We asked teetotalers to share why they stopped drinking
You didn’t step foot off the dance floor for five hours straight, drank more tequila shots and jager bombs than you care (or dare) to count and passed out in the early hours of the morning. Despite your worries seeming so far away just hours before, you can’t seem to shift a feeling of dread when you finally wake up the next morning. Perhaps your heartbeat is irregular, your palms feel sweaty or you can’t stop your mind jumping to the worst case scenario.
Yes this might sound farfetched in a pandemic era of indefinite lockdowns, but if you’ve ever experienced ‘hangxiety’, then we’re sure this is all too familiar. As explained on Healthline, when you drink this causes your blood alcohol level to rise, leading to a spike in feelings of excitement and relaxation. This is why you might be feeling great after one or two drinks, and your troubles appear to have drifted off into the distance. Yet it’s what happens next that’s the problem: as blood alcohol levels start to fall, feelings of depression and anxiety are all too common. In addition, alcohol messes with the levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, whipping up the perfect anxiety storm.
With this in mind – and the benefits of going teetotal increasingly thrust into the mainstream – it’s no surprise that an estimated 6.5 million people planned on doing Dry January in 2021, up from 3.9 million in 2020. For some teetotalers we spoke to, Dry January lasted a little longer than initially planned. “I did Dry January in 2015 and never started again” Kate shares with The Breakdown. “I used to drink wine daily, and I knew it affected my physical as well as my mental health.” When she decided to stop drinking, she discovered she had more focus, less ailments and notably improved fitness and mental wellbeing.
Others we spoke to also highlighted the mental health benefits of giving up alcohol for good. Cheryl Muir shared how she decided to stop drinking after waking up from a drunken night with colleagues, experiencing a deep shame and embarrassment I’m sure many of us are familiar with. “After quitting, my low self-esteem felt stronger than ever – I realised alcohol had masked it. It prompted me to go deeper with my healing journey and go into therapy.” Meanwhile Emma Hull also highlighted how she would drink to feel better about certain stressful situations, before realising the alcohol was in fact contributing to her own anxiety. “I overthink quite a bit and after a few drinks my mind would run wild. If I had a heavy night with the girls, then the next day I’d feel sluggish and not even leave the house.”
Another common benefit of quitting alcohol is improved motivation, and author of “How on earth can I be eco-friendly” Lianne Bell is testament to that. “It began as my own life experiment. I was working three different jobs and trying to finish writing my book. I realised I would never finish it if I didn’t quit drinking, so that motivated me.” So far, so good, right?
However, there’s no denying that others might have something negative to say, and for some the peer pressure is enough to make them rethink their decision. Despite going through a period of healing, Cheryl remembers the judgement she encountered when nursing a glass of soda surrounded by heavy drinkers. Others mentioned how they’ve got used to being called boring, are regularly told to “lighten up”, or even questioned whether they are pregnant (PSA: it’s never, ever OK to ask someone if they’re pregnant.)
Ultimately though, it’s vital to remember that chasing other people’s approval is no way to live your life. Sure, they might not like or even agree with your decision, but only you can choose how you write your story. Feel confident, assured and happy in your decision, and you just might find that how others feel is irrelevant. Don’t feel obliged to explain why you have made your decision, your true friends won’t require any explanation. And just remind yourself next time you’re on a night out and get a funny look for declining a shot: soon enough they’ll have had too much to drink to remember anyway.
