The Good Drinker: How I Learned to Love Drinking Less

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I've raced off to games hours early to give me a chance to drink a lot of beer in a relatively short time. I always want to be able to take a quiet early evening pint or two with a friend or share a bottle of wine over dinner somewhere. I have made the decision to stop drinking having realised I was exceeding the safe limits all the time and hoped for an inspiring read but was disappointed. The long subtitle of this book is All Occasion Guide to Alcohol-Free, Zero-Proof, No-Regrets, Sober-Curious Lifestyle. However, he also points out that a lot of people who drink a lot are put off by the thought of total abstinence – and therefore don’t bother looking at their drinking levels at all, because moderate drinking isn’t often deemed an option.

Yet while the alcohol industry depends on a minority of problem drinkers, the majority really do enjoy in moderation. Over the last few years he has cut down significantly though, as he tells in the personal chapters of the book which cover his whole drinking life, from his first teenage beers to today.Love Your Sober Year builds on their previous Love Yourself Sober book, set around the annual cycle of nature. The “soul” of the book’s title doesn’t refer to a religious idea by the way, but more to an internal essence we all have. I have a number of friends who have given up alcohol completely, and had various mental health issues entwined with alcohol issues (although none were lying in a doorstep alcoholics, cracking open the vodka at breakfast) but at the same time I didn’t feel my husband and I had ‘that much of a problem’.

Note: We will be hosting Adrian at our Tasting Room in early 2023, where Laura will discuss the book with him. In five or ten years, the way I was going, it was clear to me that I’d have had to stop drinking completely or face some pretty dire consequences with my innards. Whilst I admire his efforts I really got the feeling that Adrian is kidding himself when he says he has drinking under control.I rarely vomit from alcohol consumption (and last time I did, I’m sure there was something wrong with the coffee beans in the espresso martinis, it wasn’t the volume of booze!

It may be easier to give up alcohol totally than commit yourself to a future life of drinking moderately.Chiles is honest enough to say this won't be for everyone, my experience is that it's easier to abstain than moderate. The style is chatty and easy to read, with his alcohol journey split into decades, intertwined with advice he's received from others and his personal thoughts on moderation.

The combination of facts and anecdotes means it’s an interesting and amusing read and I plan to follow Adrian’s example and be more mindful about what I consume alcohol-wise going forwards. It turns out that all my life, without realising it, I’ve been sure to surround myself with other drinkers.

When I’ve not been drinking at some points I’ve had friends say ‘Oh, let me know when you’re drinking again, and then we can go out’ – as if somehow not drinking alcohol precludes having a night out? To punish myself for my stupidity I have considered abstinence, but there’s too much about drinking that I enjoy. These poetic prescriptions and wise words of advice offer comfort, delight and inspiration for all; a space for reflection, and that precious realization - I'm not the only one who feels like this. Adrian is honest and transparent about his own alcohol journey, and the challenge in cutting down, whilst still enjoying a drink.