EIGHT TRUTHS I'D LIKE TO TELL GENERATION SOBER...
Under-25s are drinking less than ever, and a third don’t drink at all, according to news last week. Daisy Buchanan has something to say about that…
1. CONGRATULATIONS FOR TAKING BACK SUNDAYS
I used to think that going out drinking meant you were living life to the full. But no one can live life to the full with a hangover. I wish I could reclaim just half of the Sundays I spent lying in bed, feeling sick, miserable and queasy with shame about an event I couldn’t quite remember.
2. YOU CAN HAVE ALL FEELINGS
I’ve drowned my sorrows. I’ve drowned my frustrations. I’ve drowned my reaction to putting my foot through the hem of an Anna Sui dress I was about to return. It took me a long time to learn that if something feels terrible, wine will make it feel more terrible in the long run. It takes courage to confront your emotions.
3. BUT DON’T FORGET TO DANCE
Generation Sober, prove to us all that you don’t need to be hammered to be first on the dance floor when you hear S. the thing el ne opening Ladigesbars of come to weddings with us and show us how it’s done.
4. GET THE OTHER KIND OF SKINFUL
Alcohol is expensive. When you’re not buying it, you can afford to invest in brilliant skincare – and you’ll have the energy to take your make-up off before bed.
5. BUT DO TRY TO HAVE A TERRIBLE MIDNIGHT KEBAB EVERY SIX MONTHS
Because sometimes it’s really important to ramermeinsisõnitndgy.ourself what you
6. WHAT YOU DRINK – OR DON’T DRINK – IS YOUR BUSINESS
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve said, ‘I’m not drinking tonight’ and been told off for being boring, or persuaded to have ‘just the one’. If anyone is making you feel bad about your choices, remember they’re looking for someone to validate theirs. That’s not your job.
7. DON’T FORGET TO TELL YOUR MATES YOU LOVE THEM
If I’m honest, my favourite drunken memories are the ones where I lost every single inhibition and told my friends, repeatedly, how gorgeous, talented, funny and amazing they were. When I was sober, I felt too self-conscious to say it.
8. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DRINK TO HAVE FUN. BUT DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN
Generation Sober: you are, without a doubt, motivated, ambitious and hardworking. But perhaps you are also under constant pressure to present a ‘perfect’ life on social media. So be sober for YOU – not because of Instagram.