The Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
If you are reading this, then you are probably intrigued by the idea of an alcohol-free lifestyle. You may be wondering what are the benefits of going alcohol-free ? You may also want to know how you may adopt such a lifestyle for yourself.
Personally, I’ve been living alcohol-free for more than a year. And because of this, I am the perfect person to tell you all about the benefits of the no alcohol way. This post will cover the top benefits of an alcohol-free lifestyle including potential cost savings, health benefits, and productivity boosts.
Contents
The Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Will Make You Richer
Eliminating alcohol has a great chance of making you financially richer. That said, monetary gains from not drinking are just the start. In addition to enlarging your wallet, the alcohol-free lifestyle will also deepen the quality of most other aspects of your life. Let’s talk about how.
The Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Could Make You A Millionaire
No discussion of the benefits of going alcohol-free can be had without mention of the possible financial rewards.
Simply put, drinking alcohol is an expensive habit which means going alcohol-free will make you richer. The alcohol-free lifestyle will enlarge your wealth through increased savings that can be used toward other financial goals such as getting out of debt or saving for retirement.
The U.S. Surgeon General and CDC report that the economic impact of alcohol misuse is $249 billion per year – which evenly spreads across all adults at a rate of $809 annually. Other estimates, such as one reported by Land Mark Recovery claim that alcohol use has an average cost of $2,000 per year. Further, the team over at Huff Post estimates that drinking costs between $1500 – $7,500 per year depending on beverage selection and frequency.
Being Alcohol-Free Is Worth Millions
To understand the full financial potential of the alcohol-free lifestyle, we must consider the opportunity costs associated with drinking. To do so, we will look at scenarios where an individual decides to invest the same money that the average person spends on drinking from ages 18 – 64.
Redirecting even the lowest of these estimates ($809 annually) into an index fund returning the stock market historical average of 10.12% would result in around $600,000. Moreover, consistently investing the high end figure of $7,500 each year would produce nearly $5,600,000.
I can personally attest to the financial benefits of the alcohol-free lifestyle. Saving money by not drinking has contributed to my ability to save a lump sum in excess of $100,000 in a relatively short period of time. It is truly amazing how much wealth one could build with a small change such as going alcohol-free.
Being Alcohol-Free Leads To Higher Performance
I’ve noticed a significant boost in my performance since giving up alcohol.
In a year of not drinking, I’ve been able to launch this blog and produce 38 articles and another 36 podcast episodes. I’ve also maintained high levels of fitness and embarked on learning a new language. Most significantly, I’ve done all of this while earning a top 15% income in my day job.
Through my experience, I can say that a major benefit of an alcohol-free lifestyle is the potential for higher performance. I’ve always been a hard worker, but I’m impressed by my own output and attribute it to a lifestyle of no alcohol.
My results align with science that shows that alcohol dampens the body and mind.
In a 30 year study, Oxford University researchers found a correlation between brain size and alcohol consumption. The conclusion? Those who drank were likely to have a smaller hippocampus – the area of the brain responsible for memory and reasoning.
Fortunately, the negative cognitive effects of alcohol are said to fully subside within a year of not drinking. If you find that you could use a mental boost, then going alcohol-free may be the key for you.
Alcohol-Free Individuals Have A Competitive Edge
I was in a library a few years ago and stumbled upon a book featuring success tips by Donald Trump. Inside, Trump mentioned not drinking as one of his top negotiation strategies to win favorable business deals. Essentially, his counterparts would become drunk and more susceptible to signing deals favorable to Trump.
I’m no business magnate like Trump, but I have experienced the competitive edge that not drinking provides in my own life. I’ve been able to consistently keep my composure under all circumstances. Meanwhile, I’ve seen drunk people around me run the gamut of emotions and blunders while intoxicated.
If nothing else, not drinking gives you a competitive edge because you spend less time simply dealing with the negative effects of alcohol.
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found a correlation between alcohol use and workplace absenteeism. They found that heavy drinkers missed more than double the amount of work than their counterparts. In total, heavy drinkers missed a combined 232 million work days each year.
Alcohol use disorder also impacts the economy through work force disruptions caused by tardiness, absenteeism, employee turnover and conflict in the workplace. It causes a reduction in potential employees, customer and taxpayer bases.
What this means is that while your alcohol consuming counterparts are resting and healing from drinking, you are consistently operating at full capacity. Even if some of them seem to be fine after drinking, this just means they are further down the negative feedback loop. And not to mention the long term health implications that don’t reveal themselves until older age.
In other words, rest assured that you are winning out in the long run by going with the alcohol-free lifestyle. And since I’ve mentioned it, let’s talk about that negative feedback loop next.
Life Gets Richer In An Alcohol-Free State
Like most drugs, alcohol is excellent at altering our thoughts, feelings, and senses. This can serve as a useful tool for avoiding the realities of life or even making things more exciting when the fun starts.
As effective as alcohol seems to be at enhancing our experiences or allowing us to circumvent them, it does a poor job at truly making our lives better. In fact, using alcohol is more likely to make our lives worse overall than it would be if we went alcohol-free.
But how might this be so?
The Negative Feedback Loop Of Alcohol
In a counterintuitive way, the process of going alcohol-free leads to a deeper and richer life.
The problem with alcohol is that it is a temporary solution. More specifically, alcohol creates what is known as a negative feedback loop in that it perpetuates its reliance without truly providing a solution to the consumer.
For example, a person suffering from depression may drink alcohol to make themselves feel better but find only temporary relief – if any at all. The person may then drink increasingly more to capture the ever fleeting endorphin release. The result of this is a vicious cycle that sees the alcohol consumer spiral further backwards.
Similarly, a person who utilizes alcohol to increase fun for social occasions will find that they essentially lose the ability to have fun in the same scenarios alcohol free. Sadly, I’ve heard real life people mention that “going out is pointless if alcohol is not involved”.
A Deeper, Richer Life Experience From Being Alcohol-Free
With alcohol removed from our lives, we must face our challenges head on. We also have to learn how to have fun and gain fulfillment out of moments as they truly are. Going alcohol-free simply means there are no veils influencing our experiences.
Over time, I have noticed that the alcohol-free lifestyle has deepened my overall life experience.
My mood and emotions are more balanced which makes dealing with life’s lows easier. Problem solving has also become easier thanks to a clear mind. At the same time, moments of fun are deeper and more enjoyable due to the fact that I am fully experiencing them for what they are.
Having all of your senses fully involved definitely enhances each experience.
I’m convinced that we are capable of stirring up fun without needing to be under the influence. I’ve gone on many dates, have danced for hours, and have partied with friends all while being sober. The ironic thing is that none of the drunk people that I’ve been around could tell the difference.
The Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Is A Happier Lifestyle
The alcohol-free lifestyle is a happier lifestyle. This is because a life with no alcohol is one of improved mental health, better relationships, more free time, and greater confidence.
How could we not become happier with more of these things in our lives.
Mental Health Improves
Since very early on in my drinking days, I’ve noticed that alcohol would take my moods to unnaturally low levels. I would feel the early moments of excitement and lack of inhibition, followed by hours of feeling relatively sad.
As a generally happy person, this has always caused me to view alcohol with at least a little bit of suspicion.
Since going alcohol-free, my moods are more balanced. Sure, I don’t have the glorious highs that alcohol provides. But, I also don’t have the steep lows. In this manner, both my moments of highs and lows are untainted and more natural thanks to being alcohol-free.
Balanced Moods From Being Alcohol-Free
Alcohol is widely used as a substance at social gatherings for its ability to enhance moods and elevate fun. At the same time, we seldom discuss the negative impacts that drinking has on our brains. It is as if we assume that consuming alcohol is all upside – which is simply not the case.
For starters, alcohol is a depressant which means that it disrupts brain activity while altering our thoughts and feelings. The temporary feelings of euphoria and bliss associated with drinking are usually offset by negative feelings and emotions. This is why we commonly see people act angrily or emotionally when under the influence of alcohol.
The alcohol-free lifestyle fixes this issue by stabalizing your moods. No more wild swings. And more importantly, no more of those deep lows commonly experienced with drinking.
Greater Confidence
I’ve mentioned previously that becoming debt free was one of the greatest confidence boosters that I’ve experienced. Interestingly, eliminating alcohol has also done wonders for my confidence in the following ways.
The Alcohol Crutch
A few years ago I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to a networking event. That was a huge step for me back then since I was really uncomfortable with meeting new people. I suppose the misery from my former job was enough motivation to try to make things happen.
As motivated as I was back then, I was still extremely nervous leading up to the event. My solution?
That’s right, alcohol.
I headed straight for the bar as soon as I walked into the event to grab myself a strong cocktail. And the rest was history.
Going Alcohol-Free Removes The Crutch
The process of facing challenges without the crutch of alcohol does wonders for your confidence. Showing up in situations and managing your nerves without alcohol progressively reinforces your ability to do so.
Each instance builds upon the last, much like with my success stacking principal.
After not drinking for more than a year, I’ve grown accustomed to facing new challenges in a natural state. No matter how nervous or anxious , I now navigate things as they come.
Consider that if you drink to navigate challenging situations, alcohol is simply masking your underlying issues. You may be lacking confidence or are held back by nervousness. No matter the cause, alcohol does not truly solve the issue.
For a real solution, consider adopting the alcohol-free lifestyle. You are almost guaranteed to become more confident as a result.
You Have More Time When You Are Alcohol Free
Consuming alcohol is often synonymous with late nights and mandatory periods of recovery. Even brunch goers and day drinkers require naps to recover after bouts of drinking
As a high achiever, the recovery time associated with drinking never sat well with me. I place a lot of value on maximizing my time. Therefore, being bedridden due to inadequate sleep or a hangover is unacceptable.
Since going alcohol-free, I get the most out of my days because I am able to utilize the full breadth of time available in each day. Even Extremely late lights are no longer compounded by the unwell feelings associated with drinking.
If you value your time, consider going the no alcohol route. In doing so, you will find that you suddenly have more free time to enjoy life, be productive, and achieve your dreams.
Becoming Alcohol-Free Makes You Healthier
If you’ve read this far, you can already see that going alcohol-free makes you an overall healthier person. From here, I will round things out by briefly mentioning a few specific and perhaps counterintuitive ways eliminating alcohol can directly improve your health.
Being Alcohol-Free Makes You Leaner And Fitter
Of the numerous benefits of an alcohol free lifestyle, the ability to maintain a lean physique could top the list.
As a nutritional substance, alcohol provides almost no actual nutrition. Meanwhile, alcohol leads to weight gain by way of decreased fat burning, empty calories, and appetite enhancements.
Given this, eliminating alcohol is a simple solution for maintaining a leaner physique.
Going alcohol-free means you’ve eliminated the high calorie alcohol and high calories mixers. You also no longer consume a substance that puts your body in fat storage mode. These changes produce powerful results. I personally know of several obese people who have lost significant weight with this single change.
Eliminating Alcohol Makes You More Selective With Dating Partners
One day, early on in my 1 year of no alcohol, I asked a beautiful woman out for a date. To my pleasure, she accepted the invitation and the dating game was in motion.
We met for a date that consisted of coffee and cocktails, and instantly hit it off. The conversation flowed naturally and we seemed to have a workable level of chemistry to drive things forward.
That is, until my date revealed that she was a pretty heavy drinker to the tune of 8-10 cocktails before even feeling drunk. She also told me she partied pretty regularly and had several drinks each weekday evening.
The result? I decided to cut bait and seek out women who had healthier styles of living.
Alcohol-Free Partner Selection
Making the decision to live without alcohol means that you are a pretty focused person. It also means that you care about your health.
Because of this, quitting alcohol is likely to make you more selective with your dating prospects as you seek out those whose lifestyle aligns more closely with yours.
Not drinking will also reveal to you just how unhealthy the alcohol is. Thus, those who drink large amounts will naturally become less attractive to you.
At 63%, the majority of Americans consume alcohol. The great news here is that there are still plenty of potential mates who consume no or moderate levels of alcohol. I’m sure there are plenty of amazing options in the 122.8 million non drinkers.
Better Friends
Ever notice how athletes seem to hang around other athletes? Or how doctors seem to be friends with a lot of other doctors? Likewise, rarely do we see the wall street bankers spending time under bridges with homeless addicts.
People are exceptional at sorting and grouping themselves by like characteristics. It is true that birds of the same feather tend to flock together.
In terms of being alcohol-free, you will ultimately benefit as you gain better friends.
Over time, your alcohol-free lifestyle will produce changes to most of your habits. You likely shift in the way you eat, sleep, and have fun. Your career will accelerate and so will your financial progress. You will begin to see drinking for what is truly is – a mostly destructive habit with detrimental health effects.
You Will Find Alcohol-Free Friends
A natural consequence of the aforementioned changes will be a divergence from your old flock. This will happen in a few ways.
From your end, the process of growth with result in a shift of values. The things that you found interesting and stimulating before will not pique your interest as they once did. You’ll also simply lose the commonalities that linked you with certain friends.
From your friends’ perspective, your growth could appear as a threat. Many people are uncomfortable with someone close to them improving because it highlights all of their own inadequacies. You’ll likely have friends try to undermine your alcohol-free lifestyle.
The culmination of this process will be better friends. This isn’t to say that your new friends will be better people. They will simply be better friends for you to keep close.
3 Steps To Become Alcohol-Free
This article may have piqued your interest in adopting the alcohol-free lifestyle. Good for you!
Overall, eliminating alcohol doesn’t have to a difficult process. It also doesn’t have to be a permanent process if you don’t desire it. A single month of no alcohol could do wonders for your life.
No matter how you decide to approach your alcohol-free journey, here are the 3 steps I recommend you take to eliminate alcohol from your life.
Step 1: Find Motivation To Become Alcohol-Free
Finding motivation is first step for adopting an alcohol-free lifestyle. For most of us, alcohol has been an integral part of our lives for many years which makes breaking the habit difficult. This means you must have a strong “why” to go alcohol-free.
For example, my motivation for adopting an alcohol-free lifestyle was to improve my sleep and the health of my arthritic joints (thank you football). Overtime, my motivation has evolved to capture all of the benefits outlined in this article.
Similarly, you will need to develop a strong motivator for change. This will be highly personal to you.
Step 2: Develop An Alcohol-Free Gameplan
We don’t wander haphazardly into success or significant change. Instead, we accomplish the things we set out to do with adequate planning.
Thus, the second step to becoming alcohol-free is to develop a gameplan that will get you there.
Your plan can range from simple to complex, but the important thing is that you have one. It doesn’t have to be perfect either. For example, you may start by simply getting rid of all of the alcohol in your home and staying out of your favorite bar for a period of time. Some of you could also consider enlisting the help of specialist that can guide your forward.
Step 3: Take Action And Commit
The final step to adopt the alcohol-free lifestyle is to take action on your plan and commit to the process for the long haul.
You will be bombarded with temptation and detractors, so you must be steadfast in your resolve.
Fortunately, things get easier with time. Eventually the alcohol-free lifestyle became engrained in my identity to the point where it is no longer a challenge. Instead, it is something I simply do. Living alcohol-free is a part of who I am.
You will eventually get to this point as well, but you must start and stick things out.
In Conclusion
My goal with this post has been to show you that the alcohol-free lifestyle has many wonderful benefits. It is also something that you can adopt in your own life with sufficient motivation and planning.
If you are seeking improvements in your life, then consider going alcohol-free. This counterintuitive approach to living is sure to bring you many rewards.
With nothing left to say on the matter, I raise my glass of water for an alcohol-free toast to your newfound lifestyle. Cheers!