Why I’m No Longer Drinking Alcohol

Dry January was just an excuse

At the start of the year, like most people, I felt like I needed to have some new year resolutions. Something big. Actionable. Dramatic.

My gut feeling told me that I should try to quit alcohol.

It’s not that I was drinking a lot anymore, but I often found myself having one drink, socially, and then wishing I hadn’t.

True, one drink is no big deal. I don’t feel drunk. I can’t quite say that it noticeably impacts my sleep. Except, I know it does.

The social stigma of not drinking

I wanted to quit drinking altogether, but it felt dramatic. Could I really do it? Had I thought it through? I do love cocktails, and peated whiskey, and sparking wine, and dry red wine…why am I suddenly giving them up?

What stressed me out the most is how I would communicate this to other people. Would they understand? Would I need to justify myself? It shouldn’t matter, but we are social beings, and I haven’t mastered the art of not giving a fuck at all, so it mattered.

Luckily, there was the socially accepted concept of Dry January. It’s a thing. Many people did it. So, I figured if I said I was doing Dry January, people would get it. No one would question…