Mariel Segara

I think alcohol is everywhere in our culture, so it's easy to forget that it's actually not good for us. The World Health Organization says there's no safe amount of alcohol to drink, and that can be true even if you're drinking only a moderate amount. Two drinks are less a day for men, one drink are less a day for women. So

You'll be giving yourself a break from something that can be very harmful to your health. And if you're not really worried about those health effects long term, you might think about whether alcohol is enriching your life right now. Are you getting hangovers all the time? Are you sleeping poorly after you drink? Are you spending a ton of money on it?

Then it might be worth taking a break, seeing what life is like without it.

Yeah. You know, this comes up in dating a lot. People will be like, you want to meet up for a drink? And I'll tell you full disclosure, I don't drink anymore. And there's plenty of other stuff you can do together, like do an arts and crafts night, go roller skating, cook together. Boring.

This stuff can be really fun. And when you stop drinking, even for a time, it does leave an empty space to figure out what you actually like doing. And that's scary, but it's also exciting, right?

One is if people are giving you a hard time about not drinking, don't feel like you have to apologize or explain. You can simply say, you know, I'm just not drinking right now. I'd love your support. And if you do end up at a bar for a friend's birthday or something, one tip from Casey Davidson, she's a sobriety coach and the host of the Hello Someday podcast for sober curious women.

Yeah. And Casey says, if you think you have a physical addiction to alcohol, if you're worried about that, talk to your doctor about how to detox safely. But even if you don't drink a ton, the first couple of weeks, you might feel some symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, like interrupted sleep and fatigue.

She says you can also kind of prop yourself up by giving yourself sober treats like get a pedicure or order sushi or watch a movie because alcohol is not the only way to feel good.