Why I’m No Longer Teetotal

The first thing people used to say to me when I told them I didn’t drink was ‘oh, you’ll grow out of it’. It used to drive me absolutely mad. But for good reason, even if I am a now seasoned gin drinker.

Since I wrote about why I was teetotal a little while ago, I thought I should do a little bit of an update and explain why I changed. It all started on my last day of school – an important event in anyone’s life. We were sitting in the pub and, at that moment, it all felt right.

The reason I refused alcohol for so long (yes, I was underage but everyone knows that underage drinking – while ill-advised and illegal – happens, and does so on a large scale) was because I never felt it was a good choice for me. As someone who wasn’t very confident for so long, drinking alcohol was not something I wanted to add to the mix. I also didn’t particularly enjoy the company of the people I was with, so never wanted to open up an unpredictable side of me to people who never made me feel comfortable.

A lot of this changed towards the end of my school career. I felt much more confident in my own abilities and much happier with the people I surrounded myself with. And I was kind of bored of drinking Coke all the time.

But I’m glad I was teetotal for so long because it was the right choice for me every time. I drank when I was ready and when I had enough ‘umph’ in me to make sure I could always look after, control and value myself.