The blog

Drinking less, without the recovery script.

Honest, unpreachy writing on the life stage where the hangovers stopped being worth it — and what happens when you cut back.

Taking stock

Am I an alcoholic?

A calm, non-judgy way to think about it — why the label matters less than the relationship, the signs worth taking seriously, and what to do with the answer.

6 min read
The science

Alcohol and mental health: the everyday mood cost

The drink that takes the edge off tonight hands it back tomorrow, sharper. How the drink-to-cope loop works — and what steadies when you cut back.

6 min read
The science

What alcohol does to your skin

"Wine face" is real — the dullness, puffiness, and flush that won't fade. Why alcohol shows on your face first, and how fast skin bounces back.

5 min read
Going out

Sober dating: how to date without drinking

The drinks date is a habit, not a rule. Better first-date ideas, what to say, and why dating sober is quietly an advantage rather than a handicap.

6 min read
Cutting back

Is it bad that I drink every night?

If you've searched that, it's worth asking. An honest, non-judgy answer — the real difference between a habit and a problem, and a simple way to find out which one you've got.

6 min read
The science

Hangxiety: why you feel anxious the day after drinking

The morning-after dread is real, and it's chemistry, not character. The GABA-and-glutamate rebound that causes it — and why it vanishes when you cut back.

6 min read
The science

Does drinking make you gain weight?

It's not just the calories in the glass. The four separate ways alcohol works against your weight — and why cutting back sheds pounds without a diet.

6 min read
Going out

What to drink instead of alcohol

The ritual matters more than the alcohol. A field guide to what actually holds up — at the bar, at dinner, and on the sofa — without the sugary mocktail trap.

5 min read
What to expect

What happens in your first 30 days without alcohol

Week by week, what actually changes when you stop drinking for a month — the sleep win in week one, the plateau nobody warns you about, and the quiet thing you prove to yourself by day 30.

7 min read
Going out

How to enjoy a night out without drinking

It was never the drink that was hard — it's what to hold, what to say when someone asks, and the flat patch at 9pm. Solve those three and the night is just a night.

6 min read
Dry January

Dry January, without the all-or-nothing

Most people quit not because it's hard, but because one Friday drink felt like failure. A calmer way to do a sober month — and make it outlast February.

6 min read
The money

How much money do you actually save by not drinking?

The bar tab is only the visible part. Add the rounds, the Ubers and the next-day takeaway, and the real number tends to surprise people.

5 min read
The science

Why you wake at 3am after drinking

You fell asleep fast, so why are you wide awake at 3am? Because alcohol is a sedative, not a sleep aid — and the two are very different things.

5 min read
The science

Why hangovers get so much worse in your thirties

You're not imagining it — the same night out really does cost more than it used to. Here's what actually changes, and why a "two-day hangover" is a real thing.

6 min read
Cutting back

Sober-curious, not sober: how to drink less without quitting

You don't have to label yourself or swear off drinking forever to want fewer hangovers. A calmer way to cut back — and make the change actually stick.

7 min read