10 Helpful Habits to Quit Drinking in Your 20s
Scenes like this one are usually serving temporary “relief” with a side of long-term consequences.
Many of us have or will find ourselves in a place like this at least once in our lives.
I understood addiction at an early age because my mother was consistently reminding me of my “genetics,” meaning my family history of alcoholism. I knew and I still did it. I had intense hangover anxiety at 16 years old, and by the time I was 21, I’d created a long path of destruction in my life.
At the age of 22, in 2019, after two years of relapsing, something clicked.
I started my day count over and haven’t relapsed in over four years.
In this post, I’m talking about what helped me stay sober after I had my “aha” moment.
Why Quit Drinking in Your Twenties?
10 benefits:
more time for true passion
get closer to self-love
no more horrible hangovers
develop a better sense of self-trust
use alcohol money on aaaanything else
potential spiritual growth
improved health / decreased health risks
time to care for your mind
discover more about yourself
free yourself from guilt
Next, my habit suggestions to help you thrive while cutting out alcohol. ⤵
Keep a Journal
For many reasons, you need to keep a journal. In recovery, facing your own thoughts in written form can be especially difficult, as addiction often involves the avoidance of feeling/healing.
You might look at your journal and think “I don’t have anything worth writing down.”
But the trick is - anything is worth writing down.
When I look back at my old journals, not only is “what” I wrote very telling but so is how I wrote it and what I didn’t say.
You’ll find it easier to write when you’re consistent.
For me, it became therapeutic and measurable.
I use it as a tool to track mental health patterns. I suggest not putting expectations on yourself. It sounds silly, but look at your journal like a friend who can’t tell your secrets. The more you share the “lighter” you’ll feel.
Keeping a journal and writing consistently is one of the best ways to learn more about yourself.
Pro tip: it’s not about how much you write - focus on what + how often!
Environment Check-Ins
In your twenties, your environment can change rapidly.
It’s a time of change and exploration, but also of mental and spiritual growing pains. It’s hard to make sure your environment matches your values without knowing who you are just yet.
I suggest checking in with yourself often. Think about relationships, the workplace, home life, etc. Letting go of unhealthy friends, traditions, and comfort zones is no easy task. It can take weeks, months, or even years to accomplish, but the benefit of quitting drinking in your twenties is figuring out the hard stuff early!
Restructuring one’s environment is one of the more difficult parts of recovery because it means setting boundaries.
Take time to think about what this looks like for you, and how you can make “check-ins” a part of your recovery routine.
Exploration
If you’re used to going out every weekend to the bars, quitting drinking will leave you with loads of extra time.
This is an amazing opportunity for you, but it might cause some anxiety at first.
And that’s okay!
To fill your weekends and weeknights, start thinking about what brings you joy.
Consider your creative passions, career goals, volunteer interests, hobby interests, etc.
To avoid weekend FOMO or nights of overthinking, embrace new, sober ways of living.
Rest
Any time you’re making big changes in life, giving yourself grace is important.
There will be days when doubt-inducing thoughts start creeping in, feeding you excuses to give up.
Most of the time, we don’t have control over when stress happens. On days you’re experiencing exhausting mental health symptoms, don’t push it. Give yourself space to rest- that could mean putting your phone in a drawer, going to bed early, or going on a walk. Something non-damaging that works for you!
It might feel foreign to honor your body’s request for rest, but it’s essential to healing.
Embrace Sober Friends
Find a support network in person or online!
When you connect with someone that has shared experiences, such as addiction, there’s a level of understanding immediately.
Community helps us release shame, feel less alone, and give back to others.
Make it a habit to connect with the sober community - I promise it will make your life easier.
Online group suggestions
Read and Listen
If you’re feeling it, chances are someone else is too.
Read empowering recovery stories in memoirs, novels, and guides.
Or tune in to powerful podcasters helping listeners find successful, long-term sobriety.
Simply put, use the tools available to you!
I remember the first time I searched “sober podcasts” and discovered Seltzer Squad. The pod’s co-founder, Kate, has since become a good friend of mine. Her podcast changed my life and the way I saw my recovery journey.
Don’t be afraid to seek, listen and learn!
A few suggestions:
Believe in Your “Why”
If you take one thing from this post, let it be that you can only do this for yourself.
Not for your family, partner, school, friends, career, or anyone else.
Quitting drinking in your twenties is a brave choice. It’s brave to follow your intuition and go against the norm.
If you choose to quit, let it be your choice.
To help you stay motivated and pull through in challenging moments, explore and define your “why.”
Ask yourself these questions:
How will I benefit from quitting drinking?
How does following through on this make me feel?
What are the consequences if I keep drinking?
Prepare for FOMO
In your twenties, parties and alcohol-centered activities are never far away.
The “fear of missing out” can feel very intense, clouding your judgment.
How do you deal with that?
For me, I cut out most of my friends and focused solely on graduating (which was in jeopardy because of my drinking). I avoided bars, and house parties, and let myself watch a lot of Netflix.
After 6-ish months, I started accepting invites to the bars again and getting alcohol-free drinks (AKA Diet Coke because it was pre-sober-curious-movement), and going home at 11 PM.
I said no to things that I knew would be too much and protected myself even when I didn’t want to.
This is, again, why It’s important to know your “why,” for motivation.
Set some personal boundaries that will keep you alcohol-free and stick to them.
FOMO will be different for everyone, but thinking about it ahead of time can help you “deal” better in the moment.
Move Your Body
Movement is one of the best habits to develop - especially during a significant life change like quitting drinking.
Being regularly active is not only great for your physical health but for your mental health as well.
Just by moving your body more, you can reduce anxiety, depression, and negative moods.
If you start to feel anxious because of FOMO, triggers, or anything else - try movement!
Choose what you enjoy - walking, yoga, lifting, dancing, hiking, etc.
Beware of Addiction Transference
It’s hard to admit, but I ended up doing this and it cost me big time.
It’s picking up one thing while putting down another, often with the justification of the new thing being “not as bad.”
This happens easily and it happens fast.
“Addiction” comes in many shapes and sizes, and it doesn’t discriminate!
Be very mindful of your behavior in the first few weeks and months after quitting drinking, if you plan to stay sober for a while.
Don’t be afraid to try new healthy, hobbies and habits. You will thank yourself later for doing this!
I hope this helps!
We DO Recover! <3
