OK so when I first tried to write this it was part of another post but I ended up writing an entire post on this alone so here goes:
Just in-case you didn't know it - drinking alcohol is bad for you - yep we know, thanks, Captain Obvious!
Now that we've got to the point think about it for a minute as a simple equation:
Alcohol + Body = Short burst of ‘perceived’ fun + Reduced bank balance & Reduced quality of health both short term and long term.
For me, I’d rather have some real fun, with real friends and keep the bank balance high and my health at optimal state.
Now if you can have a drink or two a week and stay controlled then that is great, however for me I couldn't and after working in bars for 6+ years there is few people that I have seen do that.
So why stop drinking?
3 years ago I loved a drink, I was the girl who was at every party, hungover all weekend, constantly enjoying a hair of the dog and usually waking up finding out something ridiculously stupid that I had done and a new list of people I had to apologize too.
This went on for about 5 years and was a self-fulfilling cycle until my partner ultimately said it's the drink or it's me.
Well, hallelujah for my inner self-being somewhat switched on when I was extremely hungover and facing this decision! I chose him and oh boy it continue to provide wonderful benefits every day, in the form of an amazing partner, best friend and the below benefits that I've recieved from not drinking.
If you’re either interested or considering stopping drinking alcohol or even reducing your alcohol intake take a look at a few of the benefits that I personally received when I stopped:
(1) More Cha-ching! $$$ - Because I used to like a big night out at least 2X a week I burnt through a lot of cash. When I stopped drinking I suddenly had all this extra money, and the money lasted more than the week. For me personally I started saving for the first time in my life (the first year saving $20K) and then using the excess funds to invest in courses, books and developing myself and increasing my value and contribution to the world.
(2) Bye bye fake friends! - As I was in a particular crowd that enjoyed a good DJ set and multiple bottles of champas, vodka & tequila I found that if I wasn’t at the weekly events, I just didn’t hear from any of them. Then when I turned up whoops either they forgot who I was or thought I was some form of strange alien from Pluto because I wouldn’t enjoy a drink.
(3) Oh hey there new self-confidence, feeling healthy & positive thoughts - When my body wasn’t struggling to survive and process the copious amounts of alcohol that I was ingesting it actually started to perform really well (you know because that’s what they're meant to do). My sleeping pattern became regular, my quality of sleep is amazing and I don’t flatline at 3pm, my energy sustains itself and because I feel so damn good all the time my thoughts are of a much higher quality than they previously were. With my new high-quality thoughts I was able to see how I really viewed myself and worked to improve that and understand my real self value and appreciate myself a lot more.
(4) I actually have more fun without it - Now if you asked me this a year ago I would have told said you were a compulsive liar, a bore and to stop being a pussy and take a shot (how classy of a young lady right!).
It is actually amazing how many people believe you need alcohol to 'catch up' / have fun and that it is key to having a good time.
For me I actually realised that it was a bore - seriously go to a bar sober and just listen to the quality of conversations most are either complaining about something (work / spouse / friend / money / kids / life ect.) or talking about something that doesn't particularly matter or add value to either person's lives.
You'll be hard-pressed to find maybe 2 or 3 conversations that are actually positive or adding value.
NOW I’m not saying the whole world should stop drinking (even though I think that ha ha!)
If you can have a drink or two once a week and control yourself and stop there then that is great, for me personally, I couldn’t.
I will add though I didn't personally consider myself addicted to alcohol or 'have a problem' as such. There are certainly people who are alchoholics and do need help from therapists and trained professionals.
For me, however, I was just another person who loved a drink but then found myself reaching a point where a drink wasn't adding anything positive to my life.
I used to find it funny that nobody was demanding why I didn't drink more water or want to go for a nice refreshing jog on a Saturday morning - it showed how obsessed our society has become with the culture of drinking.
If you're somewhat considering reducing your alcohol intake or if you know it's time to stop - just give it a go.
Try it for one weekend and see how you feel.
I'll cheers to that! (With my sparkling water, not a sparkling wine.)
I find this topic to be extremely interesting and always love hearing what other peoples thoughts are on this so I'm looking forward to seeing what some fellow Steemers think!
Poochie X
EDIT: After posting this I just found a post from 
https://steemit.com/life/@jeffberwick/why-i-stopped-drinking-alcohol-and-will-never-drink-again