When I first went alcohol-free, I kept it to myself.

Partly because I’m naturally introverted. Talking about personal challenges has never come easily to me.

But there was another reason.

For years, I’d been what I call a middle-lane drinker.

I wasn’t drinking every day. I wasn’t hitting rock bottom. From the outside, everything looked fine.

But alcohol had become so normalised that it had quietly become part of my identity.

That didn’t sit comfortably with me.

And while many people around me probably weren’t too concerned, I knew I was. I also knew my family was.

As the months passed and I became more comfortable with my decision, I started talking about it.

If you’ve ever made a significant lifestyle change as an introvert, you’ll know it can feel awkward at first.

Of course, there were the usual comments:

“You’re the boring one now.”

The funny thing is that the last 18 months have been some of the best I’ve had in a very long time.

More energy. Better focus. Better health. Better relationships.

But what interests me most are the people who ask questions.

It usually starts with:

“Why did you stop drinking?”

And then comes the follow-up:

“How did you do it?”

After we’ve talked for a while, the conversation often ends the same way:

“Good for you.”

“You look better for it.”

“I wish I could give it up.”

My response is always the same:

You can.

You don’t have to be at rock bottom to make a change.

You don’t have to wait for a crisis.

You just have to decide that the habit is no longer serving the person you want to become.

As introverts, we often keep these struggles to ourselves. We convince ourselves that staying quiet is easier.

Sometimes the hardest part is simply starting the conversation.

If any of this resonates with you, feel free to reach out.