Drinking is not a hobby.

"I'm hungover today AND I'm out drinking tonight"

I was at a circuits class on Saturday morning and a woman I partnered up with said to me "Ugh, I'm hungover today, I'm sweating out all the alcohol." When I commended her for making it to the class she replied "I know, and I'm out drinking tonight."

"Out drinking tonight." Not meeting friends, not going out for dinner, but out drinking.

There are two things I think about here.

Firstly, it probably hadn't crossed her mind that actually, she didn't have to drink if she didn't want to. I mean, it wasn't compulsory. She said it as if there was no choice, she just had to have a second night of drinking. She said it like it was a chore.

Secondly, and this is the main point of my post, drinking alcohol is talked about like it is some kind of hobby. You go out to drink. It is the main event. People will say it is to spend time with their friends, but after a few drinks any meaningful conversation is pretty much out of the window.

For a lot of people, going out drinking, partying and to nightclubs is a right of passage for your younger years but as you get older you'll probably find that the consequences get greater. The hangovers get worse, you're still trying to drink the same amount of alcohol and stay out just as late but you're finding it harder. However, it's become such a big part of your life that you can't imagine not doing it.

Life is short. Aren't there so many other things you could be doing with or without your friends? Everyone's interests are different but there are some ideas that don't have to include drinking.

When you've only just quit, you might want to try doing something with your evenings where drinking is completely out of the picture. Such as yoga, or another type of fitness class. Going for a walk or maybe a bike ride (weather permitting).

You could try something completely new like join a club such as singing or a book club.

Or you choose to study something new or develop your career further. There are loads of online courses. See Udemy or The Open University's free course. You'll find you can concentrate so much better now so why not put it to good use.

If you can't imagine doing something different with the friends you go to to pub with then maybe consider are they friends at all? But that's for another post.