I last had alcohol six months ago after eight years of drinking far more than the average person. I’ve no desire to resume. I enjoyed it, but earlier this year, it started exacerbating feelings of sadness that made drinking a negative experience. I didn’t set out to stop drinking, but wanted to go one week without it. After a couple of weeks, refraining became much easier, especially when seeing the other benefits.
Abstaining saves money. Due to inflation, many bars charge over $6 apiece for standard beers. If you want a Shipyard Pumpkinhead or a Wachusett Blueberry, prepare to pay more. A few beers from a few weekly trips to the bar can cost someone thousands per year. People also spend more on food by going out to bars since it costs much less to eat at home. I still frequent restaurants, but gone are the days of a $60 tab unless it's a date where the woman has a drink or two.
Not paying for alcohol for several months helped me pay for a five-day trip to Cooperstown, New York, last month, right after Labor Day. Going on vacation costs less when daily trips to the bar lack a spot on the itinerary. In Cooperstown, I went to the National Baseball Hall of Fame twice, the Fly Creek Cider Mill several times, kayaking once, and saw how Cooperstown Bat Company makes baseball bats. I even broke a wooden bat in a batting cage.
Quitting alcohol is also one of the easiest ways to lose weight. Diet and exercise matter, but no alcohol often means fewer calories, and beer and other alcoholic beverages are some of the best examples of empty calories. I also found that drinking alcohol made me want to eat more. When I was younger and lived at home, that meant eating the dinner that my parents left for me in the fridge after I arrived home from the bar. It also makes you crave empty calories from junk food. I also prefer avoiding driving during those late and dangerous hours when other drivers include the intoxicated and drowsy.
Non-alcoholic beers typically have fewer calories than regular beers and can contribute to that modest weight loss. A non-alcoholic Guinness, my favorite non-alcoholic beer, has 71 calories—about half of a regular Guinness. Caffeine-free Diet Coke, one of the best drinks ever invented, has zero calories. I have no idea if aspartame causes cancer, but I know alcohol ruins livers and contributes to health problems, so Caffeine-free Diet Coke is likely the lesser evil.
Alcohol also makes people less productive, which can also make them poorer and fatter. Hangovers cost the United States economy $160 billion in lost productivity annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control. When people wake up feeling like shit from a hangover, they’re less likely to exercise, which builds muscle and burns fat. Their work performance can also suffer; for contract workers, that might mean doing less work and making less money.
When people stop drinking, they better understand what they think of others. I found that I had a decent time with some people while under the influence. When sober, their personalities are far less tolerable. It’s easier to look past people’s rude, condescending, and egotistical bullshit while intoxicated. Not drinking makes me wonder why I ever associated with some people in the first place.