Geelong woman reveals benefits of sobriety

While some people have given up grog for Dry January, 30-year-old Geelong woman Sam Wilson spends every month of the year sober after quitting drinking four years ago.

Every month is Dry January for Geelong’s Sam Wilson. She has been alcohol-free for several years and is founder of Sober Mates. Picture: Alan Barber.

While some people have given up grog for Dry January, Sam Wilson spends every month sober.

The 30-year-old Geelong woman quit drinking in February 2020.

She intended to take a three month break due to the “hangxiety” that would follow a night out.

“Drinking just started having a negative impact on my mental health,” she said.

When she hit the six week mark, she realised she felt too good to return to drinking.

“I think the great thing is not making bad decisions,” Ms Wilson said.

“The mental health side has just been incredible, having no hangxiety, even a single glass of wine would affect my mental health the next day.”

Ms Wilson said partying had become part of her identity.

When she revealed she would be permanently sober, the decision was met with some apprehension from friends when they realised she wouldn’t be drinking at milestones.

Ms Wilson still socialises often, but will just leave when people start slurring their words, and also does activities or exercise with friends.

“Your good friends will support you,” she said.

Ms Wilson started Sober Mates, which has thousands of followers across Instagram and Facebook and shares information and resources, in 2020.

“Sober Mates is my baby,” she said.

“I created it to help people explore their relationship with alcohol.”

It allowed her to also connect with fellow sober people via Zoom and in-person events.

Ms Wilson works full-time and is also a yoga teacher — something she doesn’t think she could juggle if she still drank — and is looking to pass management of Sober Mates on to another person embarking on a sobriety journey.

She said while it had become more socially acceptable to take a break from drinking or be sober curious, cultural change was a slow process.

“We’re definitely moving the needle at the moment,” she said.

Ms Wilson advised sober curious people to find alcohol-free drinks they liked, and have an excuse ready if they needed to explain why they weren't drinking but didn’t feel comfortable saying they were taking a break.

“You get to leave events when you want to,” she said.

“You can still be as social as you were.

“Make a commitment to yourself that you want to have a break because there’s never going to be a “right time”, there’s an event you’ll always think you have to drink at.”

The proportion of Australians aged 14 and over drinking daily has continued to decline, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, while lifetime risky drinking has also dropped.

Ms Wilson said throughout her sobriety journey she had seen more alcohol-free drinks come on the market, as they became more popular.

“The change in acceptance has been wonderful,” she said.

Sam Manning founded Monday Distillery, a brand producing non-alcoholic drinks in Geelong.

Monday Distillery produces a range of alcohol-free beverages, like margarita spritzers and gin and tonics, from Geelong.

It was launched in 2019, and founder Sam Manning said in recent years offerings in the alcohol-free space had grown.

A range of alcohol-free wine, spirits, beer, and ready-to-drink options like Monday Distillery’s, are available.

“You go into (a supermarket) and it’s like ‘pick your poison’,” Ms Manning said.

“I think there’s this acceptance in society that wasn’t there before.”

Originally published as Geelong woman reveals benefits of sobriety