The accidental drought

I'd like to share my experiences of 'going sober', what I wish I'd known when I started it, and where I stand now.

In January 2017, I decided to take part in dry January. Drinking was something I enjoyed, but was conscious of the effects of excess. Given a particularly picky taste in alcohol, I can't claim to have been anything of a connoisseur. But as somebody with a healthy/average dose of social anxiety, I was definitely guilty of using it as a social lubricant. Dry January was something I'd witnessed a few colleagues participate in, and it attracted me because alcohol's been a part of my entire adult life, and sadly a few acquaintances have illustrated the depth of destruction it can cause which made me want to explore and test my dependency on it. What better way than going cold turkey?

I found the first weekend the most difficult - it became clear to me that I had an emotional association between the 'starting of the weekend' and the pouring of the first drink on a Friday night. As much as I love tea, it really doesn't have the same emotional response in me as a gin and tonic! So, I replaced it - I decided that lime soda would be my new drink of choice. And I started my weekends off with that.

There were a lot of people who were intrigued when I continued my dry January into my 2nd January. I think I was able to achieve this because by not focusing on a set period of time, I didn't anticipate my first drink after the drought! Instead, I focused on the benefits that my abstinence gave me -

Time: I was struggling fit my commitments into my available time, and I began self-talk that concreted that my decision not to drink frees up time, twice! I would still be sociable and go for drinks with family, friends, and colleagues, however, I became conscious that my enjoyment of peoples company whilst drinking diminished as time/alcohol increased. So I would call it a night earlier! I soon discovered that FOMO was largely unfounded in this respect because the alcohol consumption limits the activity that I might

enjoy, and certainly the memory of it!

Fitness: Abstinence meant that I was earlier to bed, less hungover and more willing to go for a run in the morning. I was also less likely to partake in late night snacking and reduced my alcohol-related calorific intake. As a result, I drank more water, ate less fat, and gained muscle more easily.

Money: Goes without saying; alcohol not only costs money but is heavily taxed and causes midnight munchies which are also costly, as are late night eBay purchases because they seemed like such a great idea at the time!

For no particular reason, I decided my self-experiment had run its course at 20+ months and I fancied ending it - so I intentionally fell off the wagon in August with a gin and tonic that I nursed for the entire night! Perhaps I still appreciate the benefits that not drinking alcohol gave me because I very rarely drink much.

If you're thinking of beginning your own drought, I'd be interested to hear from you and how you get on and would offer 3 tips;

1. Decide what factors you will benefit from having made a change to your lifestyle - quantify them if necessary!

2. Don't fixate on an end date by not setting one! Go with what feels right.

3. Decide what your new default will be. Lime soda,cola, lemonade or sparkling water - bonus points if you can pour it into a glass and it looks like an alcoholic drink!

#alcohol #dryjanuary #socialanxiety #selfexperiment