One of my favourite traditions at The Sober School happens every December.
I ask the women I’ve coached throughout the year if they’d be happy to send me a photo of their alcohol-free highlight of the year.
The pictures that come back are incredible. Sometimes it’s a moment they’re grateful they were able to experience, sober. Other times it’s something that would never have happened if they’d still been drinking.
These aren’t stock photos or posed shots – they’re real life glimpses into what a happy, alcohol-free life can look like. I can’t wait to share them with you in today’s video.
What about you?
If you’ve got a favourite alcohol-free highlight that you’d like to share, let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear about it!
If you feel inspired by these photos and you’d like to make a fresh start in 2026, make sure you join my free New Year Masterclass! It starts just after Christmas. Fill out the form below to join.
Not drinking at Christmas?! I know it might sound a bit… boring. Maybe even impossible.
When I was drinking, I couldn’t imagine getting through the festive season without alcohol.
All those parties, family gatherings, shopping, the stress of it – wine just seemed like an unmissable part of things.
But here’s what I’ve discovered since stopping: an alcohol-free Christmas is actually brilliant. Nowadays, you really couldn’t pay me enough to drink at this time of year.
Here are 10 reasons why being sober at Christmas is better than you think…
Key points
1. No embarrassing mistakes
Whether it’s putting the wrong labels on presents, forgetting something really important or doing something at your office party that you later regret… alcohol dramatically increases the chances of you doing something you later cringe at!
2. You have more energy
This is a tiring time of year. There are 101 things to sort out and I bet it’s mainly you who’s responsible for making it all happen, right? Not drinking will give you more energy and headspace for figuring this stuff out.
3. Your money goes further
If finances are tight right now, take a moment to work out how much you normally spend on booze at this time of year. This is a month when most of us go out more than usual. Drinking alcohol is guaranteed to make your bar bill much bigger.
4. Driving yourself home!
I still love being able to jump in my car at the end of a great night and drive myself home. No waiting around for a taxi, trying to flag one down or paying for an expensive Uber. Being able to go out and then leave exactly when you want to feels very freeing.
5. Less drama
Real life isn’t like a Christmas card. Real families argue and things go wrong. However, the chances of you getting into a row, or overreacting to something are massively reduced when you’re sober at Christmas.
6. Guilt-free festive food
A slice of Christmas cake contains at least 200 calories. A large glass of wine also contains around 200 calories. If you aren’t drinking, you’ve got room to indulge a bit more without feeling guilty!
7. Looking better
Alcohol dehydrates the skin, increases redness and can make you look puffy and bloated. It’s not a good look, and makeup can’t always hide it. I ask everyone I work with to take a before and after picture because your appearance will inevitably change.
8. No more acting
Pretending to be hangover-free and bursting with energy is draining. Trying to sneak a few extra drinks here and there without anyone noticing is also hard work… and that’s the last thing any of us needs.
9. More time
Sobriety gives you extra time in the day, which just feels great at this time of year. When you’re drinking, you don’t just lose time being drunk – it’s the sluggishness afterwards, the time lost worrying and the time spent putting things right and beating yourself up.
10. Make memories (instead of forgetting them)
At the end of the day, this is what this crazy time of year is all about, isn’t it? Alcohol robs you of your memories and can leave the most special days blurry and forgettable. Being sober at Christmas gives you those special moments back… and you can’t put a price on that.
Ready to create an alcohol-free life you love? Click here to learn more about my Getting Unstuck course.
Alcohol seems to be everywhere at this time of year.
It’s piled high in the shops on special offer. It’s on the Christmas cards with those “GIN-gle bells” jokes. It’s in every advert on TV and at pretty much every festive gathering.
When alcohol is connected to everything, it’s easy to lose your way or feel as if you’re missing out.
So here are four reminders you just might need to hear right now.
Key points
Alcohol is not magic joy juice.
It’s not fun in a bottle or liquid happiness. How do we know? Because of all those times when you’ve drunk loads and haven’t had a good time. Alcohol doesn’t have the power to transform a boring or bad situation into a good one. Otherwise every single night drinking would be fun. People wouldn’t get into arguments. The reality is that drinking at a bad party just means you’re getting drunk at a bad party.
If you want the festive season to be memorable, you’ve got to be sober for it.
Everyone talks about creating special Christmas memories, yet alcohol literally deletes your ability to remember things. When you look back on previous years – honestly – what was the true cost of drinking? I remember Christmas Days, forgotten presents, nearly-burnt dinners, and hours spent feeling dreadful wishing the day would end.
Sobriety is worth the awkwardness!
Yes, it can feel uncomfortable to turn down the offer of an alcoholic drink or have people asking questions. But that discomfort is relatively short-lived. It’s nothing compared to the weeks of discomfort that you’ll go through if you drink and break a promise to yourself.
Alcohol doesn’t fix your problems – it keeps you stuck with them.
Christmas can highlight what’s missing or not working in your life. It’s tempting to drink to avoid thinking about absent people, difficult relationships, or unmet expectations. Whilst it’s tempting to paper over the cracks with alcohol, that’s also a trap because drinking means you’re less likely to take action and more likely to decide you’re unable to change.
Ready to create an alcohol-free life you love? Click here to learn more about my Getting Unstuck course.
You’re at a family gathering and notice that your cousin leaves without finishing their glass.
Then go to your work Christmas party and you’re sure that one of your colleagues has nursed the same drink all evening (and seems perfectly content).
Meanwhile, you’re on your third glass and counting down until you can leave, go home and drink properly.
So why can other people take it or leave it when you can’t? Let’s talk about it.
Key points
You’re not broken or lacking willpower
First things first: other people aren’t take-it-or-leave-it drinkers because they’re better humans than you. They’re not more disciplined, more controlled or more evolved. You don’t have a disease and you’re not broken or weird. You just have a coping mechanism that’s not working for you anymore. That’s it.
You might be wrong about other people
First things first: are you SURE these other people are take-it-or-leave-it drinkers? I ask because I bet there are people in your life who have no idea how much you drink at home. They’ve seen you drinking quite moderately in public and have no idea how much you drink at home. Unless you’re with someone all day, it’s hard to know exactly how much other people drink.
Alcohol might not be their thing
A lot of take-it-or-leave-it drinkers don’t get excited about alcohol because they have a different crutch. Maybe it’s food and they struggle with their weight. Maybe it’s gambling, overspending, overworking. I bet there’s something you know other people struggle with that you don’t, because that thing isn’t your thing.
Take-it-or-leave-it drinkers often dislike being drunk
What if the thing you thought was so great about drinking is the thing they hate? Some people don’t like the weird, dizzy sensation. They don’t like losing control. This means that the very thing you’re looking for at the bottom of a bottle is the thing they’re trying to avoid at all costs. Not wanting to be drunk is, obviously, a strong deterrent to drinking more!
They might be comfortable feeling their feelings
Consider for a moment how often you drink because you’re trying to escape something – stress, sadness, loneliness, frustration, resentment. What if you’d learned how to be okay with those big feelings and didn’t need something outside yourself to manage them? That would really reduce your desire to drink – right? Most of us haven’t been taught how to manage our feelings, but some take-it-or-leave-it drinkers do know this.
Stop comparing and focus on you
I hope this post has provided some answers. But to be honest – there comes a point in all this when you’ve got to stop comparing yourself to other people and focus on what’s right for you. What if it’s okay that other people drink and do their thing, because that’s the right choice for them? And what if the right choice for you is taking a break from drinking? You might not be thrilled about the idea, but I promise – it could be the best thing you ever do.
Ready to create an alcohol-free life you love? Click here to learn more about my Getting Unstuck course.
