One Year Without Alcohol

Today, July 8, 2026, marks one year since I stopped drinking alcohol. I don’t use anything else, and I don’t smoke, although I have in the past. But I am talking specifically about alcohol because alcohol — and only alcohol — was the thing that ever truly caused problems in my life. I admit that it was an addiction. I always admitted it. I just didn’t want to do anything about it. I was fine with everything the way it was. I have already written before about how and why I quit drinking, so I won’t repeat that story here. Instead, I want to talk about what this year has given me.

It gave me a clear mind. Constantly. It sharpened my intuition, made me more sensitive to energies, and freed me from those horrifying hangovers that would take until the next evening to recover from. It freed me from waking up with a swollen body and from that constant feeling of exhaustion. I started eating better. The cellulite I had fought for so long, the cellulite I could never seem to get rid of, disappeared on its own — although, to be fair, intermittent fasting may have helped too, and I started practicing it completely by accident because of my aligners and my own laziness, lol. As a result, I also lost weight, in the good sense of the word. I have the kind of body I once only dreamed of having.

I also stopped spending time with just anyone. When I was drinking, I was easy to pull out of the house. All I needed was a chance to go somewhere, eat, and drink for free. The fact that the person wasn’t particularly interesting to me didn’t really stop me. And honestly, what kind of decent people was I expecting to meet while living like that? Although now, to be fair, I almost never leave the house at all, lol.

But along with all these positive changes, something else appeared too: people not understanding why I don’t drink. Some people don’t say it directly, but I can feel how awkward they become about drinking alcohol around me. They don’t know if they should do it, if it’s okay, if it will make things uncomfortable. I think they mistakenly assume that I must have had some very serious problem with alcohol and that I am now barely holding myself together, fighting with all my strength not to relapse. So let me say this clearly: that is not the case. If I wanted to drink — truly wanted to drink — the absence of alcohol around me would not stop me, and the presence of alcohol around me would not make me drink. This was my conscious choice. Not because something happened, but because I stopped wanting it. It simply stopped being interesting to me.

This year taught me that I can have fun without alcohol. I used to think alcohol helped me relax, helped me open up, helped me become more free. But it turned out that all of it — absolutely all of it — was in my head. Because without alcohol, I am still exactly the same person.

During this year, there were countless moments when I simply wanted to get drunk and forget everything. The only thought that stopped me was: “What is the point? It won’t solve anything. It will only give me a hangover in the morning. And besides, I don’t want to flush so many months of sobriety down the toilet.” In moments like that, non-alcoholic “alcohol” helps too — it sounds funny, lol. Only after I stopped drinking did I learn that there is not only non-alcoholic beer, but also non-alcoholic wine, tequila, and other drinks.

Probably the most important thing this year has given me is the feeling that I am no longer running away from myself. I am no longer numbing my anxiety, my pain, my exhaustion, or my loneliness. I am simply living through all of it sober. Sometimes it is harder that way. But this is exactly what makes me feel like I am truly alive.

If someone had told me a couple of years ago that I would be living a healthy lifestyle, I would not have believed them. But I am glad I was able to come to this on my own — easily, naturally, and without forcing myself.