I didn't think I'd be able to handle a night out sober though and worried I'd come across as "boring", so I carried on drinking for a few more years. I'd put up with heart palpitations, panic, restlessness, irrational thoughts and all the other vile symptoms anxiety inflicts upon a person. I do find my energy lags at times - a sugar-free Red Bull has been a necessary purchase in the early hours on some nights out - but my drunk friends’ zest and positivity is rather contagious. I don’t think any one aspect of a person’s lifestyle should be the thing that defines them - yes, I’m sober but, like everyone else, I’m also so much more than that. My life is better for being sober because I don’t have alcohol-induced anxiety anymore.