A month ago, it was exactly 5 years since I stopped drinking alcohol overnight.
No big speeches. No drama. I simply stopped.
This article follows up on a post I wrote on New Year’s Eve 2020. At the time, alcohol had stopped agreeing with me. I don’t know exactly why. Maybe it was a combination of years of drinking, lifestyle, and stress, or maybe my body had simply had enough.
Alcohol as a part of life (that I wasn’t even aware of)
From around the age of 17–18, alcohol was a normal part of my life.
Weekend = party. Every weekend, I’d be somewhere with the guys, at a party, beer garden, or pub.
When I later lived in the USA for 4–5 years, there were fewer parties, but no less drinking. It just moved into my home. Recently, I was looking through old photos and found plenty of me sitting at home on the couch with a beer in my hand. Heineken, for example. “Just relaxing,” I used to tell myself.
Looking back, however, I’m very aware of how much alcohol affected my life. More or less every day. For approximately 12–13 years.
Here are a few “ordinary” everyday photos from my life when alcohol was a regular part of it (I still don’t understand how this could ever have seemed normal and okay to me :( ).
I don’t even want to imagine how much I drank and everything my body had to endure without me noticing or being aware of it at the time.
Fortunately—thanks to my youth and probably also my strong constitution—it didn’t leave any serious consequences. Or at least none that are visible or that I know of.
When things began to change
For a long time, I thought my tastes had changed because of veganism, which I experimented with for more than a year. Honestly? It wasn’t my smartest decision.
I wasn’t eating healthily, but mostly ultra-processed foods (soy substitutes, etc.), and I was lacking important nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, and others. But that’s a topic for another article.
And now back to 2020.
A few months before New Year’s Eve, alcohol started making me feel really sick.
Just 4–5 beers in an evening (yes, I know, that’s still a lot) and:
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I was completely useless the next day
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often even the day after that
all I could manage was lying down, watching TV shows, and stuffing myself with pizza or burgers
This went on for several months. And it didn’t matter whether I drank out or just had “a few beers at home.”
That’s when I realized this was no longer normal. Alcohol wasn’t affecting me only that evening, but easily for the next two days and was taking away a large part of my life.
The decision that came “naturally”
I never approved of Covid and all the madness surrounding it, but I have to give it credit here.
Thanks to the restrictions, the decision not to drink was much easier.
On New Year’s Eve 2020, I decided to make a New Year’s resolution:
one year without alcohol.
Honestly, most of my resolutions had never lasted more than a week. My willpower isn’t always that strong. But this time, I simply forced myself to stick with it.
One simple thing helped:
👉 not keeping alcohol at home
Suddenly, a month had passed. Two. Three. Half a year.
And it didn’t even feel strange anymore.
Peer pressure and the first tests
The turning point came when the Covid restrictions were relaxed and we started meeting friends, acquaintances, and family again.
Almost no one understood.
Not even my dad. Or my friends. Everyone looked at me strangely.
My explanation was simple and truthful:
“Alcohol makes me feel sick for several days. My body simply doesn’t tolerate it anymore.”
Most people accepted it (and if they didn’t, that was their problem).
When we went to sit somewhere, such as a beer garden, I drove there by car or motorcycle so I wouldn’t have a choice.
And I won’t lie—I was tempted. More than once.
Exceptions? Yes. But deliberate ones
To be fair:
I haven’t gone 5 years without a single drink.
I haven’t touched hard liquor at all.
But I made 3 exceptions:
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Oktoberfest in Munich (2023)
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Twice at Panelka near us—a great “kiosk” where we hold team-building events for Editee
Always beer at most, and never to the point of complete intoxication.
Those are my exceptions. Once a year. That’s it.
And even then, I have to talk myself into having one at all. Most of the time, I disguise it by having non-alcoholic beer poured into my glass so no one notices.
👉 If someone were a recovering alcoholic or had a serious problem with alcohol, I wouldn’t recommend drinking at all. This is purely my personal experience.
What 5 years without alcohol have actually given me
There are many benefits. And they aren’t just clichés.
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I don’t feel sick after drinking, and I’m functional every day
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I know what I’m doing—no embarrassing or stupid situations
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I save a huge amount of money (alcohol, parties, taxis…)
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Significantly better mental health
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I have much more energy
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Better sleep
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Better overall health and excellent blood test results (of course, also thanks to my lifestyle as a whole)
More reasons not to drink alcohol
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more stable mood
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better concentration
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no “hangxiety” the next day
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better relationships (you don’t say things you wouldn’t say sober)
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greater self-confidence—you can be yourself without a crutch
How to stop drinking alcohol—my practical tips
What helped me:
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Don’t keep alcohol at home
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Have a clear reason why you don’t drink
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Drive a car / ride a motorcycle—no excuses
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Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t drink”—you’re not obligated to explain
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Find an alternative (non-alcoholic beer, kombucha, tonic water)
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During the first few weeks, avoid situations where you know you would drink
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Set yourself a goal: a month, three months, a year—not “forever”; shorter periods are easier to complete and also “easier for the brain to grasp”
Excuses for other people?
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“I’m taking medication”
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“I’m driving”
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“Health reasons”
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“I’m trying a break”
No one can see inside your head. And in reality, most people don’t care.
What alcohol does to the human body
Alcohol:
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puts strain on the liver and nervous system (and also damages organs and the body as a whole)
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reduces sleep quality
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increases anxiety and depression
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weakens the immune system
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negatively affects hormonal balance
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increases the risk of lifestyle diseases
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slows down the recovery of both the body and brain
And most importantly:
👉 it takes away your time and energy without you noticing it right away.
In conclusion—Would I recommend that you stop drinking alcohol?
Absolutely.
In Czechia and Slovakia, people are often considered “weird” if they don’t drink. But try it for at least a few months. You’ll see changes that will surprise you—especially if you drink often or regularly.
I don’t regret that we partied, went to parties, and drank. We enjoyed it. We have plenty of memories.
But I wouldn’t go back to it.
Your tolerance gradually increases without you noticing. And you can suddenly discover overnight that you have a problem—without ever having noticed it.
I’m glad I got out in time.
What about you? Are you going to give it a try too?
