Is this your first time trying alcohol- free living? Are you Sober Curious? However hesitant, sure or unsure you feel about a sober lifestyle, an initial 30 day stretch of no alcohol is always a good place to start. The initial phases of stepping away from alcohol can be tricky.
Have you ever tried to take 30 days off drinking only to find it was harder than you expected? Did your failed attempts at this make you worry about your drinking even more than before? You are not alone. Read on for my top tips teaching you how to pull off your first 30 days sober.
“How to pull off your first 30 days sober”
Tip Number 1: Let it be easy
According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, when we are embarking on behaviour change and building new habits, we need to make the things that we don’t want to do hard and the things that we do want to do easy!
In terms of how to pull off your first 30 days sober this means: removing alcohol from the house or at the very least removing it from your sight line. If the box of wine is sitting out on the kitchen side ready for you to press the button just like you have been every night, it’s just all too easy to repeat that old pattern. Instead, break the loop by removing the trigger.
In a similar vein, just for the first 30 days, cancel any plans where you know you will find it difficult not to drink (don’t worry- you will be able to go to ANYTHING you want soon and enjoy it, but go easy on yourself and give yourself time). Instead, plan in some good clean fun activities which will keep you occupied, bring you joy and won’t bring with them the association of having a drink. For example, going to the cinema, going cold water swimming, bike rides and hikes with friends, going to a yoga class or out for breakfast etc.
“How to pull off your first 30 days sober”
Tip No.2: Get inspired
It is so much easier to motivate ourselves to stick to a plan when we feel excited about it. In fact, any hypnotherapist will tell you that the secret to re-wiring your brain is to couple new commands with positive emotions.
We are lucky enough now that there is a wealth of excellent Quit Lit, Sober influencers, podcasts (check mine out: The Alcohol Free Vibes Podcast or Janey Lee Grace’s The Alcohol Free Life Podcast), events, social groups and more to engage with. I highly recommend that you start your first 30 days with listening to some sober podcasts and reading your way through as much Quit Lit as you can. The stories of others can be truly motivating and not only that, they can be integral for not only how to pull off your first 30 days sober but also more lasting behaviour change as they help your brain re-wire as your mirror neurons need to see examples of what you want to manifest in order to be able to manifest it.
“How to pull off your first 30 days sober”
Tip No. 3: Find new ways to self-soothe
Let’s face it, we were only ever trying to raise our vibrations right?! It’s just that we didn’t realise that we were doing the exact opposite when we reached for that drink. We were being lied to. Now that you are making different choices, it’s time to start authentically soothing yourself when you have had a bad day or are feeling uncomfortable feelings.
We are all unique and find different things comforting, so it’s important that you experiment with different ways and build your own tool kit. Here are some of mine to get you started:
– yoga
-meditation
– buying luxury ingredients from the supermarket and making a delicious meal with them
– high impact exercise
-going for a walk in nature
-gratitude journaling
– having a movie night etc.
“How to pull off your first 30 days sober”
Tip No. 4: Make yourself accountable
When we embark on any behaviour change whatsoever, making ourselves accountable can mean the difference between success and failure. This is why people are so much more likely to be successful with weight loss when they have signed up with a PT or joined a slimming club.
There are lots of ways to make yourself accountable when you stop drinking. If you don’t feel ready yet to tell the people closest to you that you are ditching the booze, you can gain accountability by signing up with a sober coach like myself or by joining a sober social support group like Janey Lee Grace’s Sober Club www.thesoberclub.com.
Tip No. 5: Reach out for support
“How to pull off your first 30 days sober”
As well as being accountable for our decision not to drink, we also want to make sure we have people to talk to when things get tough. So many of us have used alcohol to numb unwanted feelings and when we stop drinking it, they rise to the surface for healing. We all need people to talk to process these things when they come up, whether this be a friend, a coach, a therapist or a sober group. Only you can decide what is right for you, but there are lots of support systems out there, including the ones that I offer: one to one coaching and my group coaching programmes. For enquires and support for how to pull off your first 30 days sober and more, please contact me on thrive@coachingbyanneka.co.uk
