Alcohol and Me.

How I stopped drinking

Like many, I started out as a teenager sharing cans with friends. Then came the pubs and clubs, and later, glasses of wine with the girls.

But as I moved into my 30s and 40s, that fun glass that loosened the tongue had become the centre of most get-togethers — weekdays and weekends alike. A distant voice inside kept telling me to slow down, but I realised I couldn’t.

It felt like I had somehow ended up in quicksand, slowly rising towards my head.

Like so many I wanted to drink less without quitting completely. Stopping drinking altogether once seemed like such an inconceivable, radical idea. But when I finally did it, I wished I’d done it long ago.

My physical and mental health have benefitted enormously, and I’d love to help others who feel just as I did — wanting to stop, but unable to imagine life without the drink.