In January, I decided to hang up the wine glass… well, it’s stemless, but you get the point. Shoutout to not waking up after “just two glasses of wine” feeling like I got hit by a truck that was also somehow dehydrated.
This is the “how it went” post. For the “why the hell would you do that to yourself” post, visit here: https://grayscaling.me/sober-not-sorry-no-liquor-wine-beer-for-1-year/
How it Went:
- In 3 words, easier than expected.
- I’m lucky to have started this at a highly convenient time in US culture, when drinking is in decline, due in part to health concerns and a surge in marijuana use.
- Being a non-drinker is more socially acceptable now than it’s ever been in my lifetime.
- I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the lack of pressure, including from within, to have drinks at family functions and social gatherings.
- My life stage also helps. If I was younger, single, and didn’t have kids, I’d likely be spending more time at bars than I do now, which might create more of a temptation.
- When people asked why I wasn’t drinking, I just told them about this experiment. Or I mention it affects my sleep, which is something I’m working to optimize—especially with a 3-year-old daughter who often likes to wake us up in the middle of the night to cover her up, help her drink her water bottle (that stays right next to her in bed), or for another important reason that she has forgotten once you arrive in her room.
- Ample alternative options abound to feel “festive” or “treat yourself.”
- I’ve tried 30+ N/A beverages this year and will include some results at the end.
- Including non-alcoholic options is now a norm at most restaurants and bars.
- All the flavor, none of the regret… I do not miss hangovers or those days when I only had a glass or two of wine and yet wake up feeling super tired.
Lois Griffin: Peter, it’s 7:00 in the morning! You’re drunk again!
Peter Griffin: No, I’m just exhausted ’cause I’ve been up all night drinking.
- Having a buddy helps.
- Make the decision first, and you’ll likely find company. Many of us have considered something like this, and you may be the catalyst to positively influence others to try it.
- My husband and a close friend also gave it up, and my whole family has been drinking less, likely at least in part due to our shift.
Where I Failed:
- At a social gathering or two in which I’d normally be sipping some wine or a cocktail, it took a little more effort for me to loosen up and get the conversation flowing.
- I’d found myself pausing a little before making certain social plans or booking trips to see friends because of the slight wrinkle my not drinking would pose.
- Whether or not this pause is justified, it happened.
- This just required a little reframing though—I wouldn’t be attending the party only to drink, but rather to spend time and have fun with friends and family, which is exactly what I’d still be doing.
Where I Won:
- I feel like we’re winning in even taking this challenge on.
When you’ve gone a full year—through every season, holiday, birthday, wedding, funeral, and random social gathering—without a sip of alcohol, you have all the proof you need that zero proof works fine.
- I’ve found my occasional heartburn or sour stomach to be even less frequent with reduced alcohol, cutting my antacid usage from occasional to rare.
- My sleep scores were more consistently good.
- It helped make me more creative.
- As the voluntary social chair for our family, I typically plan our date nights and vacation activities.
- Rather than centering these around drinking activities, I’ve focused more on interactive museums or art exhibits, escape rooms, music or theater performances, or drag shows (naturally). These have been fun, enriching, expansive, and life-giving.
- I saved roughly $50/month on wine and cocktails, even considering the N/A ones we tried.
My N/A Gift to You: A Year’s Worth of Taste-Testing
- As I mentioned, I’ve had the chance to sample many non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits over the course of this year, so while everyone’s taste differs, below are my favorites (“Stock Up”), some that are pretty good and you may want to check out (“Worth a Shot”), and some to avoid (“Pour It Out”). For what it’s worth, my husband agrees on these (minus the beers, since that’s not his thing).
- There are some canned mocktails that are very high in sugar, which I avoided.
Non-Alcoholic Roundup (Y’all):
- “Stock Up” Beers🍺:
- Corona (how do they make this so delicious?!)
- Athletic Brewing Atletica Mexican-style (same question)
- Heineken (the flavor is all still there)
- Partake Blonde (this tasty brew has only 15 calories and 3g of carbs, which seems impossible)
- Guinness (flavorful, smooth, looks and tastes like a regular Guinness—an elevated N/A experience)
- “Stock Up” Wines🍷:
- Mionetto Sparkling (our top pick – something about a tasty sparkling N/A drink feels especially festive; we found the flavor closer to regular wine, with soft bubbles, peach/apple notes, and it’s low in sugar)
- Fre Red Blend (our flavorful, well-priced staple–most often purchased on this list)
- Fre Sparkling (a little higher in sugar, but it’s from grapes, not added sugar)
- “Stock Up” Spirits🥃:
- Ghia (original, flavorful aperitif)
- Ritual Agave Spirit Alternative aka Tequila Alternative (smoky, low calorie, low sugar, convincingly authentic, mixes great with kombucha and/or sparkling water and a little lime)
- Little Saints’ St. Ember (unique and flavorful, albeit a bit pricey – good for a gift or special occasion)
- “Worth a Shot” Beers🍺:
- Best Day Brewing Electro-lime (Mexican style with sea salt)
- Athletic Brewing Upside Dawn Golden and Athletic Lite (both on the more refreshing side)
- Bero Noon Wheat (smooth, clean, light)
- O’Doul’s (uncool when I was growing up, turns out to be a classic N/A option)
- “Worth a Shot” Wines🍷:
- Fre Merlot
- Fre Sauvignon Blanc
- Fre Chardonnay
- NON #7 Stewed Cherry & Coffee – sparkling (unique but not worth the price to buy often)
- NON #1 Salted Raspberry & Chamomile – sparkling (same comment as above)
- “Worth a Shot” Spirits🥃:
- St. Agrestis Phony Negroni (organic, tasty, but a little too high in sugar for us, with 12g per serving)
- Seedlip Notas de Agave
- Waterloo mocktails are tasty (they’re still just fancy sparkling waters, so less of a full spirit replacement – they pair great with kombucha, Ritual Spirit Alternative, fresh lime, +/or a little raw honey)
- “Pour It Out” Beer🍺:
- Budweiser Zero (meh – gave it a shot because it was well-rated, but not much going on flavor-wise)
- “Pour It Out” Wine🍷:
- NON #3 Toasted Cinnamon & Yuzu – still (such a promising flavor profile, but we found it lacking and not worth the premium price)
- “Pour It Out” Spirits🥃:
- Little Saints N/A cocktails (great marketing and ingredients like functional mushrooms – wanted to love this but found the flavor of all 4 mocktails we tried disappointing)
- Many various brands of mocktails packed with sugar (check the label before trying, because these can vary wildly)
- One general observation on N/A beverage options: the closer the brewing/distilling process resembled their alcoholic counterparts, the more authentic, and typically tastier they were.
- For example, our favorite wine alternatives tended to be alcohol-removed ones. They follow the whole process of typical wines (e.g., grape harvesting, crushing, fermenting) with alcohol carefully extracted at the end to preserve the flavor.
- Look for “alcohol-removed” or “dealcoholized” on the label to tell you that the product began as true wine.
- Similarly, brewers have succeeded in making so many N/A beers because they usually start with the same ingredients as for regular beer (water, grains, hops, yeast), but they use special brewing or removal techniques to achieve the very low alcohol content while maintaining the original flavor and character as much as possible.
What Surprised Me:
- I’ve wavered over the course of the year on whether I’d continue my sobriety past this initial year. I didn’t think I would want to.
- I wasn’t constantly being asked about the decision. By month 3, most of my inner circle knew and expected that I wouldn’t be drinking.
- Fast forward to December, and Will and I are both seriously considering continuing.
- We just don’t feel like we’re missing out, and we’ve found enough N/A substitutes that scratch the itch.
Whoomp, there it is:
- I’m happy and proud to have taken on this challenge, especially alongside my husband.
- I hope this was useful to at least one person. One of my goals has always been to make life a little better for others, by helping them become healthier, happier, and/or more productive. On that note, consider…
- Should YOU try a year without alcohol?
- ✅ If you:
- Wonder if you’re drinking out of habit vs. enjoyment
- Want better sleep
- Are curious about the sober-curious movement
- Are ready for a challenge that scares you a little
- ❌ Maybe wait if:
- You’re going through a major life transition
- You have concerns about restriction triggering other issues
- You genuinely love your current relationship with alcohol and it’s not causing any issues
- ✅ If you:
Thank you for reading! Leave me a comment if you’ve tried going alcohol-free, have questions about specific N/A brands, or just want to let me know you stopped by. Cheers! 🥂 (What? It’s N/A! 😉 )
