I’m writing this today, May 22, 2025: I have officially decided to quit drinking alcohol for good. Before I get into why, I need to preface that while I don’t experience alcoholism, I would drink often in my 20s for many reasons. For years, I had a blog called ‘beer.whiskey.coffee’ that was often invited to breweries for press tastings and would make a hobby out of trying beer flights at different breweries.
Then, my palate developed and my interests segued into wine. I was so interested in wine that I joined wine clubs, attended many events and aimed to go for my level 1 sommelier certification. I fell in love with the sophistication of the wine community and the art of wine making.
Then I got COVID-19.
My sense of smell was completely destroyed with COVID-19, and to this day, I still do not have it back. When this happened, wine and whiskey started to taste terrible to me because of the olfactory senses involved in proper tasting, and I had already quit beer due to how estrogenic it is (not good for endometriosis). While I am trying a new therapy to retain my sense of smell (more on that another time), this series of events caused me to dramatically cut back on consumption. One thing I found: the only type of alcohol that did not taste bad to me was champagne.
Because of all this, I haven’t really been drinking much for a little over a year now. In the last year, the less I drank, the more I felt it affected me if I had one. But I found that if someone offered me a glass of champagne, whether it was on a plane, at a restaurant, shopping experience, or in someone’s home, I would never say no because it was the only alcohol post-covid that I could ‘tolerate.’
Although, as I became more in tune with my body, I noticed that anytime I had champagne, I would experience tremendous anxiety and feel horrible about myself the following day. I would lose focus and become highly irritable. But I felt that since I didn’t ‘have a drinking problem’ it would be ok to still do it here and there. Knowing what I know now, that was a sober curious experience.
Today was one of those days. I felt off all morning. It was 1:30pm and I found myself spiraling through all the possible reasons—Is it hormones? Am I tired? Am I just being dramatic?
Then I remembered: last night, we were out to dinner and our friend got promoted. He poured a glass of champagne to celebrate. I had maybe a third of the glass—just a few sips to be nice—and I immediately felt buzzed. And not in a fun way. In a “why did I do that?” way. I ate my dinner and thought to myself, ‘what if I just stopped?’
And my feelings today confirmed what I’ve known deep down for a while: I don’t want to drink anymore. Not socially. Not politely. Not “just a little.”
What’s interesting is, while there is some alcoholism in my family, I’ve never had that kind of relationship with alcohol. I’ve seen what it can do.
Here’s the thing no one talks about enough:
1. You don’t have to hit rock bottom to quit drinking.
2. You don’t have to call yourself an alcoholic.
3. You don’t need a dramatic backstory or a rehab stay.
4. You can just decide: this doesn’t work for me anymore.
More and more people are waking up to this. In fact, nearly 41% of Americans say they’re actively trying to drink less—not because they “have to,” but because they want to feel better. Among Millennials and Gen Z, over 50% identify as sober curious, seeking to cut back or completely eliminate alcohol in favor of wellness, clarity, and mental health.
There’s a growing understanding that alcohol isn’t neutral. It affects sleep. Hormones. Mood. Gut health. Productivity. Emotional regulation. And for me? It makes me feel anxious and a little lost the next day—even from just a few sips.
So I made the decision today: I’m done. No more “just to be polite.” No more ‘just a few sips.’ No more internal tug-of-war.
I’m sharing this experience because of these statistics. SO many people are sober curious, but have not yet taken the plunge. I’m sharing to let you know it’s okay to try sobriety even for 30 days if it’s something you’ve been thinking about. You don’t need to have alcoholism to be sober.
I even downloaded the I Am Sober app—not because I need a sobriety tracker in the traditional sense, but because I like marking this shift with intention. I like seeing the days add up. I like having a tangible reminder that I’m choosing what’s best for me.
From now on, it’s sparkling water or a zero proof mocktail. Not because I need to control myself around alcohol—but because I don’t want to feel like a watered-down version of myself and ruin the next day ever again.
I’m not anti-alcohol. I’m just pro-listening to your body.
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*Not medical advice
https://ncsolutions.com/press-and-media/americans-plan-to-drink-less-alcohol-in-2025/
https://leger360.com/en/beyond-the-buzz-2025-sober-curious/
https://www.choosingtherapy.com/sober-curious/