My relationship with alcohol started at the age of 15. I did what all my friends were doing, drinking to be in with the crowd. I could never ‘hold’ my drink, so would get drunk easily and suffer the consequences. In my 20’s life was proving very difficult and alcohol became a crutch that would numb the emotional pain. In my 30’s I had an active social life; dinner parties, social events, restaurants and drinking wine when making dinner were frequent occurrences. In my early 40’s alcohol became a de-stressor. I was in the throes of getting divorced and the stress that brought and having two young daughters, was (what I thought) alleviated by consuming my favourite tipple. I always felt anxious, and thought the alcohol was soothing it, in fact, it was feeding it.

I would often ask myself throughout the years, how would life be without alcohol?

By the time I made the decision to try the 28-day challenge with One Year No Bear I had just turned 49 and had recently moved to the UAE. The social life there is amazing, and I could feel myself slipping back into old ways of socialising in bars, something that I hadn’t done on a regular basis since before having my children. I could see in my minds eye which way it would go if I didn’t nip it in the bud immediately. As I am turning 50 this year, I had made a commitment to myself that I would get as healthy and fit as possible and to be fabulous at 50, living a happy, successful and abundant alcohol-free life!

When I signed up to OYNB, I hoped that I could relate to other people on the challenge and take guidance from the ones who had succeeded breaking the habit. I wanted to be in a community of people who wouldn’t question my reasons for not choosing to drink. I wasn’t disappointed.

The support was great.

I found the first 28 days easy as I was mentally ready to kick the alcohol habit. I found that the quality of my sleep greatly improved. The next 30 days were a little tougher as there were a couple of points when I wanted to have a drink to relax but chose not to. I found new ways to relax. Now I have achieved 90 days completely alcohol-free and I feel amazing.

The general anxiety that I was feeling on a regular basis has disappeared, I have more energy, sleep better, I am calmer and so much more productive in my business.

I am fitter too, in fact I am fitter than I have ever been!

I took on a running challenge of 10K in 90 days which I achieved after 60 days and incorporated cycling into my exercise routine. I am on course for completing a half marathon in the summer. My eyes are brighter, and my skin is glowing, and the best advantage is that I have no brain fog, my mind is much clearer.

OYNB has been crucial to my success with having the regular daily support emails, videos and the Facebook community has been a great resource to tap into. I now understand the psychology of wanting to drink and it has helped me to understand myself so much better.

If I can kick the alcohol habit after 34 years of drinking, so can you. It’s a great feeling!

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Ruari Fairbairns

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.