I Didn't "Give Up" Alcohol

Reframing how we think about sobriety.

Photo by Michael Starkie on Unsplash

When I quit drinking, I thought I was making the biggest sacrifice of my life.

I loved alcohol, especially beer. I loved everything about it. I loved the way it felt to open my first bottle after getting home for the day. I loved the smell and the taste. I loved the feeling of being a beer connoisseur as I scouted the local liquor stores for the latest craft IPAs.

Drinking occupied a huge portion of my life. I drank every single night, from the moment I got home to the moment I went to sleep. It was my main hobby, and all of my other hobbies—watching TV, playing video games, and reading—were things that I only did while drunk.

Alcohol was also the only way I knew to relax. Every day I felt like a giant ball of stress, and it wasn’t until I started drinking each night that I finally felt like I could unwind.

When I got sober, I wondered whether I could really give it all up.