My Second Booze Free Christmas And Yes I’m Still Having Fun!
December is here and I am rolling into my second alcohol free Christmas in a row. I have done alcohol free Christmases in the past, but never back to back. This year hits differently. Today I am 700 days alcohol free and honestly, it still surprises me how good life feels without the thing I once thought I could not live without.
For most of my adult life I started every new year feeling fragile, tired and already behind. I would spend December promising myself I would “just have one” or “only drink on the weekends” or whatever creative rule I was clinging to at the time. None of it worked. I would wake up feeling poisoned and wonder why I felt… poisoned.
If you are heading into the festive season feeling nervous about doing it alcohol free, I get it. I used to think Christmas without booze would feel flat or awkward or like everyone else was having fun except me. The truth is the exact opposite. An alcohol free Christmas is calmer, kinder and so much more enjoyable. There is a lightness that comes from actually being present, not enduring three days of headaches and shame spirals after every party.
What has struck me most is how much more I notice now. The sparkly lights, the food I used to inhale but never taste, the conversations I can actually follow because my brain is not trying to operate through fog. I go to bed with a clear head and wake up ready for the day, not ready to hide from it. It almost feels like I have found a bit of my childhood Christmas magic again, just without the sugar crashes.
The research backs this up too. A lot of people drink more in December because they feel stressed, overwhelmed or socially anxious, yet alcohol makes all three worse. You sleep poorly, you crave more junk, your mood tanks and your resilience is lowered. When you take alcohol out of the mix, everything steadies. Your nervous system gets a break and you start to realise you do not actually need a drink to have fun, relax or survive Aunt Margaret’s stories about 1964.
A few things that make an alcohol free Christmas easier.
Plan the moments you know might wobble you. If Christmas Eve was always your “big night”, decide ahead of time what you need to feel steady. A walk, a decent meal, an early night, a group chat to check in with.
Tell someone your plan. You do not need a big speech. A simple “I’m not drinking tonight” stops half the awkward offers.
Bring drinks you actually enjoy. There are so many good alcohol free options now. Do not rely on whatever sad warm soft drink someone puts on a table.
Leave early if you want to. You are an adult. You are allowed.
Notice the wins. Waking up clear. Driving home. Remembering conversations. Not Googling “is this hangxiety normal”.
If you are just starting out, please know this is possible for you. I once believed I would never break the cycle. I thought alcohol was glued to my identity. But here I am, 700 days in, building a life that actually fits me, not the drinking version of me.
It all started for me with Sarah’s 30 Day Alcohol Free Challenges. If you are curious about how good you could feel after 30 days without alcohol, January is the perfect time to test it. Join the January 30 Day Alcohol Free Challenge and start your year clear, steady and supported with a community of like-minded women.
You do not have to get it perfect. You do not have to love every minute. You just have to keep going. Reach out, stay connected and find people who get it. Your future self will thank you when she wakes up bright eyed while the rest of the world is whispering “never again”.
And here is a small reminder that helps a lot at this time of year. No one really cares what is in your glass as much as you think they do. Everyone else is too busy thinking about themselves. Hold your drink confidently, enjoy your day and keep doing what is right for you.
Here is to a clear, calm, steady December. You deserve to enjoy it, not endure it. Check the details HERE
By: Caitlin Behrens