A booze free 2024

You don’t have to drink. I know, mind-blowing right? Cultural norms had me believe that alcohol was intrinsic to celebrating, commiserating and generally coping with life’s curve balls - utter BS. Across the 12 months, good, bad and sad things happened, but I learned to ‘feel all the feels’ and navigate them without a wine in my hand – who knew?!

‘Everybody drinks’ is a myth. When I was ‘plugged’ into the Matrix, all I could see was drinkers. I’d cultivated a belief that everyone was at it, while spectacularly failing to notice the squillions of people who actively avoid/dislike alcohol. After my ‘unplugging’, non-drinkers were suddenly all around.

Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and glorious at the end. In truth, the first quarter was tricky. I felt ‘othered’ at social events and furiously planned what I was going to drink, what I was going to say, and that all-important emergency exit strategy. The next few months, I spent time doing what I genuinely liked (brunch, running, hanging with my dogs) and simply avoided the rest. Towards the end of the year, I felt safe and comfortable in every situation, including a glitzy (read: boozy) Christmas Do in London. For extra smug points, I did a 5k run round Hyde Park the morning after, it was magical.

I became consistent with EVERYTHING. Previously, what I said and what I did were two different things. I’d be an advocate for athleticism and avocadoes and then take giant steps backwards at the bar. Now I am in improved alignment. I don’t skip meetings, workouts, nutrition, or catch-ups with friends. I’m more reliable, dependable and certainly in better physical shape.

The eight-day week. I’d heard it mentioned on many alcohol-free podcasts - this mystical eighth day of the week - and it’s true. Remove a fuzzy few hours here and a fuzzy few hours there, and you gain what feels like a bonus day to get stuff done. Productivity genuinely soars which, mixed with mental clarity, is a potent formula for high performance.

Holidays are better sober. That’s a phrase I never thought I’d write. In 2024, I spent a week in Gran Canaria, another in Costa Blanca, screamed at Take That in Seville, and took minibreaks to Bilbao, San Sebastian, Marbella and London. Gran Canaria was the earliest and the hardest – refusing a welcome cava felt especially alien – but by Take That in July I was well into my sober stride. Remove the booze and you have extra energy to exercise, explore and adventure. Oh, and you don’t need a holiday to recover from the holiday.

Education trumps willpower. Willpower alone will not get you sober. Like all ‘emotions’, it ebbs and flows and cannot be relied upon when you need it the most. Instead, I dived headfirst into quit lit, podcasts, sober Instagram and scientific research. The more I learned, the more alcohol gave me the ‘ick’ and the less I wanted to touch it. BTW, if you see a positive article telling you red wine is good for you (it categorically isn’t) or bars are essential for community, trust me, the Big Alcohol PR machine is behind it.

Alcohol is REALLY bad for you. I knew about liver disease and could sense the toxicity of a hangover, but had no idea of the extent of alcohol’s harms until I educated myself on the subject. Alcohol is a water- and fat-soluble toxin, meaning it can penetrate every cell of the body, potentially causing widespread damage to brain and body - even with low-to-moderate consumption. The World Health Organisation classifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen (alongside asbestos and tobacco) as it directly causes seven types of cancer, including breast, bowel, mouth, and liver. This is why Governments ask individuals to drink responsibly – whatever that means.

Connections are deeper. Alcohol is hailed as a miracle social lubricant but, aside from removing initial awkwardness/anxiety, it’s actually a barrier to authentic friendships. Drinkers tend to be incredibly good at talking, but not so good at listening, and a deep conversation needs both. I’ve built stronger connections based on mutual respect and understanding, rather than simply a shared penchant for booze.

Community is key. When the wine witch appears on your shoulder, telling you to ‘just have one’ because you ‘weren’t that bad anyway’, it’s nice to have the backing of a likeminded community. I’m in a WhatsApp group of alcohol-free buddies and have curated my Instagram feed to feature dozens of sober positive accounts. They help keep me on track and remind me why I started this challenge in the first place.

Sobriety is not boring. I can tell you what is boring: drunk people invading your personal space and talking nonsense on a repetitive loop. Oh, and hangovers, they’re super boring. Having a clear head and an equally clear conscience is far from boring. In fact, it’s rockstar cool - own it.

Sobriety is contagious. I’ve intentionally been ‘out and proud’ with my sober journey, partly to keep me accountable and partly to see if I could take anyone else along for the ride. I’m tickled pink when I get DMs saying I’ve inspired them to question their complicated relationship with alcohol. Makes it all worthwhile.

Change one thing, change everything. In all honesty, removing alcohol is just the first step. The adventure that follows is the important bit: finding clarity, re-discovering who you are, what you’re passionate about, and designing your future life to suit. It’s a process, and you must ‘do the work’ (I never knew what that meant, I do now) but it’s worth it. Remember, this isn’t about quitting, it’s about gaining. Don’t focus on the sacrifice, focus on the wins - better health, energy, finances, relationships – and enjoy the ride.

So, I completed my Dry 2024 challenge – what happened next? In the words of sober influencer Matt Pink, now I am outside the jar I can clearly read the label and cannot think of one good reason to drink. I’ve navigated birthdays, holidays, Christmas, and more, while riding that sober train and have no plans to jump off – must be music to my gut bacteria’s ears.