Episode 32: Dry Spell UK- Taking Back the Choice to Be Alcohol Free with Matt Morris

In 2022, it was reported that there were a little under 40,000 pubs and bars operating in the UK, and declining due to change in consumer behavior - a first in UK history.  Despite dropping numbers, British society continues to be heavily alcohol centric. For young professional men especially, the pressure to socialize with drinking is not only expected - its considered weak if they don’t drink. 

My next guest made the decision to stop drinking despite the odds.  Matt Morris age 30, lives in London, and has been alcohol free since July 2021.  Matt would always drink socially, both at work and with friends. But he was only drinking because that’s just what happened, not because he actually wanted to. He felt as if the choice was not there.

Matt decided to take the choice back; claim back the independence that he had lost to alcohol over many years through most of his 20s. Making the final decision to stop drinking was exciting, but it hit him like a ton of bricks trying to live his old life in the same way, just without the alcohol.

This drove Matt to set up Dry Spell -  a blog that normalizes sober socializing.  In Matt’s words,  “it should be totally normal if someone doesn’t want to drink, occasionally or ever. No one should feel weird, left out, isolated or judged.  If Dry Spell can make one person feel better about themselves and life choices, then that’s what this is all about.” 

More Information about Matt Morris:

www.dryspell.uk