And then one day, I stopped drinking

On a sunny day in September 2023, I had my last glass of wine.

I had actually been toying with the idea of stopping drinking for a few years. The idea had been floating about since trying a Dry January which then stretched into the February. I'd done Dry January before, but that year I decided to continue because for some reason I actually liked it. It felt good and I didn't want to burst the bubble.

I forget now why I decided to go back to drinking after two months. I can guess that it was because the idea of never drinking again seemed weird, but the feeling never left me and every time I had a hangover, no matter how insignificant, I knew deep down that stopping drinking would be a good idea.

Forward to Sunday 3rd September 2023. I'm sat in my garden with a 'mini' bottle of red wine. It's a lovely sunny day. I poured out the bottle into a large glass. There was a tinge of excitement, I was looking forward to this. My treat, that would make me happy and relaxed.

As I drank the wine, I decided to be completely mindful, thinking about the smell, the taste, the way it made me feel and to compare that to the expectation I had. It tasted rather acidic not the lovely fruity taste I was expecting. Maybe it wasn't a good wine? After I had finished my glass, I felt a little lightheaded, but not giddy with joy, just a bit uncomfortable. if I was honest, I didn't feel great. Nothing like I was expecting to. There was some heartburn and my throat felt tight. And within a few minutes, I felt somewhat dehydrated. I suppose at this point I would normally have another drink, but I didn't have any more in the house. And I wanted to see how I really felt after one drink. It wasn't very often I only had one.

After half an hour, I felt tired, a bit melancholy and emotional. My cheeks were flushed.

By the time I went to bed, I thought I felt back to normal, but I didn't want to read which I had been enjoying doing on the days I didn't drink. Instead, I ended up mindlessly scrolling on social media until later than I had planned.

The anticipation of having a glass of wine seemed better than the actual experience. I was disappointed. So I decided to stop. That was my last drink.

Sounds simple right? Well, the way to stop drinking, is to just never drink again, but it isn't really that simple. If, like me, you live in the UK, you will know that it is part of our culture and heritage. It's what we do. We celebrate, commiserate, wind down, gear up, de-stress and even detox (yes we even drink on a spa day!) with alcohol. Even my 80 year old mother said "You're no fun anymore" when I told her I'd stopped drinking.

But stopping drinking has been such a positive experience for me, so I want to share that with anyone who wants to read it. Guess what? You don't have to have reached the depths of Special Brew on a park bench to find out how being alcohol free could improve your life. If this blog inspires and helps one person feel better then it will be worth it.