My paternal grandparents, as strict Methodists, didn’t drink alcohol. Much to the irritation of my father, they would refer to it as a mug’s game. There was some family history here, linked to the head of the household drinking and gambling away the family’s wealth a few generations earlier.
I don’t know if my maternal grandparents drank. I never heard this discussed, and certainly never saw them drinking. But that’s where that restraint ends. From my parents’ generation down, I am the only person in the family who does not drink alcohol.
My family has a tendency to mock my abstention, but that’s mostly because I never told them about the events leading up to that decision. They may think that choice is faith-related, whereas in fact I gave up a full year before I took up this path. Despite the constant jibes, I don’t regret that decision at all.
Social pressure to drink can be immense, for it is everywhere celebrated as the norm. At work, if momentarily the team finds the will to talk about something other than work, that void will be filled with tales of drinking. If you don’t drink, you’re generally considered an oddball.
But that’s not strictly true, as a lot of famous actors, musicians and sports personalities, many of them celebtrated as the epitome of cool, have decided to shun alcohol and lead sober lives. Some of them made that choice after battling serious addiction, whereas others simply concluded that drinking was continuously sabotaging their relationships.
It does take some bravery to adopt such a stance. It is easier if you have health reasons for doing so. But either way, it’s not an insurmountable challenge. Whatever the buzz you might miss, the promise of looking and feeling healthier is a sure appeal. So too the pressure taken off your bank balance.
I chose to take a sober path on my twentieth birthday, after months of excess in the company of an actual alcoholic. My reason for doing so was personal: I didn’t like what I became when inebriated, nor could I bear the side effects. The tradeoff of being mocked by family and peers is, I feel, a small price to pay for general wellbeing.
Maybe dry January is worth a try. See what a difference it might make to your life. I don’t think you will regret it.
Last modified: 2 January 2023
