Why I quit drinking

CAROL COLE, a diabetes educator from Perth, quit alcohol on Boxing Day.

“I was only a light drinker, but it had got to the point where I didn’t feel great afterwards,” she says. “On Christmas Day I had a few more glasses of rosé than normal, and the day afterwards I felt awful all day, and I decided it wasn’t worth it anymore.”

Cole, 60, found that she felt “puffy” when she was drinking and her weight would fluctuate. Additionally, a bout of Covid in December, which left her feeling quite unwell, likely contributed to her desire to quit a month ago.

“Being in the healthcare industry I’m also mindful of people in their 50s who have health issues now from drinking so much,” she says. “I don’t want to be one of them.”

With alcohol woven into almost every social activity in Australia, Cole (pictured below) has found it difficult to socialise at times and to get friends on board.

“The biggest thing was definitely socially, and people just accepting that I’m not drinking,” she says. “But I’ve started drinking non-alcoholic wines and I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all.” With a focus on improving her health for the past five years, which includes using Lisa Curry’s Happy Healthy You supplements and skincare, Cole feels that quitting alcohol has given her overall wellbeing a further nudge in the right direction.

“I’ve felt really good every day and have more energy since I stopped drinking,” she says.

“I get up early most mornings and go for an hour and a half bike ride. I’ve given up drinking a few times before, but this time I’m going to stick to it.”

I’ve felt really good every day and have more energy since I stopped drinking