Sober October
Next month is Sober October, a time that people take a break from alcohol for 31 days….would you find this easy?
My name is Jo, also known by some as 'Sober Jo', and if you'd asked me that question in 2018 or before, I would have struggled to answer. I finally gave up alcohol in January 2019, knowing it wasn't serving me anymore. I was drinking too much, too often, and I knew that I needed to stop.
As an all-or-nothing person and someone good at doing things for others, I decided to do a year challenge whilst raising money for a local charity. I knew I wouldn't let them down, and it would hold me accountable.
When I first told people I was taking on the challenge, no one, including myself, thought I could last longer than two weeks, let alone one year. The sponsorship money came rolling in thick and fast, and I couldn't turn back once I'd raised my first £500!
I'd raised over £15,000 for charity by the end of the year, and by this point, I didn't want to go back to drinking; it had genuinely changed my life for the better. Would I have abstained for so long and gotten to see the true benefits that a long break from alcohol has on my life without the challenge and raising money for charity? I don't believe I would have.
The first month was the hardest; not only are you detoxing, but habits are hard to break, and I struggled with social anxiety. We've been conditioned to think we need a drink to 'let go'. It takes about six months to change a habit; it was at this milestone when I started to see the positive change in myself when out socialising. I didn't enjoy going out at first, but with practice, I kept pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, and I started letting go more and more naturally, to the point where now I am the first and last on the dance floor again. This year I even got up at the Weekender festival and sang with Barry from Eastenders doing 'Barrioke!". I would never have believed this would be possible at the start of my challenge.
It can be hard to take a break from alcohol, even if you feel like you need it. When someone has a noticeable 'problem', people encourage them to stop and support them to get the help they need. This support isn't always there when the problem is less apparent and more 'grey area'. We are all wired differently. I am not here to tell people to stop drinking, but I am here to say that if you know deep down it's not serving you, whether it's one drink or many, it's ok to want to stop.
Alcohol is so ingrained in our culture, 'celebrating?' have a drink, 'commiserating?' have a drink, so it can be hard to get away from it without locking yourself away and feeling like you're missing out.
What benefits may you experience if you take a break from alcohol this October?
No hangovers
A clearer head
More present, more time for yourself and those you love
Bright eyes and skin
Health benefits include sleeping better, weight loss, energy
More productive
If doing for charity - raising money for a fantastic cause!
Here are some tips and sips to help you through your first month alcohol-free.
Stop looking at this as something you are 'giving up'; change the language you use to 'gaining' a healthier, more enriching life. It will help to change it to a positive experience rather than a negative one.
Who said you needed to drink alcohol to let go and have fun? Think back to when you were a child, and you used to stay up all night being silly and having fun with friends. Alcohol wasn't involved then, be open-minded, let go and be patient with yourself.
Find your alcohol-free drink/s of choice, and make sure to stock up. There is so much to choose from now, have fun trying everything out.
If you use alcohol to relax, then why not take a walk in nature to wind down after a long day, take time to cook a wholesome meal, dance around the kitchen and sing out loud to your favourite songs, have a nice hot bath with essential oils, meditate, stretch, read a good book. You might say you do not have time, but how much time are you wasting sitting with [insert your alcoholic beverage here] in front of the television or recovering the day after the night before?