Just as with any lifestyle change, giving up alcohol, whether permanently or temporarily, needs a change of mindset. I’m obviously not talking about addiction issues here, for which you need professional help—as well as the realization that you have a drinking problem—but simply choosing alcohol-free drinks rather than alcoholic ones.
You might think, earning my living by writing about wine, I’m the last person to advise you, but I see that as an advantage. Although I have to taste wine or other alcoholic drinks most days, like everyone else I benefit from a break from actually drinking them. But I’m not prepared to settle for second best. It’s important to me that the days when I don’t drink are as pleasurable in terms of what I consume as those when I do.
