GIMBER Originals: Ophelia's Light on Finding Balance while Quitting Alcohol

We’re all made of different tensions which, together, bring each and every one of us to a personal equilibrium - or disequilibrium. Yes, because balance is our utmost search and conquest, it’s life’s beautiful mirage - and we all squint while trying to catch a quick glimpse of it from the daily hustle and bustle of our busy lives.

"Since I’ve come to realize that I didn’t need alcohol in my life, I started feeling more confident"

I believe balance is possible, we just have to search for it and find the will to achieve it. It is, of course, something very personal… to look for it, you have to know what that balance means to you. Know where you want to go and walk the road that takes you there - and know that, most times, it’ll be against the current. Of course, it’s going to take time and effort, it’ll mean getting strange looks and maybe a sharp joke once in a while – but seriously, if you know what you’re looking for, who cares?

My path to equilibrium is far from complete, but I’m proud of the road I’ve travelled so far. It started with knowing what I could do without, what I really didn’t need in my life. Alcohol is probably among the first elements on my list. I can’t quite say “giving up drinking changed my life” because I’ve never liked alcohol - not the taste, not the concept of alcohol-based social drinking. But what I can say is that, since I’ve come to realize that I didn’t need alcohol in my life, I started feeling more confident and more determined.

"It’s interesting to see how many have considered my choice of quitting alcohol to be a privation"

I’ve always valued people whose ideas speak louder than words and have never cared much to conform to what is considered “normal” or simply “social etiquette”. That’s why, after I made my choice, I’ve never felt weird or out of place for not drinking. On countless occasions this caused hilarity and incredulity, the classic “oh come on, it’s part of the pleasures of life, don’t be too hard on yourself!”. It’s interesting to see how many, over time, have considered my choice of quitting alcohol to be a privation.

After years of non-conforming, I can safely say that it’s really not, and I feel great about respecting my body and mind by not introducing alcohol into my system. Nonetheless, I’ve always felt like an alcohol-free alternative was missing from the “respectable drinks” panorama; just because I don’t want alcohol doesn’t mean that when I go out I want to be handed a fizzy drink in a can. That’s why, when I first discovered GIMBER, I immediately got excited about its sleek, modern and classy look… only to be blown away by its disruptive taste. So thank you GIMBER, for thinking out of the box and having the courage to acknowledge that there are different ways to happiness – and that alcohol is not one of them.