I haven’t had a drink in over 20 years – and I’m not in recovery. I just chose not to drink.
Alcohol has touched my life in painful ways – there have been three alcohol-related deaths among people I’ve known and loved. Naturally, that leaves a mark. It’s one of the reasons I’ve chosen an alcohol-free life; not from judgment, but from a place of self-protection, healing, and honoring those losses.
That choice wasn’t always easy to explain. In my younger years, I used to feel awkward telling people I didn’t drink, almost like I was weird or had to justify it. I even remember pretending I was drinking vodka – when it was just water with a slice of lemon – just to avoid the questions, the pressure, the looks.
But over time, that discomfort turned into something unexpected: a quiet sense of pride. Not a loud or self-righteous pride, but the kind that grows in your soul when you know you’re living in alignment with something sacred.
When I met my partner and discovered he was also teetotal, I honestly thought he was joking. But it was one of those moments that felt divinely orchestrated – like life saying, “Yes, you’re on the right path.”
Someone once asked me, “But how do you reach your happy if you don’t drink or take anything?”
The truth is, my joy comes from a much deeper well now. I’ve become completely devoted to natural highs – the quiet magic of walking in nature, the sense of awe under a wide sky, the peace that comes from stillness and connection. I no longer feel the need to escape reality because I’ve learned how to meet it with open arms.
What’s interesting is how society plants the seeds of drinking culture from such a young age. Children are given energy drinks, fizzy caffeine-loaded cans, then shandys – sweetened versions of adult drinks – as if it’s all a stepping stone. By the time they’re teenagers, it’s normal to move from soft drinks to lagers, wines, spirits. It’s portrayed as a rite of passage, part of growing up. We’re almost trained to believe that alcohol equals fun, relaxation, adulthood. That conditioning runs deep, and for many, it’s never questioned.
Living alcohol-free has brought me closer to the Divine in a way I never expected. Without alcohol in my body, my energy field feels clearer, more receptive. I hear the whispers of intuition more easily. I feel closer to the Earth, to Spirit, to the quiet wisdom that lives in the space between thoughts. My body is no longer something I numb – it’s become a sacred vessel, a bridge between heaven and Earth.
I never preach, and I don’t judge anyone for their choices. But I do quietly hope more people will give themselves the chance to try life without alcohol – to see what else is waiting for them on the other side of that clarity. Because what I’ve found is not emptiness, but deep presence. Not lack, but a fuller kind of joy. A life where connection, not escape, becomes the medicine.
Choosing this path has deepened my connection to Source. I don’t need to blur the edges of life anymore. I’d rather feel it all – the beauty, the ache, the wonder – and meet each moment with clarity, presence, and reverence.
so much love
Laila xoxo
