Despite years of loving alcohol, Annie Grace no longer drinks alcohol. She is not a recovering alcoholic, nor does she have any religious (or otherwise) views which dictate abstinence. It’s simply that she found the courage to take a hard look at her relationship with alcohol—and it became clear that alcohol was taking much more than it was giving.

So why exactly?

Here are Annie's words on the subject.

1. Alcohol is a sneaky devil

I never made a decision to increase how much I was drinking. It just happened. Anything that ‘just happens’ without me being fully aware of why, how, and when is concerning. It means I have less control than I want. Drinking more over time snuck up on me. And when I decided to reverse the trend, it was harder than I thought, which leads me to:

2. Alcohol never satisfies (a.k.a. tolerance)

Here is the kicker. It’s only when you have decided to drink less that you realize how much of a grasp alcohol has on you, and how hard it can be to cut back. You think you can simply reverse the trend of drinking more over the years. It’s not that easy. Alcohol demands alcohol. It wants more—and if you don’t satisfy the craving it begins to throw a fit. It’s no fun (and just not worth it) to live a life of counting drinks and feeling like you are missing out. Moderation is a moody b*tch who doesn’t deserve my time or effort.

3. Health: Being a non-drinker is the healthiest decision you can make (unless you smoke – if you smoke then quitting smoking is the healthiest)

I told myself that drinking red wine every day had health benefits. When I did the research I was shocked. Not only is that untrue, but alcohol was declared a known carcinogen in 1988. And of course, there’s common sense: drinking something that makes you feel like sh*t the day after is probably bad for you.

4. Life is more fun without booze

My drinking self would have thought this completely unbelievable, but the truth is I have significantly more fun without booze. It’s amazing how many adults – the vast majority – believe that alcohol is key to having a good time. I blew this myth out of the water through some self-experimentation, and I realized the feelings I think I enjoy from alcohol are actually just a placebo effect. The reality is that alcohol didn’t make anything more fun, but since I believed it was key to my enjoyment of life – I was miserable without it.

5.  I feel so much better – every single day

I don’t worry about how much I am drinking – ever. That makes every night out (and every morning after) significantly more fun. I have more money…drinking is expensive. In fact, there has been a 79% increase in the price of booze at restaurants – 79%! I have effortlessly lost weight (empty calories) and enjoy all my mornings. I have more energy, am more focused, and get significantly more done. I see now that I unknowingly made myself slightly ill every single day. Yuck!

6. Alcohol made me dumb

I looked into what alcohol actually does to your brain and not surprisingly alcohol has the very specific effect of slowing down your brain function. Your brain synapses are depressed and your senses are unable to transmit information to your brain as quickly as normal. I tested this. I drank after I’d quit to see exactly how it made me feel. I even recorded the results. The truth is alcohol makes me dumb. My jokes get worse, my stories become scattered, and my nights become monotonous and unmemorable.

The bottom line is...

Do you drink alcohol for increased happiness and/or decreased stress? Most of us drink for both these reasons. Beware: in the end, alcohol consumption does the opposite:  Undoubtedly, it will bring depression and make life more stressful.

Since the beginning of the covid pandemic, the lockdowns and the ongoing fear of these unknown times, alcohol sales in America have increased enormously.

This is the perfect time to consider your daily or weekly consumption. And, trust your intuition!

Habit vs Addiction

According to author Annie Grace of the best-selling book This Naked Mind, “Many people justify their drinking by saying it is just a habit. And indeed, drinking may have started as a habitual routine. You went to a party and had a drink, or you got home from work and had a drink. The thing about habits is that they, by definition, encourage your brain to think less. Once something has become habitual, like driving or brushing your teeth, you no longer consciously think about it. This is great—it frees up brainpower, allowing you to focus on new and different things. So, if your drinking started as a habit, there is a good chance you often drink without thinking too much about it. Over time, drinking becomes more than a simple habit.

When we give up a habit like biting our nails, notoriously difficult to do, we don’t feel deprived because we no longer gnaw on our fingertips. We don’t worry we will live our lives missing out on an authentic pleasure. We may habitually drink, but drinking is not a habit—it is an addiction.

Yet, the majority of drinkers believe they drink because they want to, they enjoy it, and they choose to do it. What if you were offered $200,000 to stop drinking? Would you? Do you have to think about it? What about half a million dollars ($250K)? You could buy a beautiful home, but you can never drink again! If drinking was a habit, there would be no hesitation. You wouldn’t hesitate to break a habit—no matter how much effort it took.”

Take a few moments to make a Pros vs Cons List about your drinking lifestyle.

Annie adds, “Being a non-drinker is 99% awesome, but one thing that pains me: the constant interrogation as to why I don’t partake. Sometimes I find it funny—no one is demanding reasons why I don’t drink soda!  Other times it’s downright rude: No, I am not pregnant, in recovery, or on medication. It shows how saturated our society has become; booze is the only drug on earth that you have to justify not taking.”

It is important to remember: You are NOT alone. There is a sad majority of drinkers out there. If this article has piqued your curiosity, check out www.thisnakedmind.com where you can order her books and find vast resources to help you on a path to happiness and freedom.