Dr. Brett Hill - Eat Think Move Chiropractic

This weekend I am heading off to Melbourne for a 'boys weekend'. It is the first one I have been on for a few years, not because I am a born again health nut but because I have been a bit preoccupied with kids and work. These trips are always interesting for me nowadays because as most of you would know by now, I don't drink.

(And yes, that is me from when I used to drink) Many people assume that I don't drink for religious reasons or because I have a problem with alcohol or a whole raft of other reasons people conjure up to explain my inexplicable refrain from the booze. The truth is I gave up the grog about five years ago because I wanted to be as healthy as possible.

Some of my mates have had trouble with my decision. In fact one of them still buys me a beer and stick it in front of me every time we head out, just in case! Drinking is so ingrained in our Aussie culture that people can get quite confronted when there is a conscientious non-drinker in their midst. Their case seems to be based around the ‘fact' that I am missing out, that I am denying myself pleasure by not drinking. In reality they could not be further from the truth.

The truth is that there are still plenty of nice things to drink that are not alcoholic, there are definite health and financial benefits to not drinking, and it is possible to have heaps of fun when you are not drunk. Let's look at these one by one.

There are lots of non-alcoholic drink options when you head out for the night. Now I must admit most of the time nowadays I am happy to just settle for water. It isn't sexy, but I drink a lot of water and I do enjoy a fresh cold glass. If I feel like something different though, I can easily get a juice or a herbal tea or even a mocktail and still be enjoying a perfectly healthy, tasty alcohol-free option.

So what about the health benefits? There is a belief out there that a small amount of alcohol is good for you. The truth is that a) most people don't settle for that small amount when they head out (and certainly not on a boozy boys weekend) and b) it is actually the small amount of antioxidants that are good for you, and they can be obtained from fruits and vegetables without the negative side-effects from your favourite alcoholic beverage. In fact did you know that low to moderate alcohol intake has been linked to brain atrophy? Or that even moderate alcohol intake is linked to cancers?

The financial benefits speak for themselves. It is amazing how much money you can blow on a single night out with the boys, and most of that goes on booze. It is a nice feeling to wake up on Sunday morning with the money still in your pocket and the health and energy to go out and do something fun with it.

Finally - and this really is the whole point of this article - it is still possible to have heaps of fun without drinking. When I head out for a weekend with the boys I have one simple strategy that I use to make sure I am still entertained. I ask myself, ‘What would I do if I was drunk?' The answers are often quite hilarious and not always wise or safe. And this is the beauty of being sober: you get to choose which ones you want to follow through with. I tend to ditch all of the ideas that are likely to get me hurt or in trouble, and stick with the ones that are just embarrassing or adventurous. So I will still start the dance floor or boogie on a bar, but I will avoid telling the bouncer what I really think of him.

So if you (or one of your friends) choose not to drink, just remember that it is NOT a death sentence, they are not denying themselves and it is still possible to have fun!