Why I’m Taking a Break From Alcohol (and What That’s Got to Do With Wellbeing-Driven Productivity)

It’s official. Me and booze are “on a break”.

I’ve decided to share my reasons, plan, and experience (this will be more than one article) in the hope that doing so might provide some helpful information to anyone who is sober-curious.

Setting the Scene

In preparation for writing this article, I thought about the length of my drinking “career”. It turns out I’ve been drinking alcohol fairly consistently for 30 years… that’s a long time!

I’m not an alcoholic, but I acknowledge there have been periods of heavy social drinking in my past, particularly in my twenties when I was climbing the corporate ladder in the finance sector. Entertaining clients was a big part of my job; a solid pair of “drinking boots” was part of the uniform.

These days, I drink far less. I typically have a few glasses of wine in the week and an occasional “big celebration” boozy night out (probably two or three times a year).

Why I Drink

When I think about my reasons for using alcohol over the past three decades (which somehow sounds worse than 30 years), it has either been as a social lubricant or to relieve stress and anxiety.