Finding a healthier relationship with alcohol

I’ve recently taken some time off booze – 12 weeks to be exact. Not that I am counting.

I’ll be honest, it was a very merry Christmas, and by Hogmanay I was fed up. The build-up to the festive break was filled with events, mostly involving too much alcohol, and by the end of the month, which was capped off in pubs I hadn’t been to since I left school and with friends that I tend only to see around that odd period between Boxing Day and Hogmanay, I was feeling worse for wear.  

Alcohol has negatively affected many people in my family, and more and more I find myself thinking about the impact alcohol can have long term. In that period, I could see the short-term physical and mental manifestations of overindulgence, a bit of extra weight, bad sleep, and heightened anxiousness. It was nothing serious, but it led me to read a bit deeper about the links with cancer and alcohol, and that scared me.

Thankfully, I’m not usually such a heavy drinker, however, that month was enough to want to make a lasting change.

It’s the longest period I have gone without drinking since I started over 10 years ago, which doesn’t sit particularly well with me as I think about it now. I also increased my exercise considerably, spending six days in the gym, swimming three days per week, and cutting all the rubbish out of my diet.  

Aside from the increased exercise, which helped with the extra pounds I gained, I was having the best sleep I’ve had in years and my general happiness improved massively. It became clear to me there’s a big difference between consistent eight-hours of sleep off booze than when I was having a few drinks most weekends with the one or two big nights sprinkled in amongst that per month. 

Initially, I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy social events as much. But that wasn’t the case: dinners with friends, birthdays, even a nightclub (which is rare) were great fun sober. However, the confused looks I’d get when I explained I wasn’t drinking in February and March and the insistence from some that I get a drink was annoying. 

Truth be told I’m still a bit frustrated with some people’s response during the three months. But maybe it shouldn’t have been too surprising. According to Alcohol Focus Scotland, which surveyed alcohol behaviours in 2021, 45 per cent of Scots say they feel like they need a justification not to drink in social situations. I think that shows as a country we have a cultural problem with alcohol.

In my case, the assumption from others was that you need alcohol to have a good time. And that’s really worrying to me  considering almost half the country says it feels it needs an excuse not to drink when they don’t want to.

While last year Scotland saw a 15-year high of alcohol-related deaths, there may be signs that the attitude towards it is changing amongst younger people. Research by Aviva published last year found that 61 per cent of 18–24-year-olds plan on reducing or completely stopping their consumption with the principal motivation being their health, with many reporting that alcohol had a greater impact on their physical and mental wellbeing and their sleep as they got older. 

My 12 weeks are finished, and I’ve had a few drinks since then. And while I’ve concluded it’s not something I’ll be cutting out completely, rather moderating, it’s helped me understand the importance of extended breaks, focusing on our physical and mental health, and being more cognisant of the impact alcohol has on our general wellbeing. Cheers.