In this blog ten people taking on Sober Spring share their top tips for the challenge.
All these tips come from members of our supportive Facebook communities. If you're doing Sober Spring, why not join now?
Keep trying because one day will be the first day of the rest of your life. Gain strength and support by joining a group.
For me just remembering that this is a difficult but worthwhile journey helps. It's not easy which is why so many people struggle. Whether the ultimate goal is moderation or total abstinence take it one day at a time. That's a cliché for a reason. Thinking about never ever drinking again or quitting for months can be very daunting. It's easier for me to just say to myself that I'm not drinking today. I'm not promising forever, but today I won't drink!
Identify when the wine witch comes calling, there may be a particular time or trigger and find an alternative to get you through. Cravings don’t last forever. Take each day as it comes and don’t look too far into the future. The present you can control, the past you can’t. The future is shaped by what you do now.
Sober Spring coupled with easing out of lockdown has sparked some real anxiety for me. It's the heart-squeezing, panicky kind. I noticed it came after I stopped my daily walks for a few days. My lesson? I need to keep doing all the tried and tested self-care measures every day - walks, exercise, a good book, an immersive activity, relaxing baths. Make a list and then build them into your daily routine. Try not to get distracted as life gets busier again.
I started with Dry January this year and carried on, my goal is to get to the end of the year. Approaching 100 days on Saturday and got to say I'm loving this fresh, calm, happy me! The community on Facebook has been great, even if I don't contribute much there's always a good post to read to keep me going. I could waffle all day about it, thanks so much for the Try Dry app it's been a life changer for me 😊
Quit lit is always great for me - The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, Alan Carr’s Easyway, This Naked Mind… I also like reading about sober celebs and their achievements since getting sober, which wouldn’t have happened had they had continued to drink.
Write down your reasons why you are doing this. The brain is tricky and will give you glowing memories of when you last drank, not the reality of the hangovers and potentially way you behaved etc have this list to hand (on phone is good) when the temptation arises!
Meditation has really helped me sit with the feelings that typically cause me to drink. No alcohol in the house (sorry hubby). No grocery shopping in the afternoon. And an evening routine that includes brushing my teeth once dinner is done.
When I started Dry January I never thought I would get past day one - here I am on day 💯! My top tips are, set small goals and keep a journal. If I have a wobble day, which I do now and again, I look back at my journal and read the reasons why I wanted to quit and remind myself of all the positives I have gained.
Play the tape forward! Whenever I thought I would want to drink I'd just start playing that out in my head. Even if I stopped at two drinks it would impact my sleep and I'd feel rubbish the next day. More often than not it is more than two drinks so that tape makes me shudder to play forward (feeling woozy, waking up the next morning with a dry mouth and pounding head, the next few days of feeling off... Etc). I found that little thought experiment worked super well.
