Charlie Fae, 27, says you don’t need alcohol to live a full and meaningful life a lesson she learned after taking part in Dry January five years ago and deciding never to drink again.
The Shrewsbury native explained that she once relied on alcohol to cope with mental‑health challenges and neurodiversity, as well as to socialise. But three months into sobriety, everything shifted.
“When I got to three months, I felt so much better,” she said. “I still had things to process, but being sober gave me the space to actually do that.”
Before quitting drinking, Charlie says she talked about loving philosophy, yoga, writing and creativity but rarely had the energy or clarity to pursue them. Sobriety changed that.
“That used to be lip service. Drinking was the main thing I did. Now I feel like I’ve got my fingers in all the pies all the different creative things.”
At six months sober, she returned to university to begin her master’s degree a daunting step for someone who no longer drank, especially after an undergraduate experience defined by heavy drinking.
“I didn’t know what to do,” she said.
That uncertainty inspired her to create the Sober Society (Sober Soc) at the University of Liverpool, a community for students who don’t drink or want alcohol‑free social spaces. The group is still active today and won New Society of the Year in 2022.
Charlie’s story reflects a growing movement of young people redefining social life without alcohol and finding more room for joy, creativity and connection in the process.
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