01/13/2026
“She’s not drinking — she must be pregnant.”
“How do you even have fun without alcohol?”
“One drink won’t kill you, live a little.”
Please, stop saying these things to your friends who are choosing a different path — one that feels right for them.
It’s been almost 6 years since I quit drinking.
No, I wasn’t an alcoholic. But I went through a phase. I often couldn’t stop at just one. Alcohol made me feel temporarily outgoing, but it also made me a fool, it made me feel sick, disconnected, and not myself.
I eventually realized it wasn’t adding anything positive to my life — in fact, it was doing the opposite. So I stopped. Completely.
Since then, I’ve had only two drinks — both reminded me exactly why I quit in the first place. Instant headaches, sore throat, inflammation. Instant regret.
Alcohol no longer serves me. Without it, I’m fully present, fully me — the quiet girl who doesn’t say much… unless I’m with the right people, the ones I can speak freely around, without tiptoeing around my words.
It’s about the people I choose to surround myself with, the energy they bring, and the energy we create together. If you need alcohol to be around certain people, maybe they’re not your people.
So whether you’re the friend making changes or the friend watching someone else grow — be kind. Be open-minded. Be supportive without judgment.
More of us are questioning the role alcohol plays in our lives — not just me. A recent Gallup poll found that only 54% of adults in the U.S. now drink alcohol, the lowest rate since 1939.
