I agree Helena Irish people don’t care if you’re drinking alcohol or not. I know we have a terrible reputation for drink but the reality is loads of us don’t drink at all or else very little. My husband doesn’t drink and my 30 year old son rarely drinks. I enjoy a glass of wine when I’m in a restaurant but I have never drank beer or spirits. I don’t judge anyone else’s choices and have some friends who love a drink and others who don’t drink at all.

ETA- tried Athletic's amber beer yesterday and liked it more than the All Out (dark). Definitely passable as real beer!

Thanks for sharing Helena. Like SarahD8 if I want to be my ideal weight there is no place for alcohol. Summers here are very sociable, outdoor restaurants and bars everywhere and everyone always has either a beer or wine glass in hand (tourists)! But I was alcohol free for a number of years and with it came the ideal weight which had eluded me most of my life. Then I slipped in a little wine again and boom the weight came back. As of 1 September, when our tourist season dies down, I am back to alcohol free for sure. I also feel more happy mood wise when I don't indulge. I am a natural extrovert and by no means need a drink to chat to anyone so for me it is just a pointless unhealthy habit.

Good for you! It isn't easy to fight social norms but can be very worth it.

I love a glass of wine but recently decided to cut back - weight being one reason - because it just felt like too much. I had gone from an occasional glass, to one every night after work and on the weekends too. I think it was my mental signal that it was time to relax, but I got too reliant on it. I am back to a few glasses a week which I am much more comfortable with. I was surprised that I don't miss it that much and actually enjoy my less frequent glasses more as a result. But I still would like to find something like it but preferably non-alcoholic and non-caloric that I can relax with at the end of the day. Soda and other fizzy drinks don't cut it for me.

Full disclosure - I didn’t lose an ounce when I quit last fall for about 4 months . Not an ounce . I was so ticked off about that !

Lisa, I've gained weight :/

Thanks everyone for the positivity! Much appreciated. Lovely to hear so many people making conscious choices about this issue, whether they involve some drinking, or none, or flipping between the two as makes sense!

Robin, have you tried kombucha? I also really love Gruvi drysecco (tastes more like a dry cider than prosecco, which I was initially disappointed with until I realized it was bloody delicious!) About 50 cals a bottle I think, so not none, but far less than a glass of wine, and looks pretty in the glass! Tost white tea bev is also quite good!

LJP I have to do other meal tweaks too, not just cutting out alcohol. If I don't cut it out though the tweaks don't make any difference. So in order to lose I have to cut it out otherwise the tweaks are a waste of time. For me this is how it is, I am sure it is different for everyone.

Good for you Helena,l enjoyed your article.The British drinking culture is alive and well l am afraid.l do drink but very ,very lightly.I.e a glass of wine maybe twice a month.more than a glass does not agree with me now l am older.Therefore l usually drive if hubs and me go out.l have been asked ,in front of everyone ,at a friends diner if the reason l don’t drink(?well l do but l was driving)was that l had previous problems with alcohol .l really did not know how to respond to this as it was so insensitive on so many levels What if l had had problems with alcohol?I said that l didn’t and l was driving but the person in question obviously didn’t believe me and persisted in pushing for a “confession”.People over here really don’t like it if you don’t drink and by drink l mean drink to excess.l have also had people pushing quite hard to get me to drink even when it’s been quite clear that lam driving as apparently “one won’t hurt”.well l prefer not to drink at all if l am driving thank you very much and l think it’s bordering on
criminal to try and get drivers to drink,We still have a long way to go before not drinking is seen as a valid choice although l think that my daughters generation are a lot more accepting of people choosing not to drink so maybe the change will come with them.

CG that story makes me angry on your behalf! That IS so insensitive ... And also I suspect that person might be projecting :/ Good on you for being firm!! I'm the same as you, I never drank when I was driving because I was always too much of a lightweight and afraid I would be blurry headed even with one. Infuriating!

Thanks for the suggestions! I will give them a try!

CG, that is a terrible thing that they said to you! Maybe you were making them feel guilty

Congratulations, Helena! I stopped drinking alcohol about ten years ago. I occasionally have a glass of red wine about three times a year if it is an outstanding wine. I drank about three to four glasses of wine a week but wanted to see if it impacted my migraines. Stopping didn't make any difference. But I didn't see a reason to start again.

Thanks Helena and RobinF for your supportive comments.This chat has made me feel better about being a lightweight drinker!

Oh good for you! I read and enjoyed your article too. Very well said.

In the last year, I've switched to be more alcohol free. Now I buy the NA beers from Athletic Brewing company and also the Guinness.

I've had migraines also and what made the most difference to not having them was to give up caffeine completely. I resisted doing it for years! I loved my black tea. But in the last 8? years since going strictly herbal (and yes it's boring), no decaf, no green tea, absolutely zero caffeine, it has really helped.

Helena, I did the same almost 9 months ago. I was having so many hot flashes, not sleeping, cranky… ugh. And then I realized that I was annoyed ALL.THE.TIME. Annoyed with everyone! And when one is annoyed, well, they become annoying themselves. I was never much of a drinker, and then during Covid I drank more and more. It was slow, but a fast change. Anyway, I’m done with that. So, my sleep is great now and no more hot flashes! (I’ve also started exercising - weight lifting!). I have way more energy and I’m much happier.

Thanks for sharing your story. It’s always nice to know I am not alone.

I'm a little late to the party, but I wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed your article, Helena.

Kevin and I rarely drink anymore because of various medications and we've begun exploring the world of alcohol alternatives. There's so much out there now! There's even a non-alcoholic bottle shop near us. For me, a lot of the allure of drinking comes from the interesting flavor combinations, and the rise of mocktails has opened up so many options!

Jenn, that's it ... once I found an "adult" drink to enjoy that didn't have alcohol, that was the end of alcohol ... I like the experience but not the effect of alcoholic drinks so it was a net gain for me! Hooray for choices!

This has been an interesting read. I didn’t know about the link between alcohol and peri menopause and migraines. A poll of my women’s group revealed that a number of them can no longer tolerate alcohol. We’ve been meeting for lunch versus dinner, so the absence of wine as a beverage choice wasn’t really apparent. I’m a light/moderate drinker and don’t get red and have never been in situations where I have been pressured to drink. Lucky I guess. Plus, I know quite a few folks who are recovering alcoholics.