From Weekend Binge-Drinker to Alcohol-Free: My Unexpected Journey

Hey Adventurers!

In this episode of The Adventure Reignition Podcast, I’m sharing my personal journey of quitting alcohol—from getting wasted every weekend in my 20s to slowly reducing my consumption and finally making the decision to stop drinking in 2024.

Alcohol is so deeply ingrained in our social culture that most of us never even question it. But what happens when you do? If you’ve ever wondered about your relationship with alcohol, felt drained by hangovers, or wanted to make a shift but didn’t know where to start, this episode is for you.

Join me as I share:

✅ Why I started drinking and how it became a routine I never questioned
✅ The shift that made me rethink alcohol's impact on my health, recovery, and energy
✅ How training for a marathon became the perfect excuse to quit—and what happened next
✅ The hardest part about quitting (hint: it’s not the alcohol itself, but the social pressure)
✅ How I built a new identity as someone who doesn’t drink—without feeling like I’m missing out

This episode is for you if you’ve ever felt curious about quitting, reducing, or simply questioning alcohol’s role in your life. Let’s talk about making choices that align with who we truly are!

Episode Breakdown:

[00:01:22] How my relationship with alcohol started in my teenage years
 [00:03:10] Party culture & drinking games—why I never questioned alcohol in my 20s
 [00:06:38] Traveling the world: My heaviest drinking year & what changed when I got back
 [00:09:01] The slow shift: Why I started cutting back in my late 20s
 [00:13:11] Training for a marathon: The decision to quit alcohol for 4 months
 [00:14:32] The biggest challenge: Dealing with social pressure & the “just one drink” comments
[00:16:00] How I felt after months of sobriety (better sleep, energy, and mental clarity)
[00:21:12] The ultimate test: Drinking again at a bachelor party—what I learned
[00:26:34] The realization: Alcohol is no longer part of my identity, and I don’t miss it
[00:30:00] Why this is not about drink-shaming—it's about conscious choice

Favorite Quote:

"Drinking is so normalized that most of us never question it. But when you do, you might realize you don’t need it as much as you thought."

Key Takeaways:

🔹 Alcohol is a deeply ingrained social norm—but that doesn’t mean you have to drink.
🔹 The biggest challenge isn’t quitting—it’s navigating social pressure.
🔹 You don’t have to make a lifelong decision today. Start by experimenting and seeing how you feel.

🚀 Curious about making a change? Try going alcohol-free for a month and see how you feel! 

🎧 Subscribe & Review

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to The Adventure Reignition Podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps us reach more adventurers like you!

Final Thought:

This isn’t about saying alcohol is bad. It’s about questioning what actually makes you feel your best. Whether you want to quit, cut back, or simply be more mindful, the choice is yours.

Your next adventure starts not with another drink, but with a conscious choice.

Let’s go find it! 🚀

Where to find your host online :

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaisedepallens/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blaisedepallens/
Website: blaisedepallens.com

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:10:07
Inconnu
it was the perfect reason for me to quit alcohol while focusing on my training for that marathon. And I'm not the type of person who is.

00:00:10:07 - 00:00:14:07
Inconnu
This is black and white. So I was like, my approach to

00:00:14:07 - 00:00:26:12
Inconnu
to quit was, okay, I will quit alcohol for the duration of the training, which will be four months, and then I will reevaluate the situation.

00:00:26:12 - 00:00:30:23
Inconnu
I will reevaluate if I really want to quit alcohol or if I don't.

00:00:40:04 - 00:00:48:15
Inconnu
Hey, everybody! Welcome to the Adventure Ignition podcast. My name is Daisy Palance. I am the host of the show

00:00:48:15 - 00:00:58:23
Inconnu
Thanks for listening. I am grateful and honored to have you here on the show with me. Fasten your seat belts and say yes to your life's next adventure.

00:01:05:18 - 00:01:20:17
Inconnu
This is my alcohol story of how I went from getting wasted every weekend in my 20s to slowly reducing my ugly assumption to completely quit alcohol in 2024.

00:01:20:17 - 00:01:34:08
Inconnu
And this is a very important question, because I believe that we never question our consumption of alcohol, or only a few people do that. Welcome back to the Adventure Recognition Podcast.

00:01:34:08 - 00:01:56:10
Inconnu
Today. It's a new episode about my story with alcohol, and I'm for the people who are listening to the episode and watching on YouTube. I am a bit outside in nature. Today in a special setup. I woke up a bit earlier to climb and be here with the sunrise, so it's going to be, very nice set up for me.

00:01:56:10 - 00:02:07:20
Inconnu
And I'm really excited to dive into this topic that I think is really important. But before we dive into this episode, let me tell you that this is not about drink shaming.

00:02:07:20 - 00:02:17:23
Inconnu
This is not about that. If you drink alcohol and then you like, it's your cup of wine or your beer or whatever you like to drink. This is not about shaming you to drink.

00:02:17:23 - 00:02:43:17
Inconnu
This is not the purpose of this episode. The purpose for me is to tell you my story, my relationship, so that maybe you can start questioning some societal norms or some habits that build up over time that you never question again. That's my purpose for this episode today. So let's dive in straight away by telling you my story.

00:02:43:19 - 00:03:07:01
Inconnu
It's funny because when we think about alcohol, I'm pretty sure we all have the same reaction. The first time we took a sip of alcohol, it was pretty disgusting. At least it was for me. And I remember my parents used to drink a lot of wine and once did. Just like, let me try. I was around 1314 and honestly it was disgusting.

00:03:07:05 - 00:03:16:02
Inconnu
I remember as a teenager at the time saying to myself, who is drinking that? Why would you drink that if it's not sweet?

00:03:16:02 - 00:03:17:24
Inconnu
And fast forward.

00:03:17:24 - 00:03:18:16
Inconnu
I

00:03:18:16 - 00:03:26:22
Inconnu
turned 16, that's pretty much when you can start drinking legally in Switzerland. But I started a bit before, I think

00:03:26:22 - 00:03:34:06
Inconnu
one of the first time I started to really drink alcohol was around 1415.

00:03:34:06 - 00:04:00:18
Inconnu
I don't remember exactly, but I also remember this first time I drank beer. It wasn't sweet at all, actually. To make it sweeter, I would put a little bit of, liquor strawberry liquor into it to make it sweeter. So it shows. At least it shows to me that the first couple of

00:04:00:18 - 00:04:06:13
Inconnu
experiences tasting alcohol wasn't as good as you normally think,

00:04:06:13 - 00:04:09:18
Inconnu
but you get normalize over time for many reasons.

00:04:09:18 - 00:04:28:18
Inconnu
I think if you're, a millennial like me, I'm 35. Maybe that's not the case. Just not solution. But I've seen my parents drink, wine a lot. And as I was playing football or soccer for you guys in the US,

00:04:28:18 - 00:04:30:23
Inconnu
I could see them drink

00:04:30:23 - 00:04:38:23
Inconnu
a lot after the games, on the Saturday nights, after we the kids played a game by the soccer field.

00:04:39:00 - 00:05:05:04
Inconnu
And I think it didn't set the right example, to be honest, because I've seen my parents getting wasted a lot and it looks fun. So I think that's why we kind of like push through the discomfort of that. It doesn't taste good when we first try it, and we keep going and we drink because we saw our parents and we think it's fun and this is something

00:05:05:04 - 00:05:08:03
Inconnu
alcohol is pretty socially accepted,

00:05:08:03 - 00:05:09:11
Inconnu
even if it's a drug.

00:05:09:11 - 00:05:22:18
Inconnu
Even if people have addiction with it, it's something socially accepted. So for me, when I started to drink around 16 quite a lot, it was a way to have fun, party and go out with friends.

00:05:22:18 - 00:05:32:04
Inconnu
And my only goal was to get wasted every weekend because it brings you in a second state. As you can imagine, if you have been drinking.

00:05:32:04 - 00:05:36:01
Inconnu
it bring you in the second state that it's not real. Really. You

00:05:36:01 - 00:05:36:19
Inconnu
and

00:05:36:19 - 00:05:43:04
Inconnu
you feel you have this false impression that it frees you from your fears.

00:05:43:04 - 00:05:54:17
Inconnu
But actually, I believe it's only a way to numb yourself. And that's I at least was the case for me because I was pretty introverted kid and shy kid.

00:05:54:17 - 00:06:03:24
Inconnu
So for me, it was a way to kind of like escape my shyness and have fun. And to be honest, it was really toxic because

00:06:03:24 - 00:06:19:21
Inconnu
it was becoming also a game of who could handle the most alcohol. So that was my experience with alcohol, actually, since in my 20s. And even after that and after that, it was more like social, but going out, partying, alcohol.

00:06:19:21 - 00:06:27:01
Inconnu
So every time I would go in nightclubs, it was a reason for drinking and

00:06:27:01 - 00:06:41:03
Inconnu
I didn't see a problem at the time. I would even go to go out tonight, whether it was in nightclubs or bars and I would say things like, this is boring. If I'm not drinking.

00:06:41:03 - 00:06:45:24
Inconnu
And I really experienced that and felt that in so many times during my 20s.

00:06:45:24 - 00:06:46:11
Inconnu
But.

00:06:46:11 - 00:06:51:07
Inconnu
During that, in retrospect, now is just a way to.

00:06:51:07 - 00:07:15:03
Inconnu
Numb yourself. Numb your feelings. Numb who you are. Just to be in a secondary state that makes you think that's the real you. And honestly, it was fun and I don't regret it. So that's the first thing I want to say. And very important thing I don't regret all those years drinking and having fun.

00:07:15:05 - 00:07:44:11
Inconnu
I wouldn't have become the person I am today and I wouldn't be doing that today in nature and talking about that subject if I didn't experience it myself. And I don't regret it because between the age of 20 and 25, I was studying, working at same time and also doing a lot of football, same time. But for me, drinking was was fun and I don't regret it.

00:07:44:13 - 00:07:46:05
Inconnu
I had a lot of good times,

00:07:46:05 - 00:07:51:16
Inconnu
but I don't think you know which aspect is a good reason. Enough to get into drinking.

00:07:51:18 - 00:07:59:18
Inconnu
But then at the end of my studies, I did just 26. I decided to travel the world for a year.

00:07:59:18 - 00:08:11:01
Inconnu
And this is probably the year I've drank the most in my entire life. For many reasons. Because I was still on the alcohol journey. For me, it wasn't a problem.

00:08:11:01 - 00:08:24:14
Inconnu
And when you travel like that, you go to places to places every three five days and this is another reason to have fun, to party, to meet other people.

00:08:24:16 - 00:08:35:07
Inconnu
So probably in 2016, that's the year I drank the most. And when I came back, I felt this need to slow down with this.

00:08:35:07 - 00:08:40:14
Inconnu
And I think as I was getting older, so 27 to 30,

00:08:40:14 - 00:08:57:21
Inconnu
I was still like drinking time to times and also getting wasted couple of times, but way, way, way less than during my teenage years and during my 20s, and even less for foreigners than during my, travel.

00:08:57:21 - 00:09:19:03
Inconnu
But I could feel that the hangover the next day were becoming harder and harder. It would take me more and more time to recover from that, and if you have been hangover once, you know how terrible you feel and you just basically waiting for it to pass.

00:09:19:03 - 00:09:29:16
Inconnu
And as I was getting older, the time were getting longer to me to feel better, and it was getting in the way of my desire also to

00:09:29:16 - 00:09:31:01
Inconnu
be more in nature.

00:09:31:02 - 00:09:43:04
Inconnu
Go for hikes, enjoy nature, being with friends outside, getting into adventures, doing endurance sports. So I started to feel

00:09:43:04 - 00:09:47:21
Inconnu
it was off and that I couldn't like.

00:09:47:21 - 00:09:49:20
Inconnu
Get wasted for no reasons.

00:09:49:20 - 00:09:53:00
Inconnu
So I decided to decrease a bit more. My consumption.

00:09:53:00 - 00:09:57:00
Inconnu
So I found my sweet spot to run.

00:09:57:00 - 00:10:00:15
Inconnu
Two beers. 2 or 3 beers where

00:10:00:15 - 00:10:03:21
Inconnu
it was good for socializing,

00:10:03:21 - 00:10:09:10
Inconnu
good to feel good to not like, getting wasted and not feel too bad.

00:10:09:12 - 00:10:10:08
Inconnu
The next day.

00:10:10:08 - 00:10:20:11
Inconnu
And I think it was at the end of 2023, I was really questioning, that because I could feel that my sleep

00:10:20:11 - 00:10:23:01
Inconnu
wear was affected even with

00:10:23:01 - 00:10:24:19
Inconnu
1 or 2 beers,

00:10:24:19 - 00:10:32:09
Inconnu
and that I wasn't hangover the next day, but I didn't feel at my best. It was also

00:10:32:09 - 00:10:39:08
Inconnu
decreasing my recovery after, long bike rides or runs or

00:10:39:08 - 00:10:42:00
Inconnu
hikes in nature or any adventures.

00:10:42:00 - 00:10:45:14
Inconnu
So I started to really question that a lot,

00:10:45:14 - 00:11:05:01
Inconnu
yeah, I think I have seen or heard a podcast with Andrew Huberman which talks about the negative effects with alcohol, even with small consumption as 1 or 2 drinks a week on the brain. So that's when I really question that. And I

00:11:05:01 - 00:11:10:24
Inconnu
really wanted to start at least quitting for a bit. And as I.

00:11:11:01 - 00:11:29:15
Inconnu
Trained, as I wanted to train for a marathon in 2024 and the Geneva marathon in May 2024, it was the perfect reason for me to quit alcohol while focusing on my training for that marathon. And I'm not the type of person who is.

00:11:29:15 - 00:11:33:15
Inconnu
This is black and white. So I was like, my approach to

00:11:33:15 - 00:11:45:20
Inconnu
to quit was, okay, I will quit alcohol for the duration of the training, which will be four months, and then I will reevaluate the situation.

00:11:45:20 - 00:11:50:02
Inconnu
I will reevaluate if I really want to quit alcohol or if I don't.

00:11:50:02 - 00:11:59:14
Inconnu
And I focus on the training, and I could feel really good during the training. And to be honest, the first two months

00:11:59:14 - 00:12:02:12
Inconnu
was a bit hard because

00:12:02:12 - 00:12:08:00
Inconnu
when I was in social environments, the call to drink was really strong.

00:12:08:00 - 00:12:10:20
Inconnu
Nobody was forcing me to drink, even if.

00:12:10:22 - 00:12:17:03
Inconnu
I heard, like some people telling me, you know, fun anymore or

00:12:17:03 - 00:12:22:06
Inconnu
I'd just drink once. It won't affect your training. I heard those

00:12:22:06 - 00:12:25:15
Inconnu
sayings, those words from people,

00:12:25:15 - 00:12:42:14
Inconnu
but it wasn't too strong for me. And I know from experience and talking to some of the people around me that it can be really hard. If you have a family that has a very strong bond with alcohol, and for them it's normal.

00:12:42:16 - 00:12:52:08
Inconnu
So when you will tell them to quit, it might be really difficult because they will say, come on, you have change or

00:12:52:08 - 00:12:58:24
Inconnu
just drink tonight or oh, I bought you, a nice bottle of wine. You will at least taste it right?

00:12:58:24 - 00:13:09:10
Inconnu
I know the pressure is very strong, whether it's in social environments with maybe friends, maybe colleagues, or with your own family.

00:13:09:12 - 00:13:17:19
Inconnu
And it requires a lot of courage to stop and get really strong into your words.

00:13:17:19 - 00:13:18:17
Inconnu
And for me,

00:13:18:17 - 00:13:30:02
Inconnu
since I traveled, I won't say it's been easier, but I tried to be strong on this thing. I decide and push through. It doesn't work all the time.

00:13:30:02 - 00:13:46:14
Inconnu
But I had to stick to it. Even if I could hear the just one drink or you not seen any more on those reflection, or I bought you a bottle of wine. Keep the bottle one. When you have friends at home and serve them the bottle.

00:13:46:14 - 00:13:51:03
Inconnu
But it requires a lot of courage and and mental strength to do it.

00:13:51:03 - 00:14:11:11
Inconnu
It's not that easy, especially in that time. So for the first two months, I think it was a bit tricky. But after the third month I was like getting momentum and I felt really good. My training were going very well and I could feel more energy, better sleep, and overall I was I was really good.

00:14:11:11 - 00:14:19:00
Inconnu
So when the time come and I finished the marathon, I didn't know what to do.

00:14:19:02 - 00:14:26:19
Inconnu
But as I had momentum and I started to build that identity of somebody who wasn't drinking anymore.

00:14:26:19 - 00:14:30:14
Inconnu
It started to become something part of my identity

00:14:30:14 - 00:14:31:11
Inconnu
and.

00:14:31:11 - 00:14:46:06
Inconnu
Two month after marathon, I had a bachelor party with, some of my best friends, and I signed up for a drinking game way before I decided to to stop alcohol. And I decided to give it a try.

00:14:46:08 - 00:14:55:08
Inconnu
For me, that would be the ultimate test to see whether I would like or not to come back to drinking casually. Alcohol.

00:14:55:08 - 00:15:04:14
Inconnu
And I took a couple of beers because it was part of the game and I didn't like it at all. The taste of alcohol was.

00:15:04:14 - 00:15:06:12
Inconnu
Wasn't sweet anymore.

00:15:06:12 - 00:15:13:15
Inconnu
And I could feel very quickly that because I wasn't used to drinking anymore, that would be,

00:15:13:15 - 00:15:15:17
Inconnu
slightly drunk very quickly.

00:15:15:18 - 00:15:28:18
Inconnu
And I didn't like the feeling. And I didn't like the way I was feeling the the next day. Not hangover, but slightly headache. So for me, it was a clear sign that alcohol was done for me, at least for now.

00:15:28:18 - 00:15:37:17
Inconnu
And the last time I drank alcohol was at the wedding of my friend when I just drank, a glass of champagne to celebrate.

00:15:37:17 - 00:15:41:12
Inconnu
There wedding. But that's been it since,

00:15:41:12 - 00:15:49:16
Inconnu
yes, since January 2024. I drank twice, so once at the bachelor party and the second time, his wedding.

00:15:49:16 - 00:15:59:21
Inconnu
And since September, I haven't drink a lot. I haven't drank a lot. Anything at all. That's what I meant. And

00:15:59:21 - 00:16:06:00
Inconnu
I won't stop anytime soon. I think it has really become part of my identity, part of who I am.

00:16:06:00 - 00:16:06:17
Inconnu
And

00:16:06:17 - 00:16:24:15
Inconnu
I've found attitudes that are pretty good. Alcohol free beers. Honestly, they're really good. I wouldn't have said that 15 years ago, but now I really like it. And I think there's a market as well. So

00:16:24:15 - 00:16:33:01
Inconnu
this is a really good alternative if you like beer. I do like beer, and alcohol free beer is perfect for me.

00:16:33:01 - 00:16:33:08
Inconnu
Now.

00:16:33:08 - 00:16:36:12
Inconnu
So that's, that's, basically

00:16:36:12 - 00:16:53:07
Inconnu
how I stopped alcohol was not like I was drinking a lot to stop straight away. It was a gradual decrease in consumption to really question the, the, the norm of drinking

00:16:53:07 - 00:17:03:17
Inconnu
and the impact of on my health and brain. To say that was the ultimate push to tell me, give it a shot, give it a try at least.

00:17:03:19 - 00:17:10:18
Inconnu
And I feel really good, really energized, really awake. My sleep is better and

00:17:10:18 - 00:17:22:04
Inconnu
I'm not saying I will quit alcohol forever. Now that I am on that journey where it's totally fine for me, I'm used to it. My friends are used to it as well. My family's used to it as well

00:17:22:04 - 00:17:24:16
Inconnu
and I feel really good. But

00:17:24:16 - 00:17:32:19
Inconnu
if in the future I want to drink maybe a glass of wine or even an alcohol beer, I won't say

00:17:32:19 - 00:17:37:03
Inconnu
I will not drink forever for the moments I won't.

00:17:37:05 - 00:17:39:12
Inconnu
And I don't plan to drink anytime soon.

00:17:39:12 - 00:17:40:03
Inconnu
But

00:17:40:03 - 00:17:58:18
Inconnu
the goal is to is not to tell you what you should or shouldn't do with alcohol. And I want to finish this podcast episode on this. Once again, this is not about drink shaming. It's about questioning the norm. It's about

00:17:58:18 - 00:18:07:24
Inconnu
making your own conscious, intentional choices about social norms. And in this example, alcohol.

00:18:08:01 - 00:18:10:11
Inconnu
And for me, I'm good. Now

00:18:10:11 - 00:18:20:13
Inconnu
and you have to make your own choice. Maybe for you is just reducing your limits. Maybe for you it's testing for a month,

00:18:20:13 - 00:18:35:01
Inconnu
or maybe keep living the way you are. You are doing it because you just like the taste of alcohol, because you have a passion. Maybe for wine tasting or beers and that's totally fine.

00:18:35:01 - 00:18:37:19
Inconnu
And that's where I want to end this episode to

00:18:37:19 - 00:19:03:21
Inconnu
say once again, do what feels right for you. And this has been only my story about how I went for getting wasted in my 20s. Every weekends to quit alcohol at 35, in 2024, and now in 2025. I keep going the journey because it does become part of my identity.

00:19:03:23 - 00:19:12:06
Inconnu
The momentum has built up, the habit has built up, and I found good alternatives as alcohol free builds to

00:19:12:06 - 00:19:18:10
Inconnu
drink in social environments and also enjoy the taste of beer without alcohol.

00:19:18:10 - 00:19:23:14
Inconnu
That's it for today's. Thank you for your attention and see you guys very soon. Bye.

00:19:23:14 - 00:19:41:12
Inconnu
That's it for today's episode. I really hope you had a great time on the show today. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to the Adventure Ignition Podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify because it helps a lot.

00:19:41:14 - 00:20:11:11
Inconnu
Get this message of Adventure out. If you have any question, any suggestions, or you just want to contact me, please do it on social media. I blaze the stones over LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. I would be pleased to start a conversation with you and answer your questions before to leave you. I really want to take a moment to acknowledge you for still being here on this episode.

00:20:11:11 - 00:20:40:13
Inconnu
And thank you so much for your support and being part of my journey on the Adventure Recognition Podcast. And as usual, I'm going to end this episode with a famous quote from Allen Keller that I love so much. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. Thank you so much for your support. Don't forget to say yes to adventure, surf the vibe and spread the love.

00:20:40:15 - 00:20:42:02
Inconnu
Peace out.