Almost 2 years now. I'm not religious about it and will occasionally drink the celebratory glass of bubbles or a beer (alcohol free if available) when it's hot outside.
Very interesting how it has worked.
I realize how completely dumb this question might sound.
Yes, anything from a couple of drinks a night with dinner / tv to getting blackout drunk multiple times a week, alone, with your significant other, or with friends / roommates.
In the case of people in my social circle (late 30s early 40s) it's primarily still for fun, as well as just a large amount of momentum from your teenage years, 20s, 30s, etc. For a lot of people I know, the association between drinking and good times / relaxation has been deeply engrained since high school.
I've recently taken an extended break for my health, as I'm fully aware that it takes a toll on me, but I still love grabbing some drinks whether I'm relaxing alone in the evening or going out with friends and family.
While it's certainly true that many people get into a dark place with drinking and let it spiral into a self-destructive, depressive pursuit, I don't think it's quite the rule it's made out to be.
I have a good amount of family who live idyllic, full, happy, social lives, drinking heavily multiple times a week with their friends and family into their 70s/80s until death.
But it can easily escalate into a rather unhealthy habit. And even fairly small amounts can disrupt sleep.
Does anyone else feel a slight sense of worry about this?
I was not addicted to gaming before so can’t really tell the difference there.
Guess what? That's a good thing. The anxious person I was drove me to struggle to do basic life things, struggle to do things I wanted to do, and caused me to drive away someone I loved and harm them.
Fuck that guy, I don't want to be him. I did change. I became able to try new things. I became able to accept other people without needing to impose what I considered "right" onto them. I became able to manage my stupid jealousy to stop it from hurting my relationships.
Now I can ride rollercoasters without having a panic attack. Oh what a shame I lost that guy.
The things that medications treat also cause personality changes. Significant mental or psychological problems consume parts of you, and drive your life negatively.
There's no such thing as a "true" you. You are just biological machines doing chemistry. That chemistry dictates YOU. That chemistry is literally affected by the food you eat. Drawing a line because we require you to get a chemical from someone with a special piece of paper is not reality.
Wearing the proper glasses will cause a personality change if you grew up vision impaired.
Don't deify a broken brain.
Other lies people insist on to avoid medication include "There's no silver bullet/magic pill"
Guess what? Sometimes there is! A low dose of a boring medication fixed my anxiety, as in, turned me from being a dysfunctional anxious wreck to someone who has a normal anxiety response. Even the "side effects" I experience have been positive outcomes.
Now if you do something like take anabolic steroids and it gives you roid rage? Yeah, avoid that, not because "It changed you" but because it made you demonstrably worse in a way you probably do not want
Do you know what else causes irreversible personality changes and will change who you really are?
Aging.
In November of 2024, I decided to avoid alcohol as a personal experiment - no GLP-1 medications involved. I have not consumed any alcohol since.
After 3-4 months, my interest in alcohol seemed to really fall off a cliff. I joked with friends that I was going "dry in 2025", but I am now more seriously considering taking 2026 off from alcohol as well before making a decision about whether to add alcohol back into my diet.