I had always wanted to try a year without drinking as an experiment to see how I would feel.
Last October, I was living in Vietnam and several negative things had occurred in my life. I felt like I could either go over the edge and use alcohol as an escape or I could try to go down a healthier route.
That was when I discovered One Year No Beer on Facebook and that discovery really changed my life.
The moment everything changed…
I decided to sign-up for the 90-day challenge feeling that three months of support would really help me stick to a booze-free lifestyle (previous attempts at not drinking had always fallen apart after a week or two).
The OYNB daily emails and Facebook members group really helped me through those first 3 months – the sense of support and encouragement was huge, and was especially helpful when everyone else in my day-to-day life continued to drink with ambition.
One of my trickiest moments was Hogmanay last year: there was a huge sense of anticipation to celebrate the new year in style but deep-down I knew I didn’t want to break my 2-month AF streak.
I posted in the OYNB group and the responses really helped me to avoid the lure of that evening and allowed me to begin Dry January with two months already under my belt.
I did it!!!!!
The end of Dry January coincided with the completion of my 90-day challenge. I felt absolutely fantastic and decided to keep going indefinitely.
Going alcohol-free has changed my life for the better in so many ways: I’m healthier, more confident, suffer less from stress and anxiety, spend barely any money on nights out, and have much more time to spend on the things that I love and add true substance to my life. If anyone is contemplating Dry January, I could not recommend it more. Use it as a stepping stone to a longer-term challenge and see how you feel! I am sure that you won’t regret it.
An entrepreneur and former senior oil broker, Ruari gave up drinking after excessive consumption almost cost him his marriage, and worse, his life. Going alcohol-free improved his relationships, career and energy levels, leading to him founding OYNB to provide a support network for others.
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