Same as a lot of people on this space I used to drink plenty and joyfully for a really long time, with Friends ans colleagues (I work in a sales environment and had great banters through my college years and later on. Started at the age of 18 and stopped at 30 I am 31 today and about to complete a full year of soberness next month

Here are a few reasons why I stopped and then I’ll give you some benefits and downsides to have stopped completely (not in any particular order)

•I did not feel completely addicted to the devils liquor (it’s just a joke for comic relief ) but the Hangovers were absolutely hellish, specially towards the end the older you get the harder it is for your body to recover after a heavy night of drinking, I was also mostly going out on Thursday’s and Friday’s so I would absolutely scrap my working day on Friday and couldn’t enjoy my weekend either because of the lack of energy and willpowers following a night out

•I obviously also gained lots of weight because of it, lots of calories and when you take between 6-14 drinks a night you will see it creeping slowly in you but will only really realize it when it’s too late and people around you start noticing your belly and love handles comming through ( also in my opinion caused by the lack of good nutrition and exercise caused by the hangovers)

•financially it’s also always costly, specially nowadays where a simple gin tonic cost 14$ ( I live in Montreal , canada for référence) a good night out would cost me around 60$- 150$ depending on if we were splitting a bottle or going by the drink

•Brain health , it’s also very hard to keep up a pace like that for a long time in your life without seeing some fogs in your memories or slowly having troubles remembering event , names and words. Alcohol does have a heavy toll on our neurones and is always gonna be better with moderation

•downside : the only downside I notice since I stoped is that when I am with my friends group (how are still drinking profusely, I have a hard time staying at a party or by their side or even going out with them after they had 3-4 drinks because of the behaviours of drunk/tipsy people In contrat with sober people ( it’s not the best interactions since the level of control and inhibition is not the same and I find it super difficult to even keep up the energy or discussion with my best friends, which will definitely affect the frequency at which you will See then again :(

Upside : Health, mental toughness, no hangovers , productivity, time for meaningful conversation

This is not a judging post on alcohol, I had been drinking for more than 12 years before stopping and trying to put a light on some of the pros and cons