Removing alcohol from your life has enormous benefits, but it is far from an easy road. Here’s one of the best hacks that I have used to ease the pain of that road.
Let’s get something straight from the off. I love beer. I love the ritual of beer. I love the impact of beer (the positive ones). Whether that’s waiting at the bar for the pint to arrive or the sshhhh of the can opening if you are having a few at home. My shoulders drop a little, I relax into it and then that first gulp. Oh boy, that first gulp is amazing. The drug hits the system and the system says yes please, more of that. And so it goes. I was a lager drinker and a Guinness drinker, a rare breed I know.
So when I came to that decision point to give up the booze, I was determined to not do it the same way I have tried to do it in the past e.g. hide in my house and never go out, becoming a social recluse. That never worked. So this time, I had to find a way to still go out, still be social and yet not drink?
Even 10 years ago, this was a much harder equation to solve. Now with the explosion in alcohol free beers, wines and even gins, there is no longer a compromise to be made, you can have it all.
I used to love going to the pub on my own for an hour or two, read the paper, have a few pints, may or may not chat to anyone there and then head on home. For the first year or two of going AF, this was not an environment I could revisit but more recently I have rediscovered the joy of this little outing, except this time, I drink this.
A few years ago, Guinness said it was impossible to produce a Guinness without the alcohol. At that time, their best efforts produced Guinness mid strength, which was also good but came in at around 2.5% alcohol. Then in 2018 when Heineken launched Heineken 0.0, all of a sudden, the impossible was possible and Guinness 0.0 was born. As an ex Guinness drinker, the 0.0 is so good, it is hard to notice any difference.
What most people overlook when they go AF is that they don’t need to give up beer, they just need to swap to a 0.0 version. They overlook the ritual of drinking that can stay the same – the sshhh of the can or the wait for the pint we talked about earlier – all the same, only difference is you can have a few of these and walk out of the pub, jump in your car and go home safely.
Going AF is not a deprivation exercise. What you are gaining is so much more than what you are removing. No more hangovers, no lost days, guilt, shame, blackouts, FEAR, no more wasting money. You gain more energy, more enthusiasm for life, better weight management, better health and vitality, more consistency so you hit your goals easier, more time spent doing things that matter, you will enjoy social occasions more than you did when you drank and ultimately more happiness in your life.
Swap out for a 0.0 equivalent, don’t overlook the value of the ritual, and go forth into the world and see things as they really are, without the fog and sludge of hangovers holding you back.
Yours in health and happiness,
JP
The Health Project 