I’m not one of those people who has chosen to do it for the impact or to make a statement. Nor have I done it because I’m a recovering alcoholic and have been told under no circumstances am I to touch the stuff. As some people ‘grow out’ of clothing, I found alcohol to be an awkward fit with me. I made the very easy decision to not drink and I’ve never felt so good! It was the best decision I’ve ever made and here is why I will continue to avoid drinking anything alcoholic again.

I Feel So Healthy!

Without alcohol in my system every weekend I feel a lot fresher and healthier within myself. After deciding to stop drinking, I joined the gym too. Now my week days after work are filled with gym routines, as opposed to bar visits. This may not be to everybody’s taste but I’d much rather spend a couple of hours letting off some steam by exercising, knowing it’s going to benefit my body, than downing shots of Sambuca and instantly regretting it the next day. I feel ready for work on Monday mornings too, which many people don’t if they experience a hangover that lasts a couple of days. All in all, I just feel great! Many people my age binge drink, which can cause blackouts and memory lapses. Whilst this may seem like an amusing story to tell your friends the next day, it actually causes irreversible damage to your brain which will affect you later on in life.

I Save Lots Of Money!

Unless you live in Cardiff and enjoy 99p drinks every night, which is something I was told is a regular occurrence by somebody who goes to University there, drinking alcohol is an expensive pastime. I cannot describe the amount of money I save on a weekly basis by not going out and abusing my debit card in my local. It’s so easy for me to save up for the things I want, such as a new flat, a nice little holiday and eventually…a little French Bulldog! I’d much rather be able to pay for luxuries that make me happy, as opposed to flushing my money down the toilet (along with my morals…)

My Morals Are Never Questionable!

Now I’m not saying that every single person who drinks alcohol takes part in stupid decisions but I’m guessing that the majority do. Whether it’s that person’s face you sucked on for the whole night or those horrendous pictures that appear on Facebook the next day, these are all downsides to going on a night out. Anything that falls into this category is something I definitely am glad to be rid of!

I Don’t Experience The Hangover Blues

Hangovers are the worst part about drinking. I used to get such awful headaches the next day and would often be immobile for at least two days. I realised that I was completely wasting my weekend, especially since all I was doing was inhaling greasy food at an alarming rate and moping around on the sofa. Now that I’m able to get up early (within reason) on the weekend, I can fit in lots of interesting and fun activities to my days off work. It’s great to actually feel like I’m doing productive things on a Saturday or Sunday and it helps me to wind down from the week, whilst still allowing my brain to function properly. On top of this, I’ve been battling with depression and anxiety for quite a number of years now. Drinking alcohol always used to heighten my anxiety, whilst making me experience the symptoms of depression more regularly. Without alcohol in my life, I’ve been able to master my behaviour and feelings when periods of depression and anxiety do set in. This has been such a massive change for me and it’s definitely helped my mental health, as well as my physical health.

I Can Catch Up With My Friends Properly

It may just be me but there’s nothing intimate about shouting in each other’s faces whilst on the dance floor of a club. You can call me boring or old-fashioned but I really enjoy sitting and having a good old chin-wag with my friends and loved ones to see what they’ve been up to. With social media increasing with prominence in the way people interact, I think that conversations are becoming shallower. I’d much rather have an evening in with somebody and actually talk. For me, the world is way too impersonal. No matter what anybody says, you don’t need to be a ‘social drinker’ to fit in with your friends and to have a good time. If this is the reason you are drinking alcohol, many Psychologists would argue that your self-confidence has become dependent on the silly-juice.

Think of me what you will. Whilst many of you who read this will be avid drinkers and will think I’m talking absolute nonsense. I urge you to cut down on the amount you drink and see how different you feel. Once you begin to see an increase in the amount of money you have left over at the end of the week and you can feel the positive impact on your body, you will think back to this article and see the logic in everything I’ve said.