24 October 2025 will mark the third anniversary of the day I took my last drink. A glass of Cabernet Sauvignon I had with my last dinner before my triple bypass surgery on 25 October 2022, a day that I mark and celebrate as a second birthday. The day of my rebirth.
Little did I realize how illuminating and rewarding my decision to stop drinking and adapting my life to embrace my aging body and become the best version of myself would become.
Quitting alcohol isn’t just about avoiding hangovers—it’s about unlocking parts of life you didn’t even realize were being muted and undermined.
When you finally put down the bottle, here’s what really happens:
1. Mornings Stop Being Miserable
No more waking up foggy, sluggish, or piecing together last night. You actually open your eyes rested. Coffee tastes better, and so does life.
This isn’t to say I abused alcohol when I drank, but alcohol has a deleterious effect on your daily life even when you drink responsibly and moderately.
The physical effects of alcohol only worsen as you age no matter how much alcohol you consume if you drink regularly.
2. Mental Clarity Returns
Alcohol fogs your thinking. Without it, you process faster, remember more, and see solutions where you used to just see problems.
It’s utterly amazing how powerful this effect is when you experience it after years of regular alcohol use.
3. Energy Skyrockets
You stop running your body on low-grade fuel. Suddenly you can work harder, train better, and still have energy left at the end of the day.
This didn’t happen for me right away as I was recovering from open heart surgery when I stopped drinking, but I am 100% certain that my decision to quit facilitated my quick recovery.
4. Sleep Becomes Real Rest
Drinking tricks you into thinking you sleep deeply, but it wrecks REM. Without alcohol, you hit real restorative sleep. You wake up sharp, not groggy.
This effect can’t be overstated.
5. Confidence Grows Naturally
Instead of liquid courage, you build actual courage. You stop relying on a glass to loosen up—you start trusting yourself.
I never drank for liquid courage or confidence, but then my confidence improved anyway when my full clarity returned.
6. Skin, Eyes, and Body Change
The dehydration, inflammation, and bloating vanish. Your face looks fresher, your eyes brighten, and you drop “beer weight” without even trying.
This is the most gratifying and visible effect I experienced when I stopped drinking alcohol..I look years younger than my 55 years and it shows. The outward sign of becoming the best version of myself.
7. Relationships Improve
You’re no longer the version of yourself that cancels plans, says something stupid, or picks fights after a few drinks. People trust you more—and you actually remember the conversations.
8. Money Piles Up
Alcohol drains bank accounts in bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Quit drinking and watch how much cash you keep (and what better things you can do with it).
You’d be amazed at how much restaurants charge for alcohol service compared to the food. It’s easily the largest part of your check.
9. Self-Respect Builds
The best part of quitting isn’t just what you gain—it’s what you stop losing. You’re no longer breaking promises to yourself. That builds a new kind of strength.
10. Life Gets Bigger
Without alcohol running interference, passions, hobbies, business ideas, and new opportunities open up. You realize drinking didn’t make life fun—it was keeping you from living fully.
I might add that I never realized how much our society is organized around the consumption of alcohol. It’s disconcerting when you come to this realization.
Closing Thought 💭
Alcohol sells you a fantasy of freedom, but the real freedom is on the other side of quitting.
My life is much improved without alcohol. I don’t write this post as some pious, judgmental treatise against alcohol, but simply to relay my experience in conjunction with the facts.
If this post inspires you to at least reflect on your own life and alcohol use, then I accomplished my goal.
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 