“I am so happy to be ending my fifties alcohol-free and look forward to a new alcohol-free life.”
I joined OYNB in July 2019. I had been drinking almost daily for the past year. I was drinking out of loneliness and boredom, often hiding or thinking I was hiding how much I was drinking from my husband. I would open a bottle of wine and drink ¾ of it and then hide the rest and open another bottle to share with my husband when he got home. He only drinks on weekends and can moderate. I would top up my glass with the hidden leftovers. He knew of course but I pretended it was working.
I was falling asleep watching movies or reading at night. Often having blackouts in the morning, checking whom I had texted, phoned or emailed. My sleep was terrible, I have always worked out but was gaining weight and struggling with my workouts due to feeling hungover.
The turning point
My husband went away for a golfing trip at the end of May, early June and I drank too much everyday out of boredom. When he returned, I continued and then went to visit my daughter in Newfoundland, deciding that when I returned, enough was enough. A friend at the store I volunteer at told me about OYNB and I had looked it up. I signed up for 90 days knowing that 28 was too short for me.
Going for the full 365
I was hoping to change my relationship with alcohol and learn to moderate with Thanksgiving, Christmas and my birthday coming up. After doing less than 90 days, with the help of the daily emails from OYNB, reading books, listening to podcasts, and all the wonderful support from the Facebook and Slack groups, I decided that I would go for 365. I am not missing drinking at all and I am looking forward to the holidays and an all-inclusive trip in the New Year. I tried AF wine which I did not enjoy but I did find some AF beer and sparkling wine options that I like. Mostly I stick to sparkling water or tea but it’s nice to have options when socialising.
The alcohol-free benefits
I am sleeping great, so I have a lot more energy, my relationship with my wonderful husband has improved (he is my high school sweetheart, married 37 years, together over 40). My workouts at F45 have improved I am stronger and working on being leaner. Most importantly I like and love myself again. My husband loves having me be the designated driver for once in all these years. We save lots of money when going out on taxis and my share of the wine. We have celebrated both our children’s birthdays, our anniversary and Thanksgiving all AF with no problems.
I am so happy to be ending my fifties AF and look forward to a new AF life. OYNB has been a great support and I would recommend to anyone who wants to change their relationship with alcohol.
An entrepreneur and former senior oil broker, Ruari gave up drinking after excessive consumption almost cost him his marriage, and worse, his life. Going alcohol-free improved his relationships, career and energy levels, leading to him founding OYNB to provide a support network for others.
