Living without liquor

Some people compliment me like this is a huge feat, living without alcohol. Other people look at me like it’s totally crazy, how could I possibly live without drinking?!

Let me just tell you, since making the decision to stop drinking I’ve been really pleased. And I’ve learned a few things in my 583 days without booze. That’s 1 year, 7 months and 8 days.


I’m going to preface this by saying that I never had a problem with drinking. I really just grew out of it and had no desire to put my body through the harsh consequences anymore. Weight gain, hangovers and lack of sleep are a few obvious ones. Poisoning your body may seem less obvious but as far as I’m concerned, that is exactly what is happening.

Life without liquor is just great. When I don’t get drunk I don’t get hung over. My bank account doesn’t take a beating every weekend. And when I can see clearly I make choices I can be proud of. Plus, let’s be real, I like virgin Caesars more than real ones anyway.

As it turns out I can have just as much fun when I’m sober too. All my friends still drink, which is fine, but we can all still enjoy ourselves together. I will admit that it’s nice having someone else around that doesn’t drink either though and I’ve found that in Ryan. We both have a great time chatting and laughing and taking part in whatever is going on around us. I still play drinking games, taking shots of juice when it’s my turn. We still say “cheers” and clink our glasses of water when we sit around the table. Life is just the same, only better.

Just like I can still go spend time at friend’s houses while other people are drinking, I also still enjoy going to pubs for food. I don’t feel the need to avoid these kinds of places because temptation isn’t an issue, other people drinking doesn’t bother me and I absolutely love eating pub fare!! Not to mention playing pool and especially darts!

I can happily say that I can still enjoy all the best parts of a “drinking lifestyle” without ever touching alcohol, and I’m really excited about that!