Case Studies

January 1, 2017 Laura Willoughby MBE

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WE ARE SWIFT: MUSICIANS AND MINDFUL DRINKERS

Sam (26), Jack (28), Emma (29) and Orlando (27) are musicians from Bethnal Green. And they don’t drink alcohol.

They’re proud of that choice because drinking didn’t make them feel good. Emma said she feels her intelligence level lowers and she feels kind of stupid, while Jack said it gives him anxiety. He gets self-conscious, dehydrated and sweaty. They’ve got each other’s back with this.

MEET KWAME ‘J20’ ADOFO

He’s a writer from Manor House, London, and classes himself as a mindful drinker.

Picture Friday night at a Wetherspoons. Kwame is surrounded by friends getting progressively “mashed” while he nurses something non-alcoholic. That’s where the nickname J2O came from, and it’s why he’d be trying every flavour of soft drink while his mates bashed back pint after pint.

ALYSSA AND TREVOR: MINDFUL DRINKERS

Meet Alyssa and Trevor, mindful drinkers in their late 40s. They’re Atlantic-straddlers, having lived in both LA and London. It’s given them a little outsider perspective, and they’re amazed at the drinking habits they see in the capital.

Trevor will nurse a pint, making it last the whole evening, while Alyssa’s usual is a ginger ale. In her 20s and 30s it was a different story, she kept up with drinking much more

LAURIE MCALLISTER

Laura McAllister Laurie is 26, lives in London, and is a member of Club Soda. She started blogging about her experiences with mindful drinking this year. This is her first ‘decision making’ blog post.

JUSTIN

Justin is a moderate drinker but also a barman by trade!

SAM CHAMBERS

Meet Sam, 40, from West London. She is a member of Club Soda. She stopped drinking two years ago after getting fed up of her excruciating hangovers from overdoing it. “Instead of having one or two, I’d have 20 drinks and just be a disaster”.

BETH BOOKER

Beth is 57 and just retired from work last December. She’s been alcohol-free for the majority of her retirement, not having had a drop in 2016. She’s now working part time and is just about a year off the booze. “I never thought I’d be able to!”