Seven Months Alcohol-Free — It’s Not Been Easy

Here’s how it’s going

Seven months of refraining from the thing that used to give me so much pleasure.

A glass of wine used to be the thing that gave me joy, something to bond over, and a way of making friends. I thought my personality was dull without it.

Eventually though, I realised it wasn’t doing me any favours.

When I tried to cut down, I noticed the negative patterns more easily.

I noticed my anxiety increasing in the days following drinking alcohol

I noticed the miserable feelings I felt with no reasons coming to mind

I noticed the sensitivities in my stomach

I noticed the self-doubt I had after I had been on a night out

Summer makes it harder to quit

I chose January to quit because I knew the first few months would offer little temptation.

As soon as the sun came out and I took the dog to my local park, I saw people sat around drinking a cold cider with friends.

It made me nostalgic.

I knew from then that I would find the summer the most difficult. That it would give me more temptation than I’d had so far.

I was right, but it’s not just seeing people out drinking that makes me nostalgic. Social media is the enemy when it comes to knowing life is better without alcohol.

Seeing people on holidays, out with friends, and at festivals filling up my social media feeds makes it hard to remember why I’m doing it.

I know I can survive the summer, and many of the usual fun events, without alcohol. My thirtieth birthday is one of the events that I’ll be doing sober this year.

When people realise I’m continuing with the sobriety even during this milestone, I’m often looked at with confusion.

I’ll be sober on my birthday and still be sober afterward.

Taking the full year to stay sober was with the intention of being put into every situation. Birthdays, weddings, work drinks, and Christmas. Being in every situation and knowing I can handle it sober is why a year had to be the goal for me.

My summer is looking a little different this year

And not just because I’ve given up drinking.

Saving to buy a house means we’re not doing much in the way of fun this summer. This means I often sat wishing I was out drinking like other people are.

I feel like I’m missing out.

In reality, I would feel like this whether I’m drinking or not. Perhaps a glass of wine would help me forget for a minute that I’m not on some exciting holiday.

But it wouldn’t help.

That one glass of wine would lead to another and another. They would lead to low moods, increased anxiety, and a more miserable time.

Those fun nights out would be short-lived, and I’d remember only a little of them. What’s to come after would be far worse.

Not drinking is helping me save for a house

On the other side of things, not drinking means saving money is becoming easier.

If I were trying to buy a house while still drinking, I certainly wouldn’t be saving as much as my money would be drifting away toward one bottle of wine after another.

Being able to save more is just one positive about not drinking for seven months.

Remembering my reasons for doing this helps to keep me on track

To feel less anxious

To improve my mood

To realise I can have fun without it

To focus on hobbies that are better for my health

To clear my head

To gain more self-confidence

To not have to deal with hangovers

To be in control of myself all the time

To not worry about saying the wrong thing

To feel healthier

To realise I don’t need it

Remembering why always helps. It’s gotten me seven months in so far, and here’s to another seven months.

To not let social media influence how I feel about quitting drinking.

To not let the fear of missing out from comparing my life to others change my track to a year of sobriety.

To focus on all of the reasons why I quit in the first place and remembering how far I’ve come from the first month.