The story of how I, who used to drink 6 cans every night, quit drinking before I knew it

Before I knew it, I had stopped drinking alcohol.
I wrote down what I saw beyond that point.

I used to drink 6 cans of beer every night

It was my daily routine to stop by the supermarket in front of the station every night and buy six 350ml cans of beer.
I usually got home around 10:00 PM.
I would start drinking the first one the moment I got home, keep drinking while watching TV or YouTube, and
before I knew it, the date would change, and I would finish drinking and go to bed around 1:00 AM.

On my days off, I would naturally start drinking from the morning, and if I ran out, I would go buy more.
There were times when I was already drunk by the afternoon.
I was at a point where I was just drinking out of inertia.

I think it started as a way to relieve stress.
Before I knew it, it became "normal to drink," and it had taken root as a "habit."

I didn't decide to "quit"

I haven't had a single drink in over two years now.
It's strange even to me, but there wasn't a specific day I decided to "quit."

After resigning due to adjustment disorder and then developing depression, I was lucky enough to find a new job more than a year later. I haven't had a drink since the first day I started at that new workplace.
For some reason, I just didn't drink from that day on.

Strangely, it wasn't even difficult

Of course, at first, I thought, "I'll probably want to drink eventually," but...
As a result, I had no strong cravings or withdrawal symptoms.
I have no desire to drink at all, and it doesn't bother me even when I go to an izakaya and see my friends enjoying their beer.

The "essence of human relationships" I saw by not drinking

I was also worried that if I stopped drinking, my relationships with those around me would change.
In particular, I thought, "It might become difficult to hang out with my old drinking buddies..."

But in reality, that wasn't the case.
When I was invited out for drinks and said, "I haven't been drinking lately," they accepted it surprisingly easily.

That said, the conversations of friends who continue to drink tend to gradually become nothing but complaints about work and things like that. I end up just being the listener.
When that happens, I start to think, "What a waste of time and money."
Naturally, the number of times I go out to drink has plummeted.

Even so, my relationship with my drinking buddies hasn't changed.
Perhaps the idea that relationships can only be built with alcohol was just an "assumption" after all.

I gained time. But there are "new worries" too

By not drinking, I have more free time.
In particular, I no longer have to deal with the worst kind of self-loathing where I can't do anything the day after drinking due to a hangover.

However, on the other hand, new worries have emerged.
That is... sweet snacks.
There are many days when I can't stop eating snacks instead of alcohol.

"Huh? Am I addicted again?"
Sometimes I fall into that kind of self-loathing.
Frankly speaking, for me, it's more troublesome than alcohol.

Not that I need to force myself to quit, but

I don't think there's any need to force yourself to quit drinking.
However, if you feel like you might be drinking a bit too much, it might be worth pausing for a moment.
What is the root cause of your overdrinking? What kind of stress are you under?

I just happened to stop drinking, but that alone changed my daily life a little bit.
How we relate to alcohol is also a part of life, isn't it?

I hope you all find a comfortable balance as well.