Alcohol, once seen as a staple of British culture, is being consumed less and less.
A recent YouGov survey found that almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds opt for a low or no alcohol option on a night out. The research, conducted on behalf of the Portman Group, found that 39% of Gen Z said they don’t drink alcohol at all.
A separate study found that 26% of millennials have reduced their alcohol consumption in the past six months as the sobriety boom continues, while 25% of those aged 25 to 39 admit to drinking three or four days a week.
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And, although it fluctuates, it’s a place I feel I fit in. As a 32-year-old journalist, I like to have a drink to unwind in at the weekend or when socialising.
But, like a growing number of people, I was wondering what life would be like without a beer or four to unwind with, or without that pint at the local pub. According to the NHS, going without even for a short while can have health benefits and save you a few quid in the process.
And so I decided to start a month sober. The first few days were easy — probably because I started my challenge in the middle of a week, maybe because I cheated a little — but we soon reached the first big deal: the weekend.
I attended a social event, went to a restaurant and was faced with my first decision of the month. Do I accept a non-alcoholic or low-alcohol alternative to a simple pint?
I discovered that a “non-alcoholic” beer can contain trace amounts of alcohol. In fact, low alcohol can be as high as 0.5%, according to Drinkaware.
The charity says it’s not suitable for people in recovery from addiction or trying to avoid alcohol. And so I’ve decided to be completely fair and skip the non-alcoholic beers this month.
So, on a night out, I found myself drinking a Diet Coke at a restaurant. And then, on a whim, I decided to switch to black currant and soda water.
I’ve never been tempted to order a blackcurrant and soda. In fact, the only time I remember ordering a blackcurrant was with half cider and half lager at a student bar in Bangor.
This was my first mishap. The venue wouldn’t let me buy a single drink with a card, so I would have been fine with ordering a beer as it would have gone over the £5 limit. Unfortunately, my soft drink option didn’t go through.
In the end I decided to pay for two, the barman said he would fill one at a time and I would pay for all the other drinks. By the end of the night I had saved £8.50 – accounting for the difference in cost between beer and soft drink.
A few people asked why I wasn’t drinking, assuming of course that I was driving, but I explained that I just wanted to see how I could get by without a beer for a month.
As beer-free days turned into weeks, I found myself less inclined to even consider having a beer at home. I would often find myself sitting down to watch TV or play a few drinks with my Football Manager team. Instead, I found myself reaching for a water, or the occasional fizzy drink.
But it was the social situations that I was more conscious of. It’s easy to find yourself at a bar with other runners after a run and thinking, “yeah, I’ll have a beer and a chat before I go home.”
I would go to a bar with my friends and find myself sitting down with a glass of water. It was a feeling that I wasn’t used to in the culture, in the media, people go to the bar to have a beer. Just think of a British TV show, I’m sure a bar plays a big part of it.
But as the weeks went by, even that started to fade. And slowly it became my norm. No one really said anything until day 31.
So have I seen any health benefits from not drinking?
Three health benefits I found
The most noticeable change I’ve seen is my sleep patterns. I enjoy running, and like many modern runners, I wear a smartwatch that tracks more health stats than I care to comprehend.
I’ve often heard people say that my sleep is “disrupted” or “interrupted” when I’ve had a beer or two. Some weekends my sleep has been as low as four and a half hours.
But when I didn’t drink alcohol, I found myself sleeping longer, regularly more than six hours a night and in some cases more than seven hours. I often thought I could function just fine on less sleep, but clearly my body was sending me a message that I was wrong and needed more.
Another health benefit I noticed was clearer-feeling skin. Waking up refreshed meant feeling fresher and less ‘blemished’ than after a few beers from the local shop whilst playing Football Manager.
And drinking a bottle of water instead of a beer helped me make better food decisions. I found I was less inclined to reach for a bag of chips late at night.
What the NHS says about not drinking
According to the NHS, quitting alcohol can have both long-term and short-term health benefits, including weight loss, improving your mental health and the effects on your skin.
Long-term benefits include:
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low blood pressure
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Lower risk of stroke, hypertension, cancer and liver disease
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lower cholesterol levels
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better mood, memory and sleep quality
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helps with weight management
A spokesman said: “Cutting down on your drink can be a really effective way to improve your health, boost your energy, lose weight and save money. If you drink almost every day, drinking less can lower your risk of high blood pressure. With the right help, it’s easier than you think.”
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