GOING ALCOHOL FREE

We all love a drink. Or do we…? The current trend is going dry, writes Conall Ferguson.

We all love a drink. Or do we…? The current trend is going dry.

According to a recent report by Nielson [Australia], more and more of us are cutting down on our weekly alcohol consumption with the rise of “mindful drinking”. In fact, according to non-profit Drinkwise, 20 per cent of us abstained from alcohol of any kind in 2017 (an 11 per cent increase compared to ten years previous). But what exactly are the benefits of going tee-total?

In the short term, according to UK charity DrinkAware, the most immediate difference you should feel will be in your energy levels. Alcohol may help you drift off to sleep quicker but it actually reduces the overall quality of your sleep cycle, with drinkers spending less time in deep restorative phases of sleep, and more time in wakeful states such as REM. Cutting down on your intake will see your sleep cycle return to a more normal pattern, leaving you feeling refreshed and well rested throughout the remainder of the day.

Cutting out or quitting booze will also have a noticeable impact on your appearance. Notwithstanding what we already know about the high calorie counts of our favourite tipples, alcohol can very quickly dehydrate us, which has a huge impact on the appearance of our skin and eyes.

The good news is, you should see noticeable changes very soon after cutting down.

Despite regularly emerging reports about the health benefits of, say, one glass of wine a day, alcohol is, by nature, a carcinogen (a type of chemical linked to cancer). In the long term, those who go alcohol free can expect to dramatically lower their risk of liver damage, stroke, heart disease and a multitude of cancers.

But it’s not just our bodies that stand to benefit from cutting out drink.

The links between alcohol and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are well documented. While a few glasses can make us feel more confident or less inhibited at first, long term use can seriously disrupt the chemical processes of our brain, disrupting neurotransmitters and lowering our mood. Those who go alcohol free can expect to feel a positive impact on their overall mental health, as well as cognitive functions such as memory retention.

While it’s easy to see the advantages of an alcohol-free lifestyle, going completely sober is no mean feat. Reports have shown that LGBT people in Australia are at higher risk of substance abuse and, according to a 2016 study by the Institute of Health And Welfare, 42 per cent of people identifying as homosexual or bisexual reported drinking at levels exceeding single occasion risk guidelines, compared with 26 per cent of heterosexual people.

Add to this the fact that many queer spaces are aligned with the sale of alcohol, with local bars and clubs often the go-to choice for those looking to socialise. Avoiding alcohol altogether can feel like a daunting task.

However, as more people step away from alcohol, new spaces and initiatives begin to spring up to help ensure that a life without booze doesn’t mean a life without fun. Take the social group Untoxicated, created by Faye

Lawrence when she found herself increasingly bored after going sober. Untoxicated meets regularly in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. They describe themselves as “a thriving tribe of around 3,500 sober curious people, passionate about having a laugh, meeting new people and smashing social norms along the way”.

What about the negative peer pressure that comes along with cutting back? “It’s something you hear over and over again,” says Faye. “‘Don’t be so boring’ or ‘just have one’ or people being ‘playfully’ threatened with being disinvited from events.”

Faye’s advice? Brush it off and see where going sober might lead you: “If you feel like you want to give up – for whatever reason – then give it a go,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be forever, maybe just try it for a month with a sense of curiosity and see how you feel.”

42 per cent of people identifying as homosexual or bisexual reported drinking at levels exceeding risk guidelines…