Why I Quit Drinking

Drinking is so ingrained into our culture. It consumes every event, celebration, social evening and honestly, I have no idea why. This Christmas will mark 2 years since I last had an alcoholic drink of any kind and I'm going to explain why I'll never drink again.

When I tell people about this, it usually gets a wide array of responses. The most common being why I stopped and the assumption that I had a big problem with drinking. I didn't have a problem, but I just couldn't help but notice all the downsides and began to question why I was doing it. I got to a point where I genuinely didn't enjoy it anymore and could feel my clarity drifting in my riding, and just generally in day to day life. I had and still have some big goals and I felt that this was only holding me back. The negatives outweighed the positives. The guilt outweighed the pleasure, and I was finally honest enough with myself to admit it. 

There are also a few common pushbacks I get in response. Why don't you just have one? What do you do for fun then? So I'll tackle each one individually. I don't just have one because there is literally no benefit. If I'm not going to drink enough to feel anything, then I may as well grab a soft drink. The only reason to have just one would be to feel like I fit in. But I was very much ok not fitting in and not folding my values for other people. And what do I do for fun then? I honestly think this question is concerning for the person asking. I can find plenty of fun in my life without the need for a temporary substitute with side effects. If drinking was my only source of fun, I think I'd just feel lost.

A strategy that I found helpful to resist temptation was to substitute it with a different drink in social situations. This avoids 80% of the social awkwardness straight away. Drunk people don't care about what you're drinking. They care if you're exposing their habits. Given that most of the difficulty I had was social expectations rather than personal cravings, having less questions about the matter really helped. Another strategy was setting a goal. I started with 1 year and treated it as almost an experiment to see how I'd feel. I gave myself full permission to drink again after a year but by that time I didn't want to at all.

So today I'm pretty much at the point where everyone knows I don't drink, I don't really go out too often, and I'm focused on other things that bring me a lot more peace. I feel sharper, more aware and I have no doubt I have saved a load of time and money. I still find it interesting how socially acceptable it is and I think that's the hardest part. Breaking free of the cycle that people just slip into so easily. Potentially putting distance between yourself and others. But I would definitely encourage people to at the very least take a step back, see this substance for what it is and really be honest about whether or not it is adding to your life. Whether or not you're willing to put aside your goals for a fun night out. I'm not.