Quitting Alcohol: One Year of Sobriety

9min • 24 September 2024 • Updated: 17 January 2025

Alcohol kills about 75.000 people every year in Germany alone, yet it's still widely available and relatively cheap. Drinking is so deeply rooted in our culture, you often have to justify yourself for not doing it rather than the other way around.

On average, every German drinks a staggering 450 bottles of beer per year. That's 225 liters or 11 liters of pure alcohol! And most of my life, I have been one of them. Ever since I was 15 up until exactly one year ago, to be precise.

Today is my 31st birthday marking a huge milestone: I've been sober for a full year.

Over the past months, I've reflected on my view of alcohol and completely changed my perspective. In this article, I want to share my journey of quitting alcohol, the impact it has had on my life, and some tips for anyone considering reducing or quitting drinking altogether.

Growing Up with Alcohol

Growing up in a small village, drinking was a rite of passage. By 15, I was drinking beer regularly, just like everyone else. It wasn't just accepted—it was expected. Over time, alcohol became a constant companion, shaping my social life and, unknowingly, my mental health.

We often spent our free time outside in nature and at some point, we simply brought beer as well. Out of curiosity, we soon tried everything, eventually getting used to the initially unpalatable taste of beer. Soon after, we'd spend every weekend hanging around and getting drunk.
There was a lot of indirect peer pressure. You wouldn't necessarily be called out for not drinking, but you also wouldn't be part of the group and considered uncool. This more or less went on for the rest of life, with the addition of smoking cigarettes when getting drunk.

Since everyone was doing it, I never even questioned my consumption or behaviour.
I didn't even notice, that I gradually enjoyed activities without alcohol less and less, unconsciously opting for events that would serve beer.

I was more of a silent drinker. I rarely got aggressive and only showed signs of intoxication when I drank way too much. People often didn't even notice that I was drunk. Additionally, I would always have my life under control and be quite successful despite drinking frequently.
But the biggest problem is yet another one: I really enjoyed it. I have a hedonistic side that thrives for pleasure and while I'm a very rational person when sober, I couldn't stop drinking once I exceeded a certain threshold. It also helped me suppress my anxiety and ADD in moments of acute panic and sensory overload. After all, alcohol is also a sedative.

The Turning Point

I occasionally tried to quit, but since I never really wanted to, I always came back to it. That changed just before my 30th birthday when I realised what alcohol was doing to my body, mental health, and social life.

This "nice" feeling that so many people get addicted to is nothing more than our body's reaction to poison. The English word "intoxication" describes it perfectly.

So, the plan was simple: celebrate one last time, two days straight, and then quit for at least the rest of the year. Long story short, I had a great party, and I haven't touched a glass of alcohol since. I also completely quit smoking, as I only did that while drinking anyway.

One Year Sober

So, what's happened since then? Where do I even start?
I feel much better, both physically and mentally. While the day-to-day difference isn't always noticeable, my health metrics and journal entries paint a clear picture of improvement.

I've lost a few kilos and increased my VO2 max significantly. I go for long runs far more frequently. My energy levels are usually higher, and my mood swings have decreased. Looking at my journal, my average daily rating improved from 3.75 to 4.15 out of 5, and my happiness score is up by 0.5 points.

While I'm certainly proud of these changes, the best part is that I enjoy life so much more. Oh, and I don't spend Sundays completely wasted on the couch anymore—that's 52 extra days a year for meaningful activities.

The Impact of Alcohol

While some people, especially in Germany, might relate to my story, not everyone shares the same background. So, let's explore some scientific facts about alcohol and its effects on health and society.

Health Consequences

Alcohol is a neurotoxin. A type of poison that specifically targets the nervous system, causing damage to or outright killing nerve cells. This leads to various neurological symptoms, ranging from lightheadedness to impaired coordination and reduced motor skills to speech difficulties, nausea and ultimately to blackouts and hospitalisation.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no healthy or safe amount of alcohol. Recent studies have repeatedly shown this, but the idea of moderate drinking is still widely spread.

If we exclude nicotine, alcohol kills more people than all other drugs combined.
It's linked to a plethora of health issues including several cancers, liver and heart disease, dementia, sleep and mental health disorders. It's in the same group as asbestos when it comes to how certain it is to cause cancer.

Apart from the direct health consequences, there's also secondary causes such as drunk driving and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Look up fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) if you're interested.

Societal Consequences

Alcohol's impact isn't limited to health—it has enormous societal costs too.
In Germany alone, alcohol consumption causes roughly 57 billion euros in yearly costs, primarily in healthcare but also due to accidents and lost productivity. That's about one-third of the country's education budget. In comparison, alcohol tax revenue is only 3-4 billion euros.

Alcohol is also linked to crime and violence. Every tenth crime involves alcohol, and up to 50% of domestic violence cases include alcohol consumption.

Last but not least, addicted people, no matter which drug they're addicted to, are being pushed out of society and do not receive appropriate help to get out of their misery. On one hand, we celebrate alcohol everywhere, on the other hand, we stigmatise addicted people as failures and believe it's their own fault.

Tips to Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption

Now that we know how detrimental alcohol is to us, what can we really do about it? Since you've been reading this article up until now, you're already educating yourself, which in my opinion is the most important step to even get started. But if you are anything like me, the facts alone won't really cut it for you.
That's why I want to share my top 5 tips to reduce or even quit alcohol altogether:

1. Track your drinking: Without knowing how much you're drinking, how do you even know if you're improving or not? You don't have to do it all the time, but maybe track your drinking for a couple of months to get a good estimate of your average. There are several apps to do so, but you can also just use a notebook or a note-keeping app on your phone.
2. Set clear goals: Now that you track your numbers, it can be helpful to set goals in order to manage your alcohol consumption. For example, you might want to limit your intake to a specific number of drinks or a specific set of days.
3. Identify triggers: Addiction is gradual, not binary. You do not have to grave alcohol all day to be addicted. But, for most of us, there are triggers such as specific situations, emotions or places that make you want to drink. Identifying those and coming up with strategies to avoid or cope with them, can help to reduce impulsive drinking.
4. Explore non-alcoholic alternatives: One of my biggest issues was that I really liked the taste of beer and I always missed that when I was not drinking. That only stopped once I found proper alternatives. These days, we have a ton of non-alcoholic beer, wine and even some spirits that taste great and are much more healthy. Maybe have some fancy mocktails?
5. Seek help: Last but not least, you should always seek help if you can't do it yourself. Talk to your friends and family and get them to support you or find professional help. There're many doctors, therapists and self-help groups such as the Alcoholics Anonymous. It's okay to seek help and you deserve it!

Following any of those tips should already have a huge impact on your success. If you want to reduce your consumption, you can definitely do it!

Challenging Alcohol's Role in Our Culture

Growing up in a country where alcohol is the norm, breaking away from it was incredibly difficult. Alcohol isn't just a part of social events here—it's woven into traditions and seen as a cornerstone of culture.

But we need to be more critical about this relationship. Justifying extreme alcohol consumption as a "cultural tradition" does a disservice to our genuine cultural achievements and heritage.

Countries like Sweden have proven that meaningful change is possible. By implementing high taxes on alcohol, restricting sales, and banning advertisements, they've drastically reduced the societal impact of drinking.

It's time to challenge the status quo. We can still celebrate life's moments without glorifying a substance that causes so much harm.

Conclusion

Alcohol is one of the deadliest drugs on the planet, with severe health consequences and staggering societal costs. Yet, it remains widely available and socially accepted, ingrained in traditions that often glorify excessive consumption. Breaking free from this cultural norm isn't easy, but it's possible—and deeply rewarding.

While there's much work to be done at a societal level, there's also plenty we can do individually. I wrote this article to share my story and encourage reflection. While I'm not advocating for everyone to quit drinking, I hope it inspires you to think critically about your own relationship with alcohol. Whether you drink occasionally or frequently, taking a moment to reflect can be a powerful first step.

If this article changed your perspective or you're considering reducing or quitting alcohol, I'd love to hear your story.