Three Years Without a Drink

Three years ago I stopped drinking. No rock bottom, no big moment. Just a slow realisation after I turned 40 that alcohol wasn’t serving me anymore.

I’ve always been all-or-nothing. Moderation has never been my strength. So at some point it became easier to just not drink at all.

Everyone expects the obvious wins: better sleep, a steadier mood, a bit of weight off, the health stuff you’d expect.

But two things surprised me, and I don’t hear anyone talk about them.

The first is mental noise.

I used to spend the run-up to seeing friends quietly strategising: what I’d drink, when I’d start, when I’d stop, how I’d recover before I’d even earned the hangover.

That’s gone now. I just look forward to seeing people. If they’re drinking, fine; the anxiety has lifted.

The second is consistency. When I stopped, I realised I’d quietly gained integrity with myself. If I say I’ll do something, I do it.

A drink, or recovering from one, used to be the difference between doing the thing and skipping it. Take that out and you start to back yourself, every time.

And that discipline doesn’t stay in one place; it shows up in the gym, in your work, in the small promises you keep to yourself daily.

I’m not telling anyone to quit. That’s a personal call, and the social pressure is real; I had to relearn how to be social without it.

But if you’ve ever wondered what’s on the other side, it’s quieter and more consistent than I expected.

A quote worth sitting with

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

— James Clear, Atomic Habits

That’s the bit I felt without having the words for it. Every day without a drink is a vote, and eventually the votes add up to who you are now.

The Saturday Standard

Five Votes

Nothing clever here. Five rounds, same work each time.

Round one feels fine. Round four is where it gets honest, when your legs want a rest and you have to choose whether you take it.

So treat every round as a vote. Hold a hard pace and win the workout.

What’s happening with me

I tried padel at the weekend. Accessible, social and very fun. Confirmed once again that ball sports aren’t my strength.

And I’ve started a new weekly Community Fitness bootcamp class. If you live near Whickham come along and give it a try. First class is free. See stuart-white.co.uk for details.