Drink Less, Enjoy Life More

Alcohol.

Booze.

Liquid Courage.

The Sauce.

The medicine and party drug for humans alike for over 9000 years (7,000 BC, in China).

“A universal language.” P. McGovern

Great for celebration, relaxation, and socialising.

Terrible for regret, hangovers and your progress in life.

After a good 8 years of regular binge drinking, 18 months ago I decided reduce my consumption.

And it was the best decision I’ve ever made…

Alcohol is romanticised in society.

Films and adverts portray drinking as something that happy and successful people do.

Every drink has it’s own positive connotation:

Because of this,

Not drinking feels like going against society.

Going against what you’ve been told.

What is “right” and “normal”.

Especially when you’re young.

Alcohol is a rite of passage growing up.

Adolescence and excessive drinking go hand in hand.

I used to drink a lot.

Binging 2, 3, 4 times a week.

It felt normal, because it was.

Everyone around me was doing the same.

Going through the same routine:

We all love alcohol.

Mainly because of its ability to alter our emotional state.

Alcohol makes us feel relaxed and disinhibited.

Offering a short term sense of comfort.

A temporary escape from reality.

But longer term, we all know that this cycle is toxic.

How many times have you regretted your decisions the morning after?

Told yourself: “I’m never drinking again”

Only to do it all over again?

Don’t get me wrong…

Alcohol is great fun.

But it is making your life worse overall.

It dulls your senses and robs you of money, time and health.

Plus…

On average, you will spend 2 years of your life hungover…

That’s pretty fucked up.

This really stuck with me.

So I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t waste 104 days of every year being drunk or hungover.

Since I committed to reducing my consumption, the difference has been astonishing…

Remind yourself.

Alcohol is not your friend.

It is ethanol.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Diluted poison.

It is terrible for us and adds very little to our lives.

If you don’t agree…

I’d suggest listening to this podcast episode.

Or

Check out the notes from it underneath.

Changes

I now drink infrequently and have done 30+ days sober 3 times in the past year.

In the last 18 months,

I’ve noticed dramatic improvements in my:

• Health

• Wealth

• Relationships

All from drinking less.

Drinking less has made me a calmer, more productive, healthier and happier person.

Plus all of these additional benefits:

Sure,

I get FOMO sometimes.

But the feeling of waking up fresh on the weekend outweighs the FOMO.

Every time.

This is not about never drinking again.

It is about finding a balance in your life.

Prioritising your growth and development over doing what you and everyone else does habitually.

To conclude, here are 4 quick suggestions to reduce your consumption:

1. Take an extended break. (30 days)

   The best way to reduce consumption is to change your relationship with alcohol. I promise even after 1 week, you’ll be amazed at the difference.

2. Set a limit. Limit drinking to once a week, or just on the weekends. OR: decide how much you plan to drink. Don’t let the occasion or others dictate your night.

3. Make drinking a reward. “Earn your Saturdays”. Work hard, eat clean, exercise during the week and earn your weekends to do as you please.

4. Set a time to go home and stick to it. You will thank yourself the next day.

Cheers for reading till the end.

To be honest, I found this quite a conflicting to write.

My feelings towards alcohol are so mixed.

But I hope you enjoyed and learned something you can apply to your life.

H

MMM V1.4