I’ve dipped in and out of for the last ten years—almost half as many years as I’ve been drinking—and I usually bookend those booze-free bouts with a big piss-up. I’d be lying if I said I was ready to swear off alcohol forevermore, heck, I’ve even written about hangovers ( ), but for the first time, I’m seriously considering what mindful drinking might look like. I guess, like 19% of Brits, I’m .
The benefits of cutting down on alcohol are well documented. In my experience, it doesn’t take long to reap the rewards, like , better energy and increased focus. Of the 4 million Sober October participants, 88% of those surveyed said their had improved and 65% said they felt physically better.
Spencer Matthews, TV personality and founder of , told me, “Most of the achievements in my life since I stopped drinking would have seemed unthinkable to me back when I was drinking to excess.” Like me, sobriety coach quickly noticed a shift in her mood. “Achieving a full, undisturbed night’s sleep without waking up at 3 am was a new and rejuvenating experience,” she remembers, adding, “This improved sleep naturally began to elevate my mood and energy levels each morning”.
Unlike my many dalliances with sobriety, Osborne has continued her journey beyond Sober October. So why is it so tough to cut out or cut down on alcohol? One unignorable fact is that we’re a nation of drinkers— —and though ‘Booze Britain’ might not be as celebrated as during the heady.
