There is a big drinking culture in sports. I used to go away a lot to watch matches and drinking was always a big part of that. You'd be on the coach drinking. You'd be drinking when you got to the game, drinking before the game, drinking after the game.
And I'll be honest with you, the football was secondary. A lot of the time, it was just about the drinking.
You can have a drink and follow football teams. There’s nothing wrong with that but there's a lot of times where it can cross a line and stop being enjoyable and start being something that's a little bit more sinister.
One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to not drinking is that you can’t previously enjoy the occasions you used to when you were drunk. It’s an odd lie that’s perpetuated by nearly everyone. It’s also a lie that can be so readily accepted to the point where it can even prevent you daring to give something you love a go sober because you’ve been convinced you need to add alcohol.
I've been following Manchester United for almost ten years sober. And I still really enjoy it. I take my kids to the football and being present and able to remember it is so rewarding. I'm also able to enjoy the good results and live with the bad ones without getting myself in a mess.
I also had this misconception that if I tell all my mates I'm not drinking, they're going to be gutted. But they couldn't have been happier as they didn’t have to look after me anymore. And if you’ve got an issue with alcohol and your friends care about you, they'll understand. And that's what happened with me.
Having a lifestyle that doesn't revolve around alcohol would have seemed like a bit of an alien concept 10, 15, 20 years ago. But I think we've seen that more and more. Once you start having those conversations with your friends or on social media, you realise there's a lot more people out there that agree with it and understand it.
There are so many different alternatives to going out and enjoying yourself without alcohol. And having those conversations to start with is a real big step forward.
