ALCOHOL-FREE OCTOBER (SOBER OCTOBER)
Alcohol-Free (Sober) October – the facts and tips to having an alcohol-free month.
I’ve dabbled for years with having months off of alcohol, mainly for the health benefits.
There are so many reasons to avoid or at least cut down alcohol consumption that it can be overwhelming to know where to start.
“LET THE DECISION TO TRY AN ALCOHOL-FREE LIFE BECOME AN EMPOWERING ADVENTURE RATHER THAN A FEAR BASED IMPRISONMENT.”
QUOTE BY THE GIN&TONIC GIRL
So, I’ll start with relaying some facts about alcohol and then give you some tips that I use to help me quit for months at a time.
Let’s start with some eye-open facts of how good it for you to have a break from drinking alcohol.
Sleeping more deeply and your physical and mental energy increases as a result.
Your skin begins to look more youthful as hydration restores.
Weight loss and improved fitness.
Improved moods and a feeling of contentedness.
You save some money that would have been spent on alcohol and buying “rounds” for other people that you didn’t even know, when you’re drunk!
What happens to your body in the first few days?
1 – 12 HOURS
An hour after your last drink, your liver starts working overtime, clearing the alcohol from your bloodstream to prevent alcohol poisoning. Yep! Booze is poison and the liver has to alter its chemical structure so it doesn't kill us so it changes alcohol to acetaldehyde and then acetate. At the time your pancreas also starts producing extra insulin, which causes intense carb cravings.
12-24 HOURS
Your blood sugar has potentially normalised, if you haven’t created a glycemic roller-coaster by sugar and carb binging. To rebalance, eat healthy foods and drink lots of water.
48 -72 HOURS
For most of you, the worst is over by now. Although you may still feel groggy and tired depending on how much booze your body had to process. If however, you had a bigger booze problem than you realised then sweating, increased pulse, tremor, anxiety and agitation may continue or kick in a this time. A serious alcohol problem may need medical support from your GP as I personally do not have qualifications to deal with heavy-heavy drinkers.
72 HOURS ONWARDS
Any hangover side effects are now officially out of your system, you finally feel back to yourself physically and mentally. And to think this is only 72 hours into your quest to stop drinking alcohol for a month! YEAH….nothing is stopping you now, except YOU!
So now, look at your WHY. Why do you want to stop or cut-down drinking alcohol?
“HE WHO HAS A WHY TO LIVE FOR, CAN BEAR ALMOST ANY HOW” QUOTE BY NIETZSCHE
Do you want to lose weight, be a better parent to your kids, finally get your life and business on track? Keep your reasons close to you but try as best you can to reframe this as an opportunity to find out more about yourself and to live a better life.
Look around you, who’s living their life the way you want too? Who’s doing cool stuff you like the look of? Seek them out, read their stuff and get inspired with everything you want to do.
I read every book on giving up drinking when I first started thinking about stopping (Annie Grace’s This Naked Mind I highly recommend as a place to start) but I also got massively inspired by yoga teachers and business gurus who were alcohol-free and just thriving on it.
There’s so much I want to do in life, and it is so much easier to do without a hangover.
If you need more support, joining a sober coaching programme or getting 1-2-1 help can work wonders so speak with Lucy – a yoga-teacher and coach and she’s been alcohol-free for years so can really relate. https://lucyblenkinsopp.co.uk/
Here’s some of my tips:
Morning routines can be super helpful to get you off to a good start and set you up for the day
Telling your friends and family and announcing it on social media the you are or had quit drinking, accountability is key
Connecting with new people on this not drinking/alcohol free/mindful drinking journey
Walking lots & podcasts & audiobooks on living an alcohol-free life
Having an alternative option to drink planned whenever I went out and brought my own alcohol-free drinks when going to a friend’s house.
Borrowed from the age-old proverb – “how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time”, If l have learnt anything from my years of coaching people in health and wellness, it is that change doesn’t happen overnight. So, it’s best to get organised, get the support you need to achieve the goal and stay accountable along the way.
You can do this!
LOVE BARBARA XO