The True Impact of Alcohol in Your Life And How to Break Free for Better Health

Sep 1, 2025

Ruari Fairbairns, founder and CEO of OYNB (One Year No Beer), is a prominent advocate for healthier living, inspiring thousands to reassess their alcohol consumption. In this discussion, he delves into the societal pressures surrounding drinking and how they complicate personal relationships. Ruari shares his own journey with alcohol and its role as a coping mechanism for deeper emotional challenges. The conversation emphasizes the benefits of reducing alcohol intake for better health, alongside strategies for navigating this significant life change.

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INSIGHT

Short-Term Relief, Long-Term Cost

Alcohol provides potent short-term relief by shutting off an overstimulated brain and central nervous system.
The long-term trade-off is large: alcohol steals tomorrow's happiness and compounds negative effects over time.

INSIGHT

Tribal Pressure Sustains Drinking

Drinking is maintained by powerful peer pressure and tribal social expectations shaped by decades of marketing.
That tribalism makes abstaining feel like social disconnection, which drives people back to drinking.

ANECDOTE

A Year Off, Then Losing Control

After a transformational year alcohol-free, Ruari drank again and lost control, vomiting with his daughter nearby and his wife leaving the room.
That moment led him to realize abstinence didn't equal control and to focus on sustainable self-regulation.

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This episode is brought to you by Maui Nui and AquaTru.

We’ve heard from many experts about why reducing alcohol use can be highly beneficial to health, and it seems people are starting to take notice. More young adults today are cutting back on their drinking. But for many, reducing alcohol isn’t always easy. Today’s guest unpacks how alcohol became such a central part of our social lives and shares strategies for moving toward cutting down.

Today on The Dhru Purohit Show, we’re revisiting one of our most talked-about conversations with Ruari Fairbairns on the key role alcohol plays in our social lives. Ruari explains why it’s so difficult to change our relationship with alcohol and how, for some, cutting back can actually lead to feelings of disconnection. He also opens up about his own journey with alcohol, how his relationship with it has evolved over the years, and what alcohol use can reveal as a deeper signal in our lives.

Ruari Fairbairns is the founder and CEO of OYNB (One Year No Beer) and a leading figure in the health and well-being space. He was awarded Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for Scotland and Northern Ireland 2020, and OYNB was also named The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year in the UK. Known for his passionate advocacy for healthier living, Ruari has inspired over 100,000 people worldwide to reassess their relationship with alcohol and strive to become the best version of themselves.

In this episode, Dhru and Ruari dive into:

The need for connection and joining the tribe as a hindrance to stopping alcohol (1:33)
Ruari’s relationship to alcohol (8:16)
Reasons people choose to numb out with alcohol (18:15)
The role of the ego in alcohol use (19:40)
Regulating your nervous system and stress relief (22:50)
Final Thoughts (24:48)

Also mentioned:

Full episode with Ruari Fairbairns

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