'I really thought you had to be an alcoholic to give up drink...'

There is a growing trend towards sober living.

In recent years, Irish people have been quietly questioning their relationship with alcohol, and exploring ways to live alcohol-free.

Despite the known health benefits of quitting alcohol, breaking habits isn’t easy.

As more people turn away from booze, they may be looking to connect with a supportive community to help them on their journey.

That’s what Cork woman Aisling Browne wished she had when she quit alcohol two years ago.

“I felt very alone in the early days of my sobriety,” she admits.

“I was extremely loud and proud in my sobriety from day one, but that was more like a ‘fake it til you make it’ kind of thing, whereas I definitely would have felt more fortified should I have had a community.”

This led Aisling to set up a new Sober Club community, based in Cork Lotus Yoga on Carey’s Lane in Cork city, where she holds weekly classes.

The group recently held its first event in aid of Focus Ireland, where people came together for pilates with Aisling, meditation with yoga teacher Ciara Finch, mindset work with Clodagh Ryan of CRAOI, and dancing to music by DJ Tara Casey.

Aisling says: “That little bit of discomfort that you might feel initially [dancing sober]... just play the tape forward and realise that, tomorrow, you’ll have gotten to leave your hair down in such an honest and raw way, and then you get to walk away with no hangover.

“So a small little bit of anxiety at the start means no anxiety for days later.”

The group is for anyone who is sober or sober curious.

“You do not have to be sober to join our community,” says Aisling. “You just have to be brave enough to ask the question, ‘is alcohol working for me’ and ‘to what extent do I want it in my life?’”

Aisling’s own path to sobriety was gradual. Like many people, she drank heavily in her 20s and 30s and it was seen as socially acceptable.

“A lot of people who drink a lot of the weekends get stuck in this trap of living this double life,” she says, “Monday to Friday doing all the things, being as healthy as they can, and then the weekends absolutely sabotaging. And I was in that cycle for a really long time.”

Things changed when Aisling became a mother, and gained a new perspective.

“The big shift for me happened when I became a mom,” she says. “Even a tiny bit hungover minding my kids - I’m talking two glasses, three glasses of wine - that dustiness, that ropiness, I just felt so horrendous the following day.

“It was just not how I wanted to show up as a mom.

“But I really thought in Ireland you had to be an alcoholic to give up drink.” Two years into her sobriety journey, Aisling wants to help people who might be considering taking the leap but are afraid to do it alone.

“I’m really setting up this community, obviously for people who are sober, but even more so maybe, for people in that very confusing, scary state of contemplation.

“Because no-one decides they’re going to give up drinking on a Monday and belts away into it on a Tuesday. There’s a whole stage of contemplation, and I spent way too long there.”

Cork-based GP Dr Monica Peres Oikeh says the health benefits of embracing a sober lifestyle include:

Reduced strain to the liver and blood pressure

Improved sleep and mood,

And, most importantly, reducing your risk of cancer - alcohol is classified as a group 1 carcinogen and has been linked to cancers like breast, liver and colon.

For women, there are positive effects to cutting out alcohol, whatever your stage of life.

“Most women would notice improved energy and clearer skin with reduced alcohol intake,” says Dr Oikeh. “For women planning a pregnancy, avoiding alcohol supports fertility, and for perimenopausal or menopausal women, it can help reduce the vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.”

If you’re looking for a supportive community to help you take the first step, future Sober Club events will include a mix of classes and more relaxed gatherings.

“There’ll always be a movement component, then there’ll always be loads of chats, because everyone’s story is so completely unique, and that’s the community and connection piece,” says Aisling.

“I think for a lot of events, there’s a lot of sitting around in a circle sharing, and they’re really being hosted and curated. I wasn’t interested in that.”

The next meeting will be a movement class and coffee on Sunday, September 28, to support anyone considering Sober October.

The group is also planning a Christmas sing-along event.

“Twinkling lights, have a lovely little song, sing our hearts out,” says Aisling.

“Because that’s another thing - just because I don’t want to drink doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy socialising, singing, all those things.

“In fact, I adore them more without drinking because I’m doing them now raw, and I remember them all.”

For more information, follow @aisling_browne_pilates_ on Instagram.