by It was once seen as a staple of British culture but gradually we seem to be turning to alcohol.
A recent YouGov study found that almost half of 18 to 24 year olds choose low or no alcohol options on a night out. Conducted on behalf of the Portman Group, it was found that 39% of Gen Z said they do not drink any alcohol.
And a separate study found that 26% of millennials had reduced their alcohol consumption in the past six months as the sober boom continues and about 25% of 25 to 39 year olds admit to having a drink three or four days in the week.
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And, even though it changes, it’s somewhere I like to think I sit too. As a 32-year-old journalist, I want to enjoy a drink to stop at the weekend, or while socializing.
Like a growing number of people, however, I wonder what life would be like without a pint or four to wind down, or without that beer at the local bar. According to the NHS, there could be health benefits if you don’t drink for even a short period, and it could save you a few quid in the process.
And so I decided to start a sober month. The first few days were easy – maybe because I started my challenge in the middle of the week, maybe cheated a little – but soon we reached the first important event, the weekend.
I had a social event, a trip out to a restaurant, and faced my first resolution of the month. Do I simply settle for non-alcoholic or low-alcohol options rather than the humble pint?
I found out that “alcohol-free” beer can contain trace amounts of alcohol. In fact, according to Drinkaware, alcohol can be as low as 0.5%.
The charity says this makes them unsuitable for people recovering from addiction or trying to avoid alcohol. And so, I’ve decided that we’re going to be completely fair, and skip the alcohol-free beers this month.
So, on my night out, I found myself in a restaurant nursing a Diet Coke. And then, in a split second, I decided to switch to blackcurrant and soda water.
I’ve never had the urge to order black currants and soda water. In fact, the only time I remember ordering black currants was half cider and half lager in a student bar in Bangor.
It was also my first retreat. As the venue wouldn’t let me buy a single drink on a card, I would have been right to order a beer as it would have crossed the £5 limit. Sorry, soft drinks were not my choice.
I finally decided to pay for two at a time, and the barman said he would only pour one at a time and I would pay for all other drinks. At the end of the night, I saved £8.50 – working out the cost difference between beer and soft drinks.
A few people asked how come I hadn’t been drinking, naturally assuming I was driving, but I simply explained that I wanted to see how it would go the month without beer.
As the days without beer turned into weeks, I wasn’t even that inclined to have beer at home. I would often sit down to watch TV, or play around with my Football Manager team with a few drinks. But instead, I found myself nursing water, sometimes reaching for a fizzy drink.
But it was social sites that made me more aware. It’s so easy after a run to be in a bar with the other runners thinking “yeah, I’ll just have a pint and a chat before I go home”.
When I’m attending a bar with friends, I’d be sitting with a glass of water. There was a sense that I wasn’t used to it, in the culture, in the media, that people go to the bar for a beer. Think of a British TV show, and I bet a bar plays a big part of it.
But as the weeks went by, even that began to wane. And it slowly became my norm. It reached the 31 day point in which no one really said a peep.
So, did I really see any health benefits from not drinking?
Through health benefits I received
The most noticeable change I saw was my sleeping pattern. I like to run, and like many modern runners I wear a smart watch that tracks more health stats that I could begin to understand.
I often found that he would say that my sleep was “interrupted” or “interrupted” when I had a beer or two. Some weekends fell as low as four and a half hours of sleep.
But without any alcohol, I regularly found myself sleeping longer, regularly over six hours a night, and sometimes more than seven. I often thought I could function well on little sleep, but clearly my body was sending me a message saying I was wrong, and that I needed more.
Another health benefit I have noticed is clearer feeling skin. Waking up rested felt fresher and less “blotchy” than after grabbing a few beers from the local shop while playing Football Manager.
And swapping beer for a bottle of water led to better food decision-making. I was less inclined to sit munching on a packet of crisps late at night.
What the NHS says about not drinking
According to the NHS, giving up alcohol can have both long-term and short-term health benefits. These include losing weight, improving your mental health, and effects on your skin.
The long-term benefits include:
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lower blood pressure
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lower risk of stroke, hypertension, cancer and liver disease
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lower cholesterol levels
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better mood, memory and sleep quality
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help with weight management
A spokesman said: “Cutting out the fat can be a very effective way to improve your health, increase your energy, lose weight and save money. If you drink almost every day, drinking may reduce your risk of high blood pressure. With the right help, it’s easier than you think.”
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