Man who’s been sober for more than a year shares the three lies people are told about alcohol

There may be many of you who are not happy about your relationship with alcohol, and are hoping to cut down or even ditch it altogether.

TikToking doctor Alex George, a former Love Island star who has been alcohol free for over a year, explained that there were three big lies he was eager to tackle.

Elsewhere, he's said that the biggest revelation he's had since he stopped supping on the poisonous sauce was how many events alcohol was tied into as an expectation.

He also gave three examples of the type of person who probably shouldn't drink, and mental health played a big role in all of his verdicts.

Stress relief? Nope

As for the myths he wanted to bust, Dr Alex first took aim at the notion that quaffing alcohol would make you less stressed.

"It's scientifically shown that drinking alcohol raises your baseline level of cortisol," he explained.

"That means that quite the opposite of what we're told, alcohol makes you more stressed."

He noted that in the moment there was a 'psychological decompression' which might make you feel a little more relaxed for a short while, but by the time the next day rolls around, it's normally got worse again and you're reaping what you sowed.

Alcohol is fun? Nope

Lots of people conflate drinking alcohol with having a good time, but Dr Alex wanted to confront that idea and pop it like a balloon.

He asked people to consider whether it was the act of drinking alcohol, they enjoyed or all the other things involved with it such as going to the pub with your mates and spending time with them.

Is it really the alcohol you like, or are you having fun because you're in a fun place with the people you like best?

Take one element out of this equation to make it a less fun time and you'd pick the alcohol to ditch.

Dr Alex wanted you to ponder whether drinking alcohol actually made you feel good or not and to really identify what the source of your joy was.

He also challenged you to consider how you felt the day after your night of fun, and whether the after-effects of alcohol were worth it or not.

Not drinking alcohol is boring? Nope

This might be one of the bigger changes you can notice right away, just as your body reacts to giving up alcohol so too does your social circle.

Dr Alex said the key to having a good time with other people was 'being able to share experiences' and 'connecting with people' rather than how many pints you can chuck down your gullet.

This is something others who've ditched the booze have found, as when they've shared their experiences many have noted that they were called out by their friends as 'boring' for not drinking.

They said they'd even lost a relationship after being branded 'too boring' after giving up alcohol, and admitted they'd also called things off in the past with a partner who didn't drink much for the same reasons.

Others have said that while ditching alcohol doesn't make you boring it does free up a lot of your time and you should find something to replace it with, it's the perfect time to take up a new hobby.