Travel, Alcohol and Sober-Curious
The freedom of not drinking…
Alcohol is everywhere. In business, alcohol is the social lubricant for getting deals done, for learning about new opportunities, for traveling and for fitting in. It is viewed as fun, a way to forget your troubles and a sleep aid. I think it is also one of the finer culinary arts with a rich and tasty history.
It may be strange then when I say that I’ve cut back on almost all alcohol. It isn’t that I don’t like it, I do, but I don’t like it more than I like how my body and mind feel without it. The hip thing to say is that I’m “sober curious”. This may describe a bit of it but it isn’t the whole story.
The reality is that after years of doing the social thing with beer, wine and spirits, I grew tired of it. I’ve dated people who based schedules on alcohol and had a wonderful time. My parents enjoy great wine and beer, and I’ve had some incredible beverages with unbelievable flavor. The roasty flavor of a great barrel-aged beer, with notes of chocolate and oak, that slight hint of anise and the delicate bitterness of the hops are enough to make my mouth water. Beer really can be that good.
I can go on about a delicious old fashioned. I could tell the difference between Buffalo Trace and Bullet. I could have great conversations over a drink. And I had some very fun nights out on the town enjoying plenty of libations with friends.
After a friend asked me about my drinking, I realized I wasn’t having fun with it anymore. I didn’t like how I felt after, or the next day. I was gaining weight without the constant exercise I did before COVID. And the booze wasn’t helping things. I also didn’t want to become “that guy at the bar” who hits the sauce on every business trip. So I stopped. And I haven’t missed it.
Today, there are so many great alternatives to alcohol that it is easy to be social without the calories or the disruption to my sleep. Athletic Brewing has many excellent non-alcoholic beers. Some of the best bars are now moving away from the demeaning and overly sweet mocktails to true 0% cocktails using the latest spirit alternatives. In Europe, the Alkoholfrie beers are an entire section of the beer shelves in grocery stores and many restaurants have these alongside their hard counterparts.
I still drink occasionally with family and friends. And I don’t mind cracking open a great beer to watch a game from time to time. In social situations where there is no acceptable alternative, I can have a bottle of Heineken last for hours, and still leave half the bottle when I go back to my room. On a date, I’ll have a beer or two, but before I make sure I’m well hydrated and have eaten some carbs. And I don’t drive after.
Not drinking has been freeing in so many ways. I don’t need to worry about last call, getting rides or that feeling the next day.
Lemonade in Cologne
