Today it’s 5,000 days since I had my last drink…. I got really quite drunk, for my friends 30th birthday… on the 3rd May 2009…. and I was so sick after it.

🤮🫣😱🤮

It wasn’t just that day though… it was after years of drinking probably too much too often, and it wasn’t working with my life. So the next day – the first day of the hangover, I decided being was enough and I wanted to stop.

It took a while to get out of the habit, maybe three to six months. Drinking alcohol was and maybe still is such a normal thing to do in society… but I’d had enough. And I had more reasons to give it up than keep it up… so I stopped. 

Reasons for giving up included:

– Health / happiness 

– Bad and long hangovers 

– Cost / savings 

– Weight / body fat 

– I wasn’t enjoying it anymore 

– It wasn’t working with me exercising more 

– I’d had enough 

And that was that. My hangover lasted a few days, I’d really overdone it (again), and looking back then there was a lot of times I’d overdone it and nearly got in risky situations. No more.

I also realised that ‘drunk Lorn‘ wasn’t a very nice or good person. I’m glad she’s gone for good. Drinking caused so many issues that don’t exist for me now, and I’m so glad I was able to stop for good.

Now 5,000 days later – over 13 years later – it’s honestly one of the best thing I’ve ever done.

The health improvement, sleep, savings, holidays… there have been so many positives. Sure I might have missed out on some nights out or some fun, but my problem was I never knew when to stop, so one or two drinks often led to 10.

So being an all or nothing person, I’m better as a nothing person when it comes to alcohol. Add to that it possibly runs in my family to over drink or become addicted to alcohol, it’s a no brainer. 

Nowadays I see things like people being ‘alcohol free’ or ‘AF’ and if that works for you, then that’s great. But for me I made the decision not to have alcohol in my life a long time ago, and here’s to the next 25,000 days aff it. (Not sure it will help me live to 110 but you never know).

If you fancy giving it up, for a month or a year, have a go – see how it makes you feel. Or alternate months on and months off. 

There’s more info here:

Alcohol advicewww.nhs.uk

How to stop drinking alcohol completelydrinkaware.co.uk

Cheers!