My name is Marion and I come from a family of alcohol-dependent drinkers.
During my childhood, it was common to sit outside our local pub for hours on end while my dad drank inside. These "bike ride" trips always ended with a bribe, a KitKat and Coke-Cola with dad saying, "don’t tell your mum". Looking back, I shouldn't have known what a Whisky Mac was at age 6 (nor to be able to show my school friends how to complete betting slips) but drinking was normal and expected.
As I grew up, I started drinking socially then at age 16 I met my future husband, and drinking became the norm. I increased my alcohol units when working in pubs in my 20s and partied during that time.
As a bar manager, it was normal to have an 80-hour week, so starting my shift with a pick me up of Bacardi hidden in a Coke bottle was easy and standard working practice. No one told me they were worried because no one cared, and they were all doing the same. I left bar work but still partied for most of my 20s and 30s. It was nice to be liked, and to be a good host.
As a new Christian in my 30s, there were people who started noticing and questioning my drinking. It was nothing I didn't already know, and behind my bravado I was becoming increasingly concerned about the units and my health, but not enough to do anything about it.
I first heard about the Try Dry® app in 2021 from my church’s youth pastor who was using it to track taking a break from alcohol. I first downloaded it as a tool to track my drinking and quickly realised I was drinking far too much. So I used it to cut down. It was an easy habit to get into tracking my units. In January 2022 I joined our youth pastor in a Dry January® prayer and alcohol fast to pray for some joint friends who were in a cycle of alcohol depression and dependency, and I started the Dry January® challenge.
Once I saw the difference the Try Dry® app was making as such a useful tool, it became easier, and I looked forward to the yellow blocks adding up. Trying non-alcoholic drink alternatives from Lyre’s helped me to replace my evening drinks with a like-for-like and not to feel like ’death my lemonade’. I loved the spiced rum and pink gin alternatives the best.
At the end of January, I didn’t feel it was right to stop so I continued until the end of June, fulfilling six months of sobriety. This was the most I had ever done. I learned so much about myself, how I was using alcohol to hide from my low self-esteem, and as a crutch for channelling stress and loneliness. Fast forward then to the end of my 2nd Dry January® challenge in 2024. That one was easier, although my sweet tooth is still horrendous. My need for non-alcoholic alternatives was lower, but I still enjoyed hosting an alcohol-free gin tasting event for family and friends. I've lost the urge to be the party host to all, and my friendship group has become smaller but solid.
To anyone considering a break from alcohol, I recommend the calendar in the Try Dry® app. Only you can see the units creeping up and it's a good reminder to make good choices. I still enjoy a drink, but it's now and again and I have clear limits in place. I won't drink alone, I won't have more than 4 units a time and I still use the app for my current goal of 20 dry days a month for a year. I can't thank the Dry January® team enough for the encouraging emails and the app. It literally has changed my life for the better.
