8 PAGES FOR YOU
Eureka moment during night out inspired Suzy Beaumont to bin the booze and spend the year alcohol-free. That gave her the courage to make positive changes to her lifestyle .. which she is passing on to others
TOMORROW morning, many of us will be reaching for the paracetamol and uttering the two words most commonly heard on January 1 – “Never again”.
But Suzy Beaumont will instead be getting ready for a loony dook to celebrate a year since her last drink.
The radio producer turned wellness influencer is about to complete her 365 “one year no beer” challenge and she has never felt happier, healthier or fitter.
Once nicknamed Sambuca Suzy for her love of a night out and rounds of shots, the 43-year-old, from Inverness, decided to jump on the wagon, not because she had a drinking problem but because she had a hangover problem.
And as well as boosting her health and confidence, her lengthy dry spell has given her the confidence to quit her job and go full-time, launching her own business organising wellness events and conferences.
She says that in order to make it work, you have to be in the right place mentally and have the right motivation.
For Suzy, that came after a Christmas night out two years ago when she found herself drinking too much to compensate for the boring time she was having.
She said: “I had an epiphany at a Christmas night out. It was awful. I kept going up to get drinks to find another party and was walking round the bar because I was not enjoying the company I was with. I was drinking to make their company better.
“I had this sober moment where I just thought I could be at home watching Casualty and having a much better laugh. What the hell am I doing this for?”
Having already completed a dry January five years ago, that festive horror show convinced Suzy she was falling out of love with alcohol.
When she encountered Ruari Fairbairns of One Year No Beer BY BRIAN McIVER during a radio segment last year, she was sold.
Suzy said: “In my 20s, it could have been three or four nights out a week. Then, into my 30s, it was a night out midweek and then a night out at the weekend. And later, into my 30s, it was once a week, then once every two weeks, with small drinks in between, but there would always be large nights out.
“It wasn’t every week but when I did do it, it was like, ‘Oh my God’. It wasn’t like I was one of those people whose character changes with alcohol.
“I was just always up for a party and always getting the shots in. I loved my sambuca and it was just all about having a laugh. But increasingly the next day, I would be like, ‘This sucks’.”
Having worked herself up to the 12-month challenge, her main concern was how her social life would be affected.
Suzy said: “I wasn’t a falling-about drunk or anything like that. I love to dance and didn’t have the