I was never a heavy drinker. But there was a time when I got drunk almost every weekend. Altogether, that phase lasted about half a year during my late high school years — in Germany, that’s around the age of 18 or 19.

Once I finished high school and stopped seeing the group of friends I’d been hanging out with, I stopped drinking altogether. And I never got into it again.

In hindsight, calling them a friend group might be an exaggeration. Most of the guys I spent time with were people from school I used to play basketball, soccer, or video games with. As we got older and developed different interests, I realized how little we actually had in common.

Back in school, we always had something to talk about — classes, teachers, exams, and essays. We complained about teachers and joked about other classmates. But beyond school-related topics, the only thing that held us together was getting drunk on the weekends.

Once I recognized that, I realized I was only drinking because I was with them — as it was the only thing that connected us. Truth be told, I didn’t even like these people very much. And they probably didn’t like me that much either. We just kept hanging out out of habit, a routine that started back in seventh grade out of necessity.

When high school ended, I made a rule for myself: I would only spend time with people I could genuinely enjoy being around while sober.

Granted, my circle of friends has been quite small ever since — but, I like the few people in my life that I call friends and family. And, just like magic, I’ve never felt the urge to drink again.

If you want to cut back on your drinking, my advice would be: take a look at your friend group. Could you enjoy their company sober, or do you need alcohol to get along?

If it’s the latter, maybe it’s time to find a new circle or even life without a circle at all for a while. You’re only getting rid of people that you don’t really like anyway, and you probably get out of the habit of drinking. Two upsides, not a single downside.