Partying Without Alcohol

Ok, so great health but boring life then, right? Well – get ready to be surprised. I certainly was. Despite this sudden superman boost to my physique, I did weigh these benefits against the price I thought I was paying in sacrificing the fun of drinking. You can’t have fun partying without alcohol, right? Turns out this was the wrong question. I now know I can’t have as fun with alcohol as I can without.

In August of 2022, there was a big party I had been looking forward to at Dalarö Skans in the beautiful Stockholm Archipelago. I decided to make an exception and have a few drinks that night as it “had party of the year-potential” after all. Spoiler alert: It did not end up being the party of the year, but instead the lesson of a lifetime. On the boat out I was poured a gin tonic. This first drink went absolutely fine. But already at my second drink there was a hint of energy loss. After the third drink I started feeling outright tired, and after the fourth one I was done. I now felt drained, no longer had fun, and just wanted to go home. I looked at my watch, and it was now around 3 in the morning. Then it hit me – wait a minute, I always feel tired around 3 in the morning when I’m out. Had I been drinking myself tired all these years?

The next weekend I got the opportunity to test this theory. There was another party, and I decided not to drink at all. I now had absolutely no problem staying up until 7 in the morning. WTF?! Granted, this ADHD medication gives you some extra energy, but still, I had way more fun than I usually do. Also, of course, partying without drinking voids the entire discussion of “partying too much”, as the main consequence is jet lag from staying up late and sleeping in, and perhaps some sore muscles from dancing. Looking back now at this year of partying without alcohol, I can conclude that I’ve never had more fun partying and that I’ve probably spent more hours on the dance floor than at any other point in my life.