Tomorrow morning, many of us will be reaching for the paracetamol and uttering the two words most commonly heard on January 1 – “Never again”.
But Suzy Beaumont will instead be getting ready for a loony dook to celebrate a year since her last drink.
The radio producer turned wellness influencer is about to complete her 365 “one year no beer” challenge and she has never felt happier, healthier or fitter.
Once nicknamed Sambuca Suzy for her love of a night out and rounds of shots, the 43-year-old, from Inverness, decided to jump on the wagon, not because she had a drinking problem but because she had a hangover problem.
And as well as boosting her health and confidence, her lengthy dry spell has given her the confidence to quit her job and go full-time, launching her own business organising wellness events and conferences.
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She says that in order to make it work, you have to be in the right place mentally and have the right motivation.
For Suzy, that came after a Christmas night out two years ago when she found herself drinking too much to compensate for the boring time she was having.
She said: “I had an epiphany at a Christmas night out. It was awful. I kept going up to get drinks to find another party and was walking round the bar because I was not enjoying the company I was with. I was drinking to make their company better.
“I had this sober moment where I just thought I could be at home watching Casualty and having a much better laugh. What the hell am I doing this for?”
Having already completed a dry January five years ago, that festive horror show convinced Suzy she was falling out of love with alcohol.
When she encountered Ruari Fairbairns of One Year No Beer during a radio segment last year, she was sold.
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Suzy said: “In my 20s, it could have been three or four nights out a week. Then, into my 30s, it was a night out midweek and then a night out at the weekend. And later, into my 30s, it was once a week, then once every two weeks, with small drinks in between, but there would always be large nights out.
“It wasn’t every week but when I did do it, it was like, ‘Oh my God’. It wasn’t like I was one of those people whose character changes with alcohol.
“I was just always up for a party and always getting the shots in. I loved my sambuca and it was just all about having a laugh. But increasingly the next day, I would be like, ‘This sucks’.”
Having worked herself up to the 12-month challenge, her main concern was how her social life would be affected.
Suzy said: “I wasn’t a falling-about drunk or anything like that. I love to dance and didn’t have the confidence to dance without alcohol and always felt quite anxious in social situations.
“One of the biggest things about giving up drink is I didn’t want to be a bore or party pooper. My nature is still to have a laugh and dance, so I had to push my comfort zone and be that person without the alcohol.
“When I learned to do that, it became apparent that with good music and good company, the drink becomes totally irrelevant.”
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Initially, Suzy dealt with social situations that would previously revolve around booze by telling people she was driving later. But as the year continued, she grew in confidence.
She said: “I set up my business called Change Your World, where I put on events, workshops, training and coaching to inspire people to make positive changes in their life, in April 2017. Then I officially left in July to go full-time.
“My evenings and weekends were taken up with that, so I was filling up my life with something else.
“I was running a conference in April and I knew there would be a big party at my house afterwards. It would be a big test as I knew I’d want to let my hair down - could I do that without alcohol?
“It went great. I partied till 4am and the company was good, the banter was flying and some people were drinking and some people were not.”
These days, Suzy can’t imagine going back to her old ways. She has lost weight, her skin looks and feels better and her energy and positivity levels are through the roof.
But despite completing her challenge and recommending it to others, Suzy doesn't use the words “never again”.
She said: “The idea of saying I’ll never drink again is too big, because one day I might think that I do fancy a drink. But I am happier and healthier than I have ever been in my 43 years. That’s not just down to alcohol but it’s a big factor. Life is so much more simple.”
● Suzy’s next Change Your World conference is at the Smithton Church Auditorium Inverness, April 6, www.changeyourworld.me
Top tips if you want to have a dry spell
WHETHER you want to try 365 days without booze, a 28-day challenge or even a dry January, here are some tips from One Year No Beer co-founder Andy Ramage.
Always know what you’re going to drink & have a back-up drink
You are about to fight years of social and psychological conditioning and you need to be prepared or old habits will take over. Alcohol-free alternatives, such as AF beer, are excellent. People leave you alone once they see something that looks alcoholic. If there are no alcohol-free options, be prepared to have a back-up.
Note down all your reasons why you want to take a break
Ask yourself why are you taking on this alcohol-free adventure? What has led you to this point? Keep these close for extra motivation.
Take out the ringleaders
Before you meet that “mate” in the bar - you know, the one who can make your life a misery with their witty repertoire, take them out in advance and tell them all the reasons why you are on this alcohol-free adventure.
Use your excuse
Alcohol is the only drug in the world that people berate you for giving up. So use your challenge excuse – I am doing Dry Jan and I love it.
Bad habits need replacing, not telling off
Once you know what triggers your drinking habit, it could be to de-stress, replace the “drinking routine” with a healthy one that produces the same reward – to de-stress.
Possibly swap the alcoholic beer for an alcohol-free beer or replace the drinking routine entirely with a spin class. You keep the same trigger, 6pm, and reward to de-stress but you swap the drinking for a healthy one.
● Sign up to a 28-day alcohol-free challenge. The best way to make sure you take on dry Jan and win is to take a 28-day challenge. I will be with you every step of the way. Find out more at oneyearnobeer.com
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