Today is the 100th day since I last had an alcoholic drink.
I’ve never been what you would call a problem drinker, just someone who had a regular beer or vodka and coke. I’ve never crashed a car drunk or badly affected the lives of those around me, but I’d started to notice a few things:
- During the pandemic lockdown, drinking that had been “weekends only” grew without trying into “almost every day”
- Even drinking a modest amount of alcohol was resulting in a pretty bad hangover. Most of the next day written off
- While the highs of that first drink were undeniable, so were the lows which inevitably followed
So I decided enough was enough and stopped for a while. The results? No hangovers and my mental health is substantially better. The highs and lows have sort of ironed out to a general feeling of wellbeing (most of the time).
What else have I learned through 100 days of sobriety?
- The hardest thing about not drinking is other people’s expectations that you should. Some folk just don’t get that you’re happier without a drink
- The current range of low-alcohol beers make not drinking much easier than it’s been in the past
- Not drinking hasn’t held me back in any way. I’ve had some tremendous nights out including dancing and even karaoke! Just without the illness and anxiety the next morning.
- Drinking DEFINITELY has a pronounced negative effect on my mental health
Am I going to go back to drinking again? I don’t know. Saying never again seems to be too much of a big step right now, but I think I’ll try to do a whole year booze-free.
Drinking is a very personal thing and I don’t post this to judge anyone. I know that some people are fine with it and I’ve also seen first-hand that some are definitely not.
But for me though, I’m happier at the moment without drinking and I’m keen to see how long that can continue.
mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealth #wellbeing
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