One of my fitness goals for 2023 basically entails me getting my shit together and nailing a consistent gym routine, and as such I’ve given up alcohol for the year (again).

My journey to (and from) sobriety is a funny one, with a balance more or less found over the last couple of years, but Christmas and work stress pushed it towards the higher end of what I like to consume these days and a total cull seemed like the most logical way forward.

So far so good. My bodyweight is slowly trending downwards, joint pain has subsided, and my sleep is good. However, my moods seem to be drifting here and there and I have a heavy fatigue that just won’t shift, although I’m not sure how much of either I can blame on the Christmas bubbly.

I’ve noticed that although the alcohol-free drinks market has rapidly expanded since I originally dabbled with sobriety back in 2017, few of those offerings have actually made their way into pubs and bars (or certainly, the ones I’ve been in since the start of the year). Most seem to have a couple of ‘AF’ beers, but I’m not really a beer drinker. I have my eye on a few wines and liquor substitutes for home consumption, but I guess it’s back on the lemonade for out and about.

So far, cravings have been virtually non-existent and I’m not missing out, but I am only 11 days in. I haven’t missed a workout yet though, so that’s got to mean something…

Lead photo by Ankush Minda

(I originally posted this on reddit, but want it recording here as part of my journey.) I had a drink on Saturday night. I made the active choice to have a drink, rather than caving to cravings or anything like that; it was one of my best friend’s pre-wedding celebrations and as I can’t/won’t drink… read full entry »

As I rapidly approach my 5th month sober I can’t help but reflect on the state of dry (sober) drinking in the UK. I have a bit of a reputation amongst friends & it goes a little something like this… if I happened to find myself in a cocktail bar with a reasonable selection of… read full entry »

For the uninitiated and new readers amongst you, PMDD is an extreme version of PMS/PMT. It can cause cyclical feelings of anxiety, depression, anger and even suicidal thoughts, as well as the physical symptoms typically associated with the menstrual cycle. It’s been over a year since I last talked about my PMDD. When I lost… read full entry »

Gaz asked me one Saturday a few weeks back — as I ordered a vodka cocktail — whether or not I’d given up on the ‘not drinking’ thing. A fair question, given the ‘ordering a cocktail’ thing. Sobriety was going really, really well. I had managed to get through several months without a drink, battling… read full entry »

I have spent a large part of the past few weeks jumping from one ‘chaos moment’ to another (as per usual) and I was sat on the toilet recently wondering… is this it? Is this what adulting is about? Just about hanging on while you ride the waves of life? I’m being melodramatic — I’m… read full entry »

It’s now been about 5 weeks since I decided to stop drinking for good. I am sleeping better. Aside from a couple of weeks of intense drinking-frenzy dreams where I got completely smashed off my face (in the dream, that is) I have slept solidly every night since I stopped drinking. My sleep cycles have… read full entry »

Yesterday lunch time I went out with Gaz’s team from work for an unexpected light lunch. It’s the kind of situation where I’d usually indulge in a “cheeky” glass of wine or a cocktail (or two) because a) unexpected social interaction mid-PMDD-monster-times and b) who doesn’t love to break up the day with alcohol? Except… read full entry »