How to replace alcohol in your social life – five top tips

Young people, in particular, are said to now be less inclined to drink alcohol than they once were – but is it time we all learned how to have fun without resorting to drink?

A number of recent worldwide studies in countries that have traditionally had drinking cultures imply that young people are both drinking less and are also less inclined to binge drink.

A UK based study found that the number of people aged 16 to 24 who described themselves as non-drinkers rosefrom 18% to 29% between 2005 and 2015.

Alcohol can lead to many health problems and cancers and remains the biggest risk factor for death, ill health and disability for 15-49 year olds in the UK, according to Public Health England. It is the fifth biggest risk factor for all age groups.

In Manchester, there’s a region-wide push to encourage people to socialise with little or no alcohol, as one outcome of a large scale study into the scale of drugs and alcohol issues there.

So how do people manage to socialise without the urge to drink alcohol? If it’s something you’d like to be able to do, here are a few tips:

1. If you’re young enough – form good habits early

This one is a bit of a given and yet it is probably the single most important and, in some ways easiest to achieve: avoid forming a bad habit in the first place.

Drinking habits are often created between the ages of 16 and 25, so if you’re young enough to have not already made alcohol a usual part of your social life – avoid doing so.

Children learn by example so as parents and adults, we can assist our young people to avoid forming the habit of making alcohol central to their social lives by removing it as a central element of ours.

2. Focus on the positives

Just as when we diet we may obsess about the loss of cake, chocolate, sweets and snacks from our lives, when we decide to have a period of sobriety, we can become hung-up on what we’re losing rather than what we’re gaining.

If, when you’re dieting and putting loads of effort into a variety of tasty fresh cooked meals packed with a rainbow of delicious fruit and vegetables, cooked to bring out all the flavours, focusing more on that and less on the reduced intake of fats and sugar can help.

When you’re not drinking it may help to think about all the additional hours you have to enjoy life instead of nursing hangovers. The freedom from the agony of regret, remorse and anxiety that often comes after a night of drinking is also something to celebrate. Having a treat booked ‘the morning after’ can be that positive you’re after.

A mind shift doesn’t happen overnight, but with work, the way you think about choosing not to drink can change.

3. Find like minded people

It’s amazing how many people will express an opinion, question, belittle or try to talk you out of a decision to remain sober.

They almost never mean any harm and have probably given very little thought to how their comments and cajoling may impact on you (especially if they’re already a few drinks in themselves).

Coming up with a few straightforward and honest responses to these in your own mind can help to bat those away.

“Alcohol tends to make me feel unwell and unhappy, so I’m giving it a rest,” perhaps.

On occasion, it’s also nice not to face those sorts of challenges and finding a community of others who have also decided to back away from alcohol can be really encouraging. There are lots of online forums for people who don’t drink and some hold events to allow you to get together with other like-minded people.

4. Embrace alcohol-free drinks

The taste of a cold beer on a warm day, a sweet cocktail full of ice or a smooth wine can elicit in us the sense of relaxation, calm, reward or the beginning of a fun night.

With so many excellent alcohol free alternatives now on the market, you can replicate so many of those sensations without having to ingest and deal with the consequences of their alcoholic forebears. A flavoured tonic in a nice glass with a slice of lemon can still make you feel pretty good even without the gin.

If you’re not in the mood to face the challenges and questions of drinkers about why you’re remaining sober, these are also a decent shield to hide behind.

5. Take the lead to plan things that don’t revolve around alcohol

Instead of trying to squeeze the new sober you into your old life, where alcohol is a central peg, consider planning some things where it isn’t part of the picture.

Once we’re all able to socialise more fully and safely following the coronavirus lockdowns, how about organising rounders or basketball in the park or at the beach?

If you’re still staying at home, push yourself to try a yoga session or online dance class at the end of the week instead of opening a bottle and having a Zoom call with mates. Get your mates to join in with exercise too and still have each other on Zoom to enjoy a few giggles!

Drinking can be a pretty lazy way of filling our time. We know after a few glasses we’ll all be busy talking nonsense. Sobriety can encourage a bit of ingenuity in planning an event and lead to memories that not only last but ones you can be proud of.