A Sober Holiday Season For Me
Start Prepping For Dry January Now! I'll tell you how.
The holidays are here and so are the opportunities to indulge in festive libations, delicious sweets and time with friends. This could also be a great time for you to start planning for your Dry January. I’ll explain how later.
As for me, I have decided NOT to break the Sober Seal and toast in the holidays with alcohol this year. Since starting my Sober experiment this summer, the cravings are gone and I rarely think about having a drink. Actually the biggest obstacle to maintaining my sobriety streak is saying “no” to others and trying to explain that I would really prefer an NA beer or mocktail.
For one brief moment I considered having some wine at our Thanksgiving dinner then I stopped myself to consider my motivation which was to be polite to our guest who gifted us some South African wines that he thought we would enjoy. I didn’t want to be rude but I really didn’t want a glass of wine either. Luckily, it was no big deal and I passed.
So, what about you? I would imagine that a Sober December is not in the cards for most of you and that totally makes sense. The timing would not be ideal for such an undertaking. But what about a Dry January? Are you someone who typically takes a break from alcohol after toasting in the New Year? Or perhaps your New Year’s Resolution is to cut way back. If this is you, check out the steps below that will set you up for success.
Prep Work For a Dry January or 2025
First off, you are not giving up anything right now! You are simply laying some groundwork for next year. Building a solid foundation is essential to making any sort of change.
Start by mapping out some patterns that you see. Common patterns may include pouring a big glass of wine after a long stressful day, overindulging when sad or lonely or drinking excessively when out with certain friends. Just start to map out situations and patterns that you see. I always tell my clients, “You can’t change what you don’t see.” IMPORTANT: Be kind and don’t judge yourself as you map out these patterns.
Next, connect the behavior (drinking) with the result of the behavior. This very important step requires that you pay attention while drinking. As best you can, pay attention to each sip. Notice the taste, smell and how it feels. Perhaps you notice that the first few sips are delicious but what do you notice on the 10th sip?
Making the connection between the behavior and the result is an important step in building disenchantment. You can also notice the result of drinking alcohol the next day. IMPORTANT: This step cannot be effectively done if you are drunk.
Rinse and Repeat. Your brain will always select the most rewarding behavior. In order for your brain to do this, it is ESSENTIAL that you continue to pay attention while drinking in order to update its reward value. This is not an intellectual exercise but an exercise in rewiring the brain by making a mind/body connection. If you mindlessly engage in drinking then the brain does not have the chance to update so PAY CLOSE ATTENTION and notice the bodily results.
What’s Your Motivation? Try to envision what your life would look like with no or less alcohol in it. Perhaps think about your life before alcohol and what energized and excited you in those times. The possibilities are endless!!
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If you want some help along the way, check out my mini-coaching sessions.