I Stayed Alcohol Free This Christmas - Even Though I Can't See The Benefits Yet

I’ve been alcohol free for over a week now and, despite still wanting to drink most days, I keep making the choice not to.

Choosing To Be Alcohol Free - Week One

Choosing Not To Drink - One Day At A Time

Yesterday was Christmas Day. There was plenty of alcohol around and people to drink it with. But when I was offered a drink, I simply said no thanks — and surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult. There was no internal battle, no feeling that I was missing out, no desire to join in. Just a simple decision, made in the moment, to say no.

Someone commented that starting a break from alcohol at this time of year must be hard — and I understand why people think that. There’s temptation everywhere and drinking is encouraged, almost expected. But for me, this isn’t something big. I’m not doing this because it’s Christmas, because I’ve set a resolution or because I’m trying to prove something.

I’m simply choosing not to drink today.

The day itself doesn’t really matter. Christmas, New Year, a random Tuesday — they’re all just days. What matters is the choice I make within them. And if I can choose to stay alcohol free when drinking is most visible and most accepted, then maybe I can choose it at other times too.

The Leap Of Faith - My Disappointment With The Lack Of Benefits

That doesn’t mean this has been easy. I expected cravings, but one thing I didn’t expect when I stopped drinking was disappointment.

I thought there would be some immediate sign that I was doing the right thing — more energy, a lighter mood, better sleep. Some solid improvement that let me know I’m moving in the right direction. Instead, I feel much the same. In some ways, I feel worse, because there’s nothing dulling the edges anymore.

There’s a lot of hype around going alcohol free — positive stories of improved lives and instant benefits. What’s missing from most of those stories is any sense of timescale. How long it might take before you feel the benefits. How long you might sit wondering whether this is really worth the effort.

Right now, being alcohol free feels less like a confident decision and more like a leap of faith. I’m choosing something without yet having proof that it’s helping. That makes me uncomfortable as I prefer certainty and having something tangible to reassure me that my effort will pay off.

Understanding The Process

I suppose not all changes give quick feedback. Some only make sense later, in hindsight.

I’m not staying alcohol free because it feels good — it doesn’t, yet. I’m staying alcohol free because something in me wants to know what happens if I don’t reach for familiar comfort. I want to understand how I cope without my usual crutch.

I don’t know yet whether this will be the right choice long term. I’m not ready to say it’s worth it. For now, I’m accepting that some decisions don’t come with instant reassurance.

Sometimes, all you can do is take the leap — and trust that clarity will come later.

Today I Want A Drink

Today, I want a drink. And today, I’m not having one.

There’s no hype here. No resolution. No promises about the future. Just a choice, made one day at a time — even when the calendar suggests otherwise.

I’m sharing this as part of an ongoing series — not to promote alcohol-free living, but to document what it actually feels like to give up alcohol when the benefits aren’t immediate and the decision isn’t clear. I don’t know where this will lead yet. I’m staying with it and writing as I go.