Olivia Molly Rogers reveals night out that made her quit alcohol

For years Olivia Molly Rogers would wake up on weekends with a feeling of dread so intense it would “scare” her – until she discovered the confronting cause.

When Olivia Molly Rogers began drinking alcohol in her teens she assumed it was normal not to remember large parts of her night.

“I had a lot of big nights with friends growing up,” the now 29-year-old told news.com.au.

“We would have a house party and we would sneak in alcohol.

“A lot of the time, I drank a lot (so) that I couldn’t necessarily remember what had happened the next day. But I just assumed that it was normal as well, because a lot of my friends were in the same boat.”

As Ms Rogers entered her twenties the pattern continued, with the Melbourne woman, who won Miss Universe Australia in 2017, avoiding alcohol for most days only to binge drink on weekends.

RELATED: Scary truth behind Australians who drink

Former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Molly Rogers ‘assumed it was normal’ that she couldn’t remember her nights out drinking. Picture: Instagram/Olivia Molly Rogers.

“I think I just normalised it because a lot of people were doing the same thing,” the model and speech pathologist said.

“But I think the more I reflect on it now, now that I have stopped, I was probably taking it further than my friends a lot more frequently, and the anxiety that I would feel the next day was just debilitating and awful.”

While Ms Rogers doesn’t consider herself an alcoholic, her relationship with drinking was becoming uncomfortable.

“It would scare me, just how flat it made me (after a big night of drinking),” she said. “It wasn’t just for the day after, it would sometimes last for three days, that feeling of anxiety.”

Her nights of drinking would also often see Ms Rogers end up fighting with her fiance Justin Mckeone over something “silly”.

Ms Rogers and her fiance Justin Mckeone. Picture: Instagram/Olivia Molly Rogers.

“We do not fight whatsoever,” she said. “But just these stupid things would come up when I would drink and I honestly, most of the time, couldn’t even tell you what they were about or how they started and it was just the worst feeling.”

It was after another one of those typical nights on Sunday, May 1 of this year, caused Ms Rogers to wake up, feeling the “too-familiar” feeling over the night before, and decide enough was enough.

“It was just the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she said. “This was happening way too often and when I reflected on it that day when I was hungover (I realised) the common denominator here is alcohol.

“So maybe if I take it out of the equation, the problem would be solved.”

But while the plan at first was to just take a few weeks off drinking, Ms Rogers began noticing an almost immediate difference to both her mental and physical health

“Within the first two weeks I could feel a difference in my workouts, my body just felt I suppose a bit stronger and more efficient,” she said.

RELATED: Signs you have an alcohol problem

Since quitting alcohol Ms Rogers is both physically stronger and better mentally. Picture: Instagram/Olivia Molly Rogers.

Ms Rogers also gets less headaches and better quality sleep, as well as noticing a huge difference to her mental health.

“Just that feeling of waking up and feeling refreshed and starting a day without anxiety,” she said.

“I still get anxiety but it’s very normal amounts and it’s situational anxiety.

“So there might be something that provokes it, (but) it’s not just this overarching thing that’s just there all the time.”

A month in, she decided to go public with her journey, revealing her plans on Instagram to embrace sobriety.

Ms Rogers said there is still a ‘stigma’ around people who choose not to drink. Picture: Instagram/Olivia Molly Rogers.

Since quitting alcohol Ms Rogers has continued to educate herself on the health risks binge drinking poses – as well as reap the benefits of her sober life.

But she admits there is some judgment over her decision not to drink.

“There is so much stigma, I think because people can’t get their head around it,” she said.

Ms Rogers hopes that by sharing her story, other young people will reconsider their relationship with alcohol.

“From what we’ve learnt about alcoholics it’s so black and white: you either drink and you’re OK drinking or you’re an alcoholic and you shouldn’t drink and there’s no in between,” she said.

“But that’s not true … I think there’s so much grey area that is not spoken about, particularly in Australia.”