Sobriety Coach’s Top Tips For Dry January
I’m Martha, a senior coach with Annie Grace’s This Naked Mind, and also have my own private practice. From coaching hundreds of clients through successful alcohol breaks, I offer you these frameworks, tools and tactics to make a zero-proof month an eye-opening pleasure not a punishment! Please feel free to email me with any questions or with feedback on any tactics you discover yourself!! I’d love to hear from you!
Celebrate! You live in an alcohol obsessed culture and you’re a rockstar to take 30 days to question….to just get curious if you might feel better with less or no alcohol!
Wellness! This is shifting from an “addiction” conversation (old school) to a conversation about wellness!! People experiment with taking breaks from sugar, gluten or meat. Why not take an alcohol break?
New & Different! This is different than merely taking time off from drinking. You’re not just focused only on the behavior (not drinking), but you’re adding knowledge, tactics and coaching, by using Annie Grace’s free Alcohol Experiment App, or joining me for my small-group coached program with like-minded people, for added support, accountability and fun!
Addition, not Subtraction! Focus on the gains. Think of what you are adding - better sleep, more water, time, exercise, clarity, energy, confidence, pride, etc. And hey, why not add dark chocolate, naps, protein shakes, music, gourmet take-out and flowers?
Sabbatical! How would you renew and recharge if your company gave you a month off, paid? What gifts can you give yourself in your 30 days to make this month a luscious sabbatical, a nourishing pleasure?! Naps, baths, candles, new journal, new workout gear, browsing a bookstore, a hike, an adventure, an afternoon off to see a movie, something playful, some comedy?
Save Energy! Decision fatigue is a real thing. Making many small decisions (will I drink? I’ll see how I feel tonight!) each day takes mental energy. There is a reason Steve Jobs wore the same thing each day! Make one firm decision…to be relentlessly curious and commit to seeing how you will feel without alcohol for 30 days.
Be Playful! This is your science experiment. Enjoy it!
It’s Not Personal! We evolved to have cravings. That’s your dopamine talking and it says things like “let’s do that thing again, we need that thing, now!” But cravings are not commands. Most people find that they are shorter in duration and less powerful than we imagine. Picture it less like a monster and more like a toddler begging for ice cream before dinner. When no means no, the toddler will stop asking.
Surf It, Don’t Fight It! What we resist persists, so see if you can just allow the craving, get curious about how it feels in your body and what your body really wants. You can even try timing it! Really getting curious about it can help defang it!
HALT(T)! What does your body really want. Ask am I hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or thirsty?
Carve A New Groove! Each time you make a different choice, you start to wear in a new neural pathway. The more times you do it, the stronger the new neural pathway becomes and cravings begin to feel less powerful. Think often about this gain!!
Change It Up! At usual drinking time, schedule a different activity like a walk with a favorite podcast or an online class. If cooking is a trigger, prep and even cook your meal early. Eat outdoors or in a different room. Take a bath or shower, put on pj’s and/or brush your teeth. And don’t worry - this is very temporary.
Stay Balanced! Eat protein during the day and have some small high-fat snacks handy so that you don’t arrive at wine o’clock hungry and irritable. Likewise, stay hydrated all day and particularly at craving time.
More Tips! Other things that can knock back a craving….drinking a big glass of water, getting out for a 15-minute walk, or doing a grounding exercise (wiggle your toes and feel your feet inside your shoes or do some jumping jacks….any grounding exercise sweeps you out of your busy brain (where the craving is playing out) and back into your body.
Stay In The Ritual! Pull out your nice glassware, and fun bar tools and tinker and play with some refreshing, uplifting, fun spritzes and concoctions (For Bitter For Worse makes this delicious and easy!). Add citrus, mint, fresh fruit, fancy ice and enjoy some snacks, a change of clothes, music and other ways to transition from the work day to the evening.
Let me know what you think! And let’s stay in touch! Each month in my newsletter, I share a few of my favorite beverage discoveries and news in the sober-curious world, plus articles, books and podcasts related to the science of happiness, wellbeing and fun. You can subscribe here.
You might also check out my post The Essential Follow-Up Steps To Dry January That Most People Skip.