It’s no secret: Aussies love to drink. There’s nothing better than having a cold bevvie on a hot summer’s afternoon, or a casual glass (ahem, bottle) of wine after a long day at work.

Drinking is so ingrained in our culture — but what happens when you dare to stop?

#1 You Save Money

This one’s pretty obvious: the less you drink or want to drink, the less you buy. And the less you buy and less often you buy, the smaller your monthly entertainment bill is. Why not save the money you’d spend on drinking on something else instead? Go out for a nice dinner, a holiday, or put some money into a savings account for something big in the future.

#2 You Have More Time

You won’t believe the extra time you have when you aren’t spending your nights and weekends getting trashed and recovering the next day. Gone are Seedy Sundays! Gone are the booze and snack shopping trips, the post-party clean-ups and the time spent getting ready for something you probably won’t even really enjoy.

#3 You Have Less Embarrassing Things To Apologise For

Last time I was drunk, I slipped over, broke my wrist and spent three months in a cast. My friends don’t fare any better — one dislocated her knee because she decided it was an excellent idea to jump on the trampoline drunk. Another broke their foot. You’ll also be less inclined to send that drunk text to your crush or ex, and less likely to embarrass yourself throwing up in a bush — or in front of a date. Whoops.

#4 Your Relationship With Your Friends Changes

When you’re a teenager or young adult, a lot of your relationships and memories are made while drinking. Drinking makes you feel more confident, making it easier to make friends and connections. But once you stop, going out and partying — with its sweaty dance floors, bad music, expensive drinks and the smell of puke wafting in the air — becomes a lot less appealing. So if this is your main interaction with your friends, your relationships may suffer.

But don’t worry — if they’re real friends, they’ll understand. And if they’re great friends, they’ll still want to hang out with you even if you’re all sober.

#5 No More Hangovers

If you’re like me and have a habit of drinking far too much far too quickly and ending up monstrously sick, this point will be of particular prominence to you. Goodbye earth-shattering headaches and 5am spew sessions.

#6 Your Thinking About Alcohol Changes

You begin to realise drinking is so embedded in our culture, and not in a healthy way. Yes, we drink to have fun and unwind, but we also drink to feel better and escape our emotions. This can become a gateway to a serious drinking problem — particularly in the way that it’s celebrated, and depicted as “badass” to be able to drink someone else under the table. Really, what’s so cool about that?

#7 It’s Safer And Healthier

The National Health and Medical Research council warns that drinking more than two standard drinks in one day increases the risk of alcohol-related disease and injury significantly, with men twice as likely to exceed healthy guidelines. Alcohol is also responsible for 30 per cent of road accidents, 44 per cent of fire-related injuries, and 34 per cent of falls and drownings.

In 2010, more than 70,000 Australians were victims of alcohol-related violence, with a large portion of this related to domestic violence assaults. Drinking excessively also increases your risk of cancer.

#8 You Become The Designated Driver

And you don’t actually mind! It’s a little extra cash, and peace of mind that your friends will make it home safe.

#9 You Become Much More Sensitive To Alcohol

I was sober for about 40 days. When I had my first drink, I discovered that it went straight to my head. People might make fun of light weights — but hey, we’re cheap, so go us.

Zoe is a journalist with a passion for all things wacky and strange. Like her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter for more.

(Lead image: New Girl/FOX)