My drunken nights in Hong Kong and England, how I gave up alcohol and why it’s better being the real me
- ‘I never intended to quit entirely,’ writes Weeze Christina Coulcher. ‘I decided on a dry few weeks … I was happier. Before this alcohol stunted my confidence’
- Being alone was often the hardest part. But, she writes, ‘I haven’t drunk for almost four years and do not miss that life’. She offers tips on giving up drink
After years of steady going with alcohol, I decided to purge it from my life.
I was fervently looking forward to the positive physical aspects that would ensue: better sleep, weight loss, boosted energy – and no more hangovers.
Alcohol is sold to us as a normal, fun thing to do, for celebrations, commiserations, congratulations, because we are happy, sad, or bored. It’s supposed to make us laugh, be more honest, boost our confidence and fuel creativity. So why would anyone, especially me, want to shun all this?
Growing up in Hong Kong, a safe city with a lax attitude towards underage drinking, we teenagers had a lot of freedom: HK$20 drinks in Wan Chai, free booze on ladies’ nights, and drinking beer from the convenience store at Repulse Bay beach – the teenage hotspot. Moving later to England, with its heavy booze culture, I sustained my love of drinking and gained a high tolerance to match.
I look back at many of my hazy, drunken memories in Hong Kong with a level of fondness, from waking up in a lion onesie the morning after a Football Club brunch, not quite sure how or why, to dancing on the bar at Carnegie’s in Wan Chai, to grabbing the mic at the Wanch and belting out cover songs. Not forgetting all the drunken hookups that made for funny stories.