I firmly believe that everyone at some point should try giving-up alcohol for three months. However, some people struggle with the idea of not drinking for three months. That’s why giving “Sober October” a go could be a good alternative.
We have all heard of Sober January, but as Clare Pooley said at the Jersey Festival of Words, Sober October is much more achievable. Many people fail sober January because they already feel miserable enough. They have the post-Christmas blues, the weather is probably awful and then they try and give up alcohol for a month and they feel like they are depriving themselves.
Sober October is a great time for abstaining from alcohol and I’m sharing my five reasons for why we should all consider giving up booze for the month of October.
Why you should give up booze for October
You will enjoy it!
You will realise that you don’t need booze to have fun! Many of us choose to meet friends for a couple of glasses of wine. However, there are lots of other ways we can have fun and catch-up with friends. Use this month to investigate the other alternatives. Perhaps you could go to the theatre, cinema, art gallery, bike ride, hike or bowling. Try something different, it’s good to remind yourself that you don’t need booze to have fun. You may also realise that giving up the booze makes you a better friend. You will listen better and as a result give better advice.
More money
You will save yourself money. Put all the money you would normally spend on booze aside. Then at the end of the month treat yourself to something using the money that you have saved.
You will feel amazing
You will wake up feeling amazing! Taking a break from the booze should mean that you notice you are sleeping better. You should find that you are getting more quality sleep and that when you wake up in the morning you feel refreshed and raring to go! Plus, you won’t have the “beer fear”. I’m talking about those nights out with your mates, when you have one too many drinks and then can’t remember much of the night. The next day you wake up full of the fear, anxious about what you said and did, and not feeling in a good place generally. As a result of the better sleep you will also find that you have mental clarity and that you are more productive.
A happier you
You should feel happier. Not only will you be feeling rather smug because you know that you are doing something amazing by giving up the booze, but you should also feel happier in general because alcohol is a depressant. It might feel hard at first because you will suddenly find yourself forced to confront those feelings and memories that you might have been using the booze to silence. However, once you have worked your way through it you will feel fab. Plus, we all know that it’s not a good idea to bury your feelings under a mountain of booze.
Good for you
It’s good to give your body and brain a break. We all know that booze puts our body under strain. It’s not good for us. Alcohol is harmful and can damage your liver, increase your blood pressure, the list is endless. It’s also a factor in a number of cancers. How scary is that? Yet, society still portrays booze as that magical elixir that will make us feel brilliant, give us a good time and will help us look and appear sophisticated. In reality it’s poison. Giving our body and brain a break will help us realise that we don’t need to be reliant on alcohol. It will give us the headspace to properly think. We will be able to make the time for some proper self-care.
I realise that we are almost a week into October but it’s not too late to give sober October a try.
Say no to booze for a month and see what happens. What have you got to lose?
You might also want to check out my 7 tips for giving up alcohol post.
