From near-death experiences and shattered relationships to newfound strength and self-discovery, these deeply personal stories reveal how quitting alcohol became the turning point.
For many, the clink of ice against glass or the familiar burn of whiskey marks the rhythm of weekend rituals. But behind every bottle, there's a story – of triumph, of struggle, of choices made and unmade.
When I recently posted on Instagram about the Dry January challenge, I didn't expect my DMs to nearly collapse with messages from people eager to share their journeys of sobriety.
Their stories weren't just about giving up alcohol – they were about reclaiming lives, rebuilding relationships, and rediscovering themselves.
From a nightclub owner navigating sobriety while running his business to a young professional who lost nearly everything to drinking, these aren't just statistics or faceless news segments.
They're our neighbors, friends, and family members who've decided to press pause on alcohol, whether for a month or forever.
Their raw honesty reveals a truth often overlooked in our drinking culture: that behind every decision to put down the glass, there's a deeply personal story of revelation.
Friends now think I am on ARVs after quitting alcohol
Alexx Ndungu, 38, Businessman
“I began drinking while I was at university because of FOMO (fear of missing out) and, as you know, after a while it becomes a culture.
It's a Kenyan culture – everyone expects that everybody drinks. If you don't, then the assumption, if you're married, is that either 'umekaliwa na bibi' [you're under your wife's thumb] or you're sick.
Ever since I began drinking, I've always been a social drinker, but even then there have been times when I've gone overboard.
Last year, I simply decided to quit, and that was straightforward for me because I've never been alcohol dependent. There wasn't any more excitement after years of drinking. Besides, at my age, being health-conscious about what I ingest began to weigh on my mind. They say you are what you eat.
But quitting hasn't been easy for me – not because I desire alcohol, but because I own a nightclub where everyone expects you to be a drinker.
Countless times, I've turned down drink offers from friends who keep insisting on buying me one. It hasn't yet sunk in for them that I've quit alcohol.
Some even questioned if I'm now on ARVs, because to them that's the only reason one would quit drinking. This is why you'll find me playing pool at my club as I handle overseas business. It's now been a month since I last tasted alcohol.
During this month of sobriety, I also joined the gym, and I'm loving this feeling. I no longer wake up with bad headache attacks. I don't feel fatigued in the morning as I did when I used to drink all night.
My mouth no longer feels like sandpaper. I don't have to deal with hangovers anymore. I am honestly loving this feeling. I feel rejuvenated. My job now is to maintain the discipline.”
Loss of a job.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
I lost my job, girlfriend and nearly lost my life because of drinking
Wanyangi Kanyanjua, 25, Construction Manager
“Depression led me to drinking after I was conned out of goods worth Sh279,000. During my first year at university, I ventured into hawking clothes and shoes in Nairobi's CBD, South C and Westlands to supplement my pocket money, as my family wasn't doing well financially.
For two years, my business boomed, but everything crumbled in my third year after I was conned, losing all my capital and being forced to close shop. That was the beginning of my alcoholism – I drank to escape my misery.
I maintained the habit even after graduating and securing a job as a Construction Manager, which sustained me until last year.
Then the drama began to unfold. My girlfriend left, having grown weary of my drinking habits.
Things worsened in December when I began showing up late for work, intoxicated. I would drink all night and consistently arrive late. Come 1st January this year, I was forced to tender my resignation.
That December, losing my girlfriend wasn't my only misfortune. I nearly lost my life too. One night, I came home late, intoxicated.
Finding the gate locked, I thought it wise to scale it – only to fall face-first onto concrete from a height of three metres.
I split my forehead open and needed several stitches. Now I'm in dire straits – no savings, no relationship, no job. All I do is hunt for work, hoping to earn enough to avoid eviction.
Losing my job was my wake-up call. That's when it dawned on me that things would only get worse if I didn't change.
Quitting hasn't been easy, but whenever I reflect on how life was before becoming an alcoholic and what I've lost, I find the strength to resist the triggers.
I know it will take time before I can ward off the urge completely, but I'm certain I don't want to return to that path. I've lost enough.”
I had sex with my cousin, my reputation tanked because of booze
Peninah Chepchumba, 27, video editor
Someone was always offering free drinks, and when there weren't such offers, I would opt for Keg, which was affordable.
It was all fun until I dropped out of university because of alcoholism, but even that didn't serve as a wake-up call. Out of university, I ventured into online business, and when not chasing income, I would be home drinking.
I would host drinking parties at my house, inviting all my neighbours who drank. Over time, I became dramatic and violent when drunk. I would often end up with injuries from club fights and face countless other embarrassing moments.
I severed relationships with many people and devastated my finances. It's been chaotic. I've gained significant weight from consuming junk food while drinking – in 2022, I weighed 60 kilos; now I'm 99.
I've lost count of the UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) I've had from using club toilets and the risks I've taken sleeping with random men while intoxicated. I thank God I haven't contracted any sexually transmitted diseases.
After countless episodes, especially after what happened at home last year, I finally called myself to order.
While visiting my family upcountry, I got drunk and had sex with my cousin in his father's house. We were both intoxicated. Our parents found out. The shame was unbearable. I also caused a scene at a local pub. I've brought enough shame upon myself and lost the respect of my family and entire village.
Even if I never restore my reputation, I've decided to quit alcohol for good. Surprisingly, I thought quitting would be a struggle, but it's been 14 days without any urge to drink. I believed I was an alcoholic, but perhaps I wasn't.
Maybe it's all in the mindset – there was a time I couldn't go without it, but once I decided to quit, I was fine. Cutting off my drinking friends has also helped."
Patient in hospital.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
Falling from 2nd floor of a building while drunk was a wakeup call
Mark Mutua, 26, Remote Worker
Peer pressure led me to drinking. It developed into a hobby, and before I knew it, I had become something of an alcoholic. There have been several embarrassing incidents while intoxicated, but what really started my journey to sobriety was an accident I survived last year.
I broke my leg on January 4, when heavily drunk, I lost control and fell from the second floor of a building. I needed surgery.
A few days after the operation, I was back to drinking – a decision that caused me to miss my check-up appointments. The wound became infected, and I developed severe pain that the doctors struggled to manage.
I was accustomed to drinking daily, but after the doctors warned that things could worsen if I didn't change, I had to make a decision.
Staying away from alcohol hasn't been easy, but the pain in my leg forces me to fight back the urge. I've had to retrain my mindset, staying busy and positive. I'm still working on myself as I continue fighting the triggers.”
Changaa brewing process.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
At my lowest point, I became a chang'aa seller
Kefdan Sigei, 30, Freelance Writer
We used to do writing gigs and make money together, and when she decided to leave, I lost not only her but the life we had built. I was deeply invested in her – emotionally, physically and financially.
Those around me had warned me to be careful about my ex-girlfriend because of her high-maintenance lifestyle, but I didn't listen. I was in love, and love always wins.
When she dumped me, facing everyone after the breakup left me feeling embarrassed and ashamed.
This shame drove me deeper into drinking, and at my lowest point, I became a chang'aa seller, drinking away all the profits. Nothing worked anymore.
One night, I looked at myself in the mirror and realised how far I had strayed. I was tired of living with the shame that made me feel like a failure.
I've been sober for almost a month now and, although it's not a long time, it feels like a lifetime.
Every day I wake up feeling proud of staying away from alcohol. Sobriety has given me my life back – I've started writing again, and I feel clearer, happier and stronger.
The hard days still come when I feel lonely, lost or worthless, but the good days make it all worthwhile.
I've learned to face my mistakes, and I'm no longer ashamed. I drank because of shame and heartbreak. I'm grateful it didn't reach the point of dependency – that would have been a much harder battle to fight.”
Spending on vices leaves you broke.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
I lost a multimillion business, went broke while partying
Muchiri Wanjiku, 32, Businessman
“After ruining our family farm business through alcohol, my mum didn’t give up on me. Instead, she gave me another shot at life. She told me to choose a course and a college to secure my future through education. At the time, I had just dropped out of university, where I was studying English literature, because of alcoholism.
When my mother extended that lifeline, I chose to pursue Tourism and Hospitality at one of the country’s prestigious tourism training institutes. In my mind, the career was glamorous: I’d be a tour driver drinking expensive whisky with women from all over the world. For me, alcohol had to be part of the job—one way or another.
At college, I managed to fund my weekend escapades and often found myself clubbing in the same spots as my lecturers. This inflated my ego. I thought I was better than the other students and began bending the rules. Skipping lectures became routine, and eventually, I dropped out again.
Later, I ventured into the construction industry, not as your typical mjengo guy but as a contractor. Together with a friend, we landed contracts to do flooring works in churches, factories, and schools. The money was good—until alcohol drained it all. I once spent KSh 50,000 in a single night on booze.
At one point, I moved to the Gulf for work, hoping for a fresh start. But my drinking habit followed me there. Unable to keep up with the job, I was deported.
Back home, opportunities kept coming my way. I joined Murang’a County’s creamery as a distributor for their UHT milk products. My sales area included Witeithie, parts of Njomoko, Malaba, Nyacaba, and Ndarugo. The product’s quality was excellent, making it easy to penetrate the market. My store could hold up to seven tonnes of stock, and business was booming.
But as the money rolled in, so did my thirst for the high life. I graduated from cheap liquor to expensive bottles, thinking that’s what successful business owners drank. My daily hangovers made balancing my books impossible. I became a regular at Thika Garage, where I’d dine in style and drink in the VIP lounge. A beer there cost Sh600, compared to Sh200 or 300 in the regular lounge. But money wasn’t the issue—it was my reckless spending.
Even as opportunities expanded, I squandered them. A friend introduced me to a new market in Ukambani, and I managed to send half a trailer of stock there on my first trip. The business had potential, but I was too focused on partying along Thika and Mombasa Road with the money that should have grown the enterprise.
Eventually, I was flat broke. When I had cash women used to flock around me like flies on a heap of rubbish. The business could have grown into a large distribution chain of other products, but how could a drunkard build such a venture? Later, I moved to Isinya to try again, but alcohol ruined that business too.
Looking back, I see how many opportunities I lost to alcohol. The turning point came when I was on the verge of losing my family—my wife and child. Alcoholism was taking its toll on me, and I realised I was heading down the same path as my father, who had lost his job and marriage to alcohol. I didn’t want that for myself.
I made a choice: I prioritised my marriage and child. I knew that if I lost them, I’d spiral into a deeper, more destructive depression, fuelled by drink. It’s been a year and five months of sobriety.
The journey hasn’t been easy. I had to cut off friends I used to drink with and start building a new circle. But it’s worth it. Every day, I’m reminded of what I almost lost—and what I still stand to gain.”
