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| Dry January: I spent a year without alcohol | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Exactly one year ago I set out on a personal challenge - I decided to stop drinking alcohol for the entirety of 2024. | Exactly one year ago I set out on a personal challenge - I decided to stop drinking alcohol for the entirety of 2024. |
| It was a decision spurred on by curiosity. What would life be like without a pint after work with friends, a glass of wine at the weekends and celebratory fizz on special occasions? | It was a decision spurred on by curiosity. What would life be like without a pint after work with friends, a glass of wine at the weekends and celebratory fizz on special occasions? |
| I don't know what I expected. At 25, alcohol was built into my life. It was synonymous with socialising. How would its absence change things? | I don't know what I expected. At 25, alcohol was built into my life. It was synonymous with socialising. How would its absence change things? |
| Dry January ended as quickly as it arrived. The first month was easy as so many others around me were also not drinking. | Dry January ended as quickly as it arrived. The first month was easy as so many others around me were also not drinking. |
| I threw myself into the world of non-alcoholic alternatives. From wine to spirit alternatives, I was sampling as many as I could find (or afford - some are quite expensive). | I threw myself into the world of non-alcoholic alternatives. From wine to spirit alternatives, I was sampling as many as I could find (or afford - some are quite expensive). |
| I went to a bar that exclusively served soft drinks, and convinced myself the next 11 months would be easy. | I went to a bar that exclusively served soft drinks, and convinced myself the next 11 months would be easy. |
| To begin with, I threw myself into the world of non-alcoholic alternatives in the somewhat desperate hope that I would find something to replace wine | To begin with, I threw myself into the world of non-alcoholic alternatives in the somewhat desperate hope that I would find something to replace wine |
| Then came February and March, and I realised that my desire to drink was harder to quell than I thought. | Then came February and March, and I realised that my desire to drink was harder to quell than I thought. |
| I was chasing the feeling that I got after a glass of wine, and I found myself regularly day-dreaming about drinking again. | I was chasing the feeling that I got after a glass of wine, and I found myself regularly day-dreaming about drinking again. |
| Months two and three were where willpower came in. I'm stubborn enough to stick to my word - but it was tough. | Months two and three were where willpower came in. I'm stubborn enough to stick to my word - but it was tough. |
| I spoke to scientists about their research into replicating the buzz from alcohol, hoping to discover exactly why I enjoyed drinking in the first place. | I spoke to scientists about their research into replicating the buzz from alcohol, hoping to discover exactly why I enjoyed drinking in the first place. |
| I found out about the impact of alcohol on the brain, and how drinks were being developed to replicate that | I found out about the impact of alcohol on the brain, and how drinks were being developed to replicate that |
| By April, things were getting easier. Instead of a glass of wine after work, I was focused on a routine of weightlifting, running and swimming. | By April, things were getting easier. Instead of a glass of wine after work, I was focused on a routine of weightlifting, running and swimming. |
| At one point I thought about training for a triathlon. That lasted about a week. | At one point I thought about training for a triathlon. That lasted about a week. |
| But I was feeling consistently healthier. I was waking up earlier and reclaiming my weekends. No longer lying in bed with a hangover gifted by Beelzebub, I felt fantastic. | But I was feeling consistently healthier. I was waking up earlier and reclaiming my weekends. No longer lying in bed with a hangover gifted by Beelzebub, I felt fantastic. |
| In the gym my recovery times felt quicker, and my face began changing. Cheekbones made an appearance and inflammation disappeared. | In the gym my recovery times felt quicker, and my face began changing. Cheekbones made an appearance and inflammation disappeared. |
| I can't claim to have experienced overwhelming health benefits. I was fairly fit to begin with, and I remain so. But notable differences included better sleep and skin. | I can't claim to have experienced overwhelming health benefits. I was fairly fit to begin with, and I remain so. But notable differences included better sleep and skin. |
| I remained in a continued state of good health throughout the year. | I remained in a continued state of good health throughout the year. |
| I had one cold that lasted five days following a flight, and one sore throat after eating sweets coughed on by a sick child (how I expected immunity I do not know), but no other illness. | I had one cold that lasted five days following a flight, and one sore throat after eating sweets coughed on by a sick child (how I expected immunity I do not know), but no other illness. |
| Research has found that heavy drinking weakens the immune system. Did alcohol's absence in my life help me stay healthy? | Research has found that heavy drinking weakens the immune system. Did alcohol's absence in my life help me stay healthy? |
| By spring, I was in a regular routine of weightlifting, running and swimming | By spring, I was in a regular routine of weightlifting, running and swimming |
| Summer rolled around, full of celebrations, and I was thrown into a world of socialising without alcohol. | Summer rolled around, full of celebrations, and I was thrown into a world of socialising without alcohol. |
| I tried clubbing. Never again. But live music gigs and festivals were fantastic. No longer using those events as an opportunity to drink cider as quickly as a child with a carton of juice, I was focused instead on the friends around me. | I tried clubbing. Never again. But live music gigs and festivals were fantastic. No longer using those events as an opportunity to drink cider as quickly as a child with a carton of juice, I was focused instead on the friends around me. |
| I enjoyed the music more, and I felt more present. Birthday parties came and went, and I discovered what it was to really be in the room with the people I love. | I enjoyed the music more, and I felt more present. Birthday parties came and went, and I discovered what it was to really be in the room with the people I love. |
| At music festivals, I relied on a bag of Jelly Babies in my handbag followed by a late-night coffee to keep my energy levels up. | At music festivals, I relied on a bag of Jelly Babies in my handbag followed by a late-night coffee to keep my energy levels up. |
| I also learned when to say no to events I would have typically persevered with, previously leaning on alcohol to help me socialise when I wasn't in the mood. | I also learned when to say no to events I would have typically persevered with, previously leaning on alcohol to help me socialise when I wasn't in the mood. |
| Birthdays were less centred around alcohol, and more of a time to appreciate loved ones | Birthdays were less centred around alcohol, and more of a time to appreciate loved ones |
| By this point, I was no longer thinking of alcohol, or its alternatives. I'd stopped chasing the buzz and had picked a few drinks I could reliably find in pub fridges: ginger beer, tonic and ice, or a Diet Coke if all else failed. | By this point, I was no longer thinking of alcohol, or its alternatives. I'd stopped chasing the buzz and had picked a few drinks I could reliably find in pub fridges: ginger beer, tonic and ice, or a Diet Coke if all else failed. |
| If I didn't have to maintain a gluten-free diet, I probably would have enjoyed alcohol-free beer but this wasn't an option for me. | If I didn't have to maintain a gluten-free diet, I probably would have enjoyed alcohol-free beer but this wasn't an option for me. |
| I kept a bag of Jelly Babies in my handbag at music festivals to keep my energy levels up | I kept a bag of Jelly Babies in my handbag at music festivals to keep my energy levels up |
| By autumn, the absence of alcohol in my life was the norm. In fact, I had begun to consider it to be the least interesting thing about me. | By autumn, the absence of alcohol in my life was the norm. In fact, I had begun to consider it to be the least interesting thing about me. |
| Friends and colleagues would ask me about it more often that I thought about it myself. It was simply no longer in my life. | Friends and colleagues would ask me about it more often that I thought about it myself. It was simply no longer in my life. |
| What I was learning was how to manage difficult situations and emotions without resorting to alcohol. | What I was learning was how to manage difficult situations and emotions without resorting to alcohol. |
| Not drinking alcohol became the least interesting thing about me | Not drinking alcohol became the least interesting thing about me |
| I didn't need it to relax, I had other ways of enjoying my downtime. Drinking alcohol wasn't a treat at the end of a hard day, nor was it the celebration of a good day. | I didn't need it to relax, I had other ways of enjoying my downtime. Drinking alcohol wasn't a treat at the end of a hard day, nor was it the celebration of a good day. |
| And I certainly didn't need it to have a good time. I've deepened friendships and done far more karaoke than I expected without alcohol playing a part. | And I certainly didn't need it to have a good time. I've deepened friendships and done far more karaoke than I expected without alcohol playing a part. |
| Above all, I was happier. Life felt less turbulent. I was on an even keel, and I liked it. | Above all, I was happier. Life felt less turbulent. I was on an even keel, and I liked it. |
| As the year drew to a close, many people asked me whether I would drink again. | As the year drew to a close, many people asked me whether I would drink again. |
| By now, I had completely changed my relationship with alcohol. | By now, I had completely changed my relationship with alcohol. |
| When the year's challenge began, I pictured that celebratory pop of champagne as the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. | When the year's challenge began, I pictured that celebratory pop of champagne as the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. |
| I imagined the feeling of bubbles meeting my lips, and the dry tang of wine on the back of my throat. | I imagined the feeling of bubbles meeting my lips, and the dry tang of wine on the back of my throat. |
| Part of me wants to try it again. Another part doesn't fancy the hangover. | Part of me wants to try it again. Another part doesn't fancy the hangover. |
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