10th January 2025 Dry AF

Dear Readers:

Happy new year! 🍾

We do like a boozy lunch or event in the corporate world don’t we!! Well, apparently only some of us do, actually…

Drinking has been a learned skill for me over the past 20 years of working in financial services and there is no denying I have thoroughly enjoyed myself, making some great connections in the process. But things are changing and the heavy drinking culture that some of us remember is changing with the next generational cohort showing the rest of us that workplace successes, business development and team gatherings don’t always revolve around alcohol. Who'd a thought!

What type of drinker are you? Are you totally alcohol free, sober curious, or happily sipping your favourite alcoholic beverage whenever you fancy it?

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Katherine x

A special thanks to DMH Stallard LLP for supporting us.

Dry AF

Are we drinking less in the City - Mike Booth, Managing Partner at Khepri, tells us why giving up alcohol has turned out to be a pretty good idea, and what the drinking culture looks like where he works.

Would you take the ‘limitless pill’? - We share the TedX Talk, delivered by Andy Ramage, on how to truly make a difference to our daily lives with no limitations!

What happens when you stop drinking? - These infographics remind us of the benefits of giving up alcohol.

Are we drinking less in the City?

Where there was once a heavy drinking culture in the industry, particularly in London, Mike says that around 25-30% of the younger people who have recently joined his business generally drink very little to no alcohol. I wonder if this is true for many other firms across the City?

Mike Booth, Managing Partner at Khepri, stopped drinking 2.5 years ago and has since realised how alcohol had been impacting his life, and how he is now able to focus more on his priorities. He shares some of the positives he has unexpectedly experienced from going completely AF, such as:

• Noticing the everyday joys

• Gaining more time

• Balanced moods

• Less health ‘niggles’

Mike Booth

Mike is a Managing Partner at Khepri, and is responsible for the Regulatory Solutions business lines. With over 15 years of experience in both in-house and consulting roles, Mike has worked at various firms such as Bovill Limited, ETF Securities, Deloitte, and the FCA. Mike specialises in finding pragmatic solutions to complex regulatory issues and acting as a trusted adviser to both sell-side and buy-side financial institutions in the UK. Before joining Khepri, he spent 4 years at Eversheds Sutherland as a Regulatory Director where he was responsible for providing robust but pragmatic compliance advice to investment managers across all asset classes. Mike attended the University of Bath and holds a BSc in Economics.

Would you take the ‘Limitless Pill’?

Andy Ramage is a former professional athlete, who after injury cut short his career, he went on to co-create two multimillion-dollar city brokerages. After achieving traditional “success” Andy was left unfit, unhealthy, overweight, stressed and unhappy….

…. So he set out on a quest to study peak performance and well-being. As part of this process, Andy took a break from alcohol. It was this experience that helped him unlock the behavioural change code and revitalise his business and life.

What happens when you stop drinking?

Are you doing Dry January?

This timeline highlights the incredible changes that you could be experiencing right now:

Source: Priory Group.

Everyone’s body will respond differently to giving up alcohol and this timeline should only be used as a guide to establish what might happen to your body when you stop drinking.

Here’s a thought….

Next time you arrange a social event at work, avoid anything that involves alcohol and see if you discover any fabulous alternative ideas that you have never considered or tried before.

Is it possible that some of your colleagues will actually be relieved that there will be no alcohol….?

Our Mission

At YOOMUSE we believe that mental and physical health are closely linked, and this plays a huge part in our professional and personal lives. We are passionate about empowering individuals to take control of their health and wellbeing, and believe that the work environment and culture can embrace this notion and benefit massively as a result.

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