One year ago, after the 2024 Boston Marathon on April 15, I had my last alcoholic drink (a "Road 2 Ruin Double IPA", no pun intended). Before that I had gone weeks without a drink during the marathon preparation for Boston. And before that, I had gone weeks without a drink in many years during lent. It was never difficult to not drink, I never had a problem with alcohol addiction. But this time I let go of alcohol for good.

I didn't do it for a trend nor to be a particular role model. I did it because it made my life easier. Let me explain.

Even as the middle-aged, ambitious amateur runner that I am, the amount and intensity of my training requires all knobs to be dialled towards good recovery. And because I am middle-aged, I get away with fewer mistakes. Too little sleep, too much poor sleep — not a problem ten years ago. These days? Can't go hard in training after a shitty night. Why focus on sleep? Because that's the foundation of the Recovery Pyramid. And unlike gin and tonic, alcohol and REM don’t mix. I was able to confirm that through both my Garmin and Whoop data. Nights after even moderate alcohol consumption were noticeably and systematically worse than nights without alcohol. So, to recover better, it's better to not drink alcohol. Yet, I realised this could be irritating for the people around me. Henrik doesn't drink, but occasionally, he does, and it's completely random. By announcing that I don't drink alcohol, full stop, I eliminated the occasional bad night as well as a lot of uncertainty in my social circle.

What I like

The feeling of answering "No" on the doctor's checklist "Do you consume alcohol?", combined with just overall great blood-work results. Turns out, if you don't intoxicate your body it is actually beneficial to your health. In particular, since the myth about consumption in moderate dosages being health-promoting has been mostly busted: "the healthy dose of alcohol is zero".

Overall better sleep. Or at least, if I have a shitty night (yep, happens sporadically), I know it's not from drinking.

The same amount of fun on nights out. After all, it's about the people and community, and not about getting lose with the help of a neurotoxic substance.

I'm always the designated driver (well, I guess that is mostly for others to like).

What I miss

There are very few occasions in a year where I really do miss certain drinks. Mostly the ones where no decent alternative exists yet. In the past 366 days those were maybe one or two summer nights that would've called for long-drinks and one evening, during Christmas, that would've called for red wine. Truth be told, those moments stem from memories that are connected with the taste of those drinks. I am pretty sure I will be able to re-attach to those memories through other triggers.

I miss variety in non-alcoholic alternatives. More 0.0% IPAs please, more alcohol-free cocktails!

I miss a society that doesn't ask "Why?", but rather "What else can I offer you", if I decline a drink.

How do you know someone's a vegan?
Don't worry, they'll tell you.
How do you recognise a person who doesn't drink?
They will have to apologise for not drinking in every social interaction.

Alcohol is the only drug for which you have to apologise if you DO NOT consume it. Let's change that.

365 days and counting. I'm proud of myself having gone this step. Here's to a healthy life, cheers!