In the UK, those aged 55 to 75 are the heaviest drinkers, with the generation below not far behind. But many are turning their backs on alcohol and discovering surprising benefits.
Sharon Hartley, 49, considered herself a fairly average drinker. She had followed a similar pattern to that of other people she knew in their mid-40s – teenage drinking that continued at university and in her 20s, then drinking at home in her 30s and 40s. “It crept up on me and I got to 44 and I thought: when was it deemed normal to be drinking a bottle of wine a night?” She didn’t consider herself addicted but knew her relationship with alcohol wasn’t going in a good direction.
She decided on a 90-day challenge, starting on a Monday in 2018 with a raging hangover. “It had been another really boozy summer and I thought: today it starts.” It was hard at first, but then she started to feel better. “I used to brag that I didn’t get hangovers, but I think because of the frequency of my drinking, I lived in a constant state of hangover.” She took weekly selfies and watched her face deflate, blotches disappear, and the whites of her eyes become clearer. “Removing booze from my life has been the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Joanne Midgley, 61, had done month-long alcohol-free challenges but always went back to drinking. Last year, influenced by social media and newspaper articles, her mindset shifted. “I thought, I’ll just do another month.” Giving up completely has been easier than moderating. She has lost weight, has more energy, and more friends after joining local sober groups. “My days are longer; my world got bigger.”
Kate Beavis, 50, a menopause awareness campaigner, gave up drinking after her second dry January in 2015. “I didn’t think I would last, but I felt so much better. A lot of my health issues cleared up. I now realise some of my menopause symptoms got better.” She sleeps better, has more energy, and finds it easier to control her mood. Her back pain eased because she wasn’t sitting on the sofa drinking several glasses of wine every night.
