My Experience Quitting Alcohol

In August 2023, my cardiologist strongly suggested that alcohol may be causing an irregular heart rhythm. I didn’t read the summary until I saw him the day before my 2024 appointment. That was the beginning of my life without alcohol. On June 6, 2024, I stopped consuming alcohol. I assumed that the cessation would be a simple process.

A 2025 Gallup survey found that 54 percent of U.S. adults 18 and older who consume alcohol say they had an average of 3.2 drinks over the past week. These rates were way down from the peak of 71 percent of self-reported drinkers in 1976, 1977, and 1978.

Retirement and Losses

A phenomenon known as sudden retirement syndrome refers to the feelings of being lost, purposeless, or adrift after retiring from one’s career. For many people, their job isn’t just a means to earn a living; it’s a central aspect of their identity and purpose. When that role ends, many may feel lost.

Leaving work can strip away your sense of purpose and self-worth. No longer do you reap the financial rewards and achievements that a job provided.

Physical and Psychological Symptoms

Within 24 hours of abstinence, the nighttime awakening began with a nonspecific state of anxiety. At times, I was unable to catch my breath. Leaving the bedroom and going to another room to listen to calming music would allow me to relax.

On day two of post-cessation, I began walking multiple loops in the hallways of our condo building. The building takes up an entire square block. This pattern continued with anxiety attacks in an on-off pattern for the next two weeks.

Then, in the fifth week of abstinence, a long-term friend of 20-plus years and I had a falling out initiated by him. I was distressed over this sudden rejection. I experienced a significant and alarming spike in my BP that morning. After 3.5 laps around the building, the next morning, my BP was within normal limits. I began grieving the loss of our friendship.

Anxiety or Panic Attacks

Within five weeks, I lost seven pounds and was excited. However, I was losing entire nights of sleep from anxiety attacks. These physical symptoms persisted for a couple of weeks. I was unable to sleep in bed with my partner and would sit in a chair in the living room all night and try to sleep without much success.

My anxiety and panic attacks continued intermittently for six weeks and gradually stopped. During those long weeks of withdrawal, I often slept in the living room in a chair and continued my daily walking schedule to moderate anxiety.

Undiagnosed Anxiety Disorder?

Being an academic and nurse practitioner, I began to realize I probably have an anxiety disorder. I began searching for information. While anxiety disorders are treatable, less than half of those affected receive treatment. Physicians and health care providers often prescribe anti-anxiety medications.

The drugs supposedly have a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence. Examples of these popular prescription drugs include alprazolam and diazepam. Due to their ability to produce feelings of intense relaxation, sedation, and anxiety relief, they often lead to lifelong dependence.

Anxiety and Alcohol Use

Alcohol withdrawal may have unleashed an anxiety disorder that was preexisting or being masked. However, alcohol withdrawal also leads to temporary symptoms of anxiety.

As someone goes through withdrawal, they may experience high levels of anxiety. This is usually the result of the increased sensitivity that the body displays when it has stopped drinking. Anxiety can be so severe that people feel as though they are on edge, and they may also have difficulties sleeping as a result.

It’s not uncommon to experience a range of disturbing symptoms, including anxiety. It’s even more common to find that after you’ve stopped drinking, anxiety makes you want to go back to alcohol.

The New Scientific Consensus

Older studies of alcohol consumption were flawed. Researchers classified participants as abstainers or non-drinkers; however, many were older adults who quit drinking for health reasons. This group was labeled as the “sick quitter effect.”

The recategorizing of active moderate drinkers from sick former drinkers demonstrated no protective benefits from moderate alcohol consumption. The findings lead to a high incidence of multiple types of cancer with minimal cardiovascular benefit.

Conclusion

As nonalcoholic alternatives to alcoholic beverages become more common, Gallup added a survey question this year and found that 17 percent of Americans—20 percent of drinkers and 14 percent of non-drinkers—have chosen a nonalcoholic beer, wine, or spirits over an alcoholic drink in the past year.

I do miss occasional glasses of wine and favorite cocktails, but I don’t miss the withdrawal experiences. The restaurant industry and wine producers have quickly adapted to the new, healthy lifestyle without alcohol.

The various mocktails and nonalcoholic beers have become my favorite substitutes. As time moves on, I occasionally miss the feelings that were derived from alcohol, but I value my health, which is more important.

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