Deciding to stop drinking has definitely had its challenges!

I stopped drinking cold turkey after an overnight hospital stay on Devil’s Night in 2025. Since then, life has been a new adventure of its own for me!

The most fun part of the adventure is the experience of trying NA and zero alcohol beers, zero proof cocktails and hop waters. Which has been hit – or miss. 🤔

Zero proof cocktails are a good idea in theory. Most of the time they are loaded with sugar. And if you have the health issues that drive you to stop drinking, you probably should cut back on the sugars, too. Done. And done.

I’ve been careful with the NA beers, too. Treat them like real beers and limit myself to no more than 2-3 in a sitting. The calories, and sugars can add up. They are a nice treat when I decide to have them (usually just on camping trips or visits to my mother-in-law’s house). Or trivia or karaoke nights!

As for hop waters? I absolutely love those! 😘 I’ve been trying to keep them in my fridge at all times now. Mainly because they help me get to sleep! My go-to these days is the Lagunitas’ “Hoppy Refresher.” I also like Shorts’ “Thirst Mutilator,” not so much for them helping me get to sleep – but because they’re refreshing and a good thing to have in your hand while others are drinking “real” drinks. No sugar, carbs or alcohol. The cherry vanilla and grape flavors are really good!

My mother-in-law decided to do something really nice on our most recent visit and pick up a couple of six-packs of Athletic brand NA beers for me. One of them was just a beer flavored beer called Upside Dawn, which I have tried before and liked. The other was styled like a light beer with lime and salt added. Now that one was awesome on a warm summer’s day out on her deck overlooking the Muskegon River!

So far, I’ve been able to overcome every single one of the challenges presented by stopping drinking.

I’ve also given up other things that I love, too. Potato chips. Snack crackers. I will occasionally eat those, but I stick to one serving size at a time. Blue Diamond’s Nut Thins are the best gluten free snack crackers I’ve tried. They fill you up quickly, aren’t too salty and don’t tempt you to eat the entire package. Unlike those bastardly Goldfish crackers and Cheez-Its!  They have a nice, satisfying crunch without breaking too many things in the bank health wise.

I’ve put my resolve not to drink to the test with a variety of situations over the past eight months:

Visits with in-laws? Two of those done and done! My mother-in-law has been stocking her fridge with NA beers. 😁

Camping trips? Two of those done and done too. The key is to have plenty of interesting things to drink – hop waters, NA beers, sparkling waters, etc. My husband still drinks, so it makes it seem more like we’re still drinking together.

Just last night, I jumped over another sober hurdle – karaoke! One of my friends invited us to a karaoke night with his co-workers. I did just one song completely sober – but did not flinch. I kept things simple since I”m a bit out of practice, so it was just Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ Crimson and Clover.  There were some really great singers in the room, and though I didn’t outshine any of them, I didn’t embarrass myself, either!

I’ve said before that if you can handle stepping up to a karaoke mic, you can handle any public speaking event! If you can also do it sober, so much the better!

I suggested that he try making it a monthly activity. It was good for me to jump on a microphone and sing.

I haven’t even mentioned the issues we’ve had with two different cars over the past month! Now those situations really made me want to reach for a real alcoholic drink! 😩🍷

I’m committed to continuing to stay sober. I have had some trying moments tempting me, but I’m a tough b—-, and can power through them like only a Gen X person can! Though I might whine and complain a lot 😂

Like that NIN song says, “The Only Way Out is Through.” 💯