Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
Whether it’s for the short or long term, giving up alcohol can be pretty confronting.
And with Dry January now in full swing, you might be realising new things about yourself both good and bad while taking part.
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Tom Holland previously spoke about the ‘scary realisation’ he had while experts give detailed breakdowns about the changes that happen to you after ditching booze.
For this doctor, going sober meant learning a whole range of things about himself he'd never realised before, with one in particular completely changing his life.
Dr Alex George spoke to LADbible about his journey since giving up alcohol in December 2022.
The 33-year-old explained that rather than one single moment leading him to give up the booze, it was more of a ‘cumulative effect’; the mental health ambassador was struggling with a number of things including grief, physical health and burnout at the time, all of which took their toll.
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Looking back, Alex remembers sitting down at the hairdressers and looking in the mirror, realising he couldn’t recognise himself.
“Physically, but also looking at my eyes I was like, ‘I’m a completely different person’," he recalls.
Weighing 20 stone at the time with a ‘puffy face’, his eyes 'just lost’, the former Love Island contestant described himself as ‘very, very sad’.
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“I was like, ‘I have to change, I can't continue like this, this is not a path that's gonna get better, it's only gonna get worse'," the doctor tells us.
Alex was also diagnosed with ADHD, which contributed to his decision to ditch alcohol, a decision that led to the realisation drink was ‘just making everything about ADHD that's problematic and hard worse’.
He reckons booze was making him ‘more impulsive’ and his moods ‘very erratic’.
“My ability to make clear decisions wasn't as good,” Alex explains. “I think, when you've got someone with ADHD who's got an impulsive mind, you're disinhibiting the impulsive mind. You're making it all worse.”
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Now, the doctor believes his moods are ‘more stable’.
“I still get highs and lows like everyone,” he adds. “I've had some really difficult times the last year, but they are more manageable, and there's less swinging of the moods.”
Alex describes this as a ‘huge, huge difference’ in his life. “Not feeling really high and terribly low all the time is massive.”
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Going sober hasn’t just made Alex realise the impact alcohol was having on his ADHD but also other aspects of his life.
Describing it as a ‘big barrier for people achieving their dreams’, he says going sober causes you to ‘start looking long-term’ properly.
Nowadays, the doctor has more energy, clearer skin and saves a whole load of money.
“You could be spending hundreds and hundreds of pounds on alcohol without even realising. You've got to include the sunken costs of the takeaways. You've got to include the next day, the fast food. You've got to think about the taxis.”
Alex says he’s now been able to fund his motorbiking hobby thanks to being sober as he adds proudly: “I have a motorbike in my garage because I don’t drink.”
This all ties into the common mistake he reckons people make when they try Dry January.
“Often in Dry Jan people go ‘I'm staying inside, I'm not gonna spend any money’ and isolate themselves. By the end of the end of the month, they're miserable which is no surprise. It should be the opposite,” Alex explains.
Simply put, giving up alcohol ‘shouldn’t be a restriction’ on your life, it should ‘enrich’ it.
With various tips on going alcohol-free in his book The Mind Manual, the doctor also advises socialising even more than you might think.
“I think it's really nice to plan from a point of enriching your life. Don't plan from restrictions,” he says. “So, when you're looking at the weekends, don't think ‘I'm going to stay in,’ think, ‘How can I add to my life?’ I tried in those first few months to make sure I had at least one social contact per day on the weekends.”
With that boost of energy and the money saved from going sober it’s no surprise that new ‘doors will open’ to you without alcohol if you let them.
“I have never to this day ever heard of anyone or spoken to someone who said they’ve regretted quitting drinking alcohol.
“You could walk outside each day and speak to so many people who constantly regret the drinks they had the night before."
The Mind Manual by Dr Alex George, published by Short Books, has now released in paperback for £10.99. You can buy a copy at The Mind Manual
Dry January is a campaign developed by Alcohol Change UK, you can find support and resources for taking part here.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Mental Health, Dry January, ADHD
Jess Battison