohol can make worse. I thought my life would be boring without alcohol, but couldn’t be more wrong. New hobbies are theatre, local am dram, meals with friends. Go to bed early on weekends, I got a dog, made lots of new friends. My old school friends still drink huge amounts and I have to admit I feel it’s a bit sad mid 40’s getting pissed every weekend.

I’ve stopped drinking since hitting peri menopause. I’m not saying I won’t have a glass at Xmas, but I’ve no desire to drink my more, and I’ll be having it just because.
Alcohol makes me tired next day, gives me an agitated nights sleep, and I just don’t like the way I feel out of control after 2 glasses.
I started by going one week without, then it just snowballed from there. It’s been several Weeks now and I don’t miss it.

@KindleBlanketsandmugoftea my blog is called Liz of London and you can find it through my Instagram Lizolondonwriter.

Currently doing a series on health and then will do the Xmas prep series in a few weeks.

I'm going to be raiding the alcohol free section in sainsburys soon to see what I fancy.

I already know I like Nosecco as my fizzy booze free celebration drink.

I find I have more energy and I'm less lethargic overall.
It was easy for me to reduce alcohol consumption in so far as I don't like wine and it's all that seems to be available on outings I go on (e.g. restaurants). I do like spirits but gradually stopped drinking them due to lack of opportunities. Don't miss them at all though.

I just don’t really think about alcohol in any positive way… two alcoholics in my family so it’s not something I would find much joy in. I don’t drink hardly ever - I feel better without it. Feel ill when I do drink x

I’ve had an alcohol free year. Went teetotal on New Year’s Day and havnt touched it since.

I was a weekend binge drinker.

I have experienced a stone weight loss
Slightly more energy
Clearer mind and improved mood.

The best bit is so more feelings of shame or embarrassment about what shite I’d posted on Facebook the night before