Derek Kedziora writing about giving up alcohol a few months also.

I was never a daily drinker, but I was always had one beer too many at parties and heavily relied on a bit of alcohol for confidence and getting through awkward social situations.

After drawing back and consuming much less for a while, it’s been a little over a month since I decided to give up alcohol. I had written a long post about this, but read Derek’s post above yesterday, and it distilled most of my thoughts into a paragraph.

In the UK, alcohol consumption has a strange place in society. It’s seen as something you just do as an adult. Stressed, get a beer. Feel a bit down, get a beer. Want to have fun, alcohol is involved somewhere. Even though I’ve never had an issue with alcohol, this is where my issue is. It’s an avoidance technique to dealing with difficult feelings and isn’t the solution.

So, I feel better. My mental health is better. I’ve lost a bit of weight and I just feel better in myself. I’ve had just two drinks since Boxing Day and I feel great.