Taking a break from alcohol can be challenging. Whether you’re trying to cut down or quit altogether, it’s essential to have strategies for success. If you’re going to give up drinking, it’s also essential to have support from others. Ask friends and family for their encouragement, and remind yourself why you’re doing this.
Make a Sober Treats List
Whether recovering from alcohol addiction or simply curious about the effects of sobriety, taking a break from drinking can be a great way to explore your relationship with alcohol. Many people find it helpful to change their drinking habits for 30 days or longer.
Establishing an effective relapse prevention plan is one of the first steps in making a long-term commitment to change. It will help you avoid relapse by addressing your triggers, coping skills, and support system.
First, write down your most frequent drinking triggers and list activities you can do instead. You may want to start with a daily meditation or mindfulness routine, which has been shown to help people try to stop drinking.
Another helpful tool is to create an environment that doesn’t encourage you to drink. It includes saying no to events that offer alcohol, avoiding alcohol at home, and cultivating new friendships with people who choose not to drink. Still, there are various circumstances when you want something you can sip on all day (or night). You can choose to consume alcohol-free margaritas like the ritual zeroproof virgin margarita rather than alcoholic beverages that give you a hangover quickly.
Change Your Diet
An excellent approach to start again is to stop drinking. It can help you find a new path and improve your life mentally and physically.
Many people find it challenging to change from drinking to being sober and will often have setbacks, but if you stay committed to making the change, you can be sure you will succeed. It is especially true if you have social support to help you through the process.
The first few days of sobriety can be challenging, but it’s important to remember that it will get easier over time. In addition, you may begin to feel less like drinking and more like doing other activities, such as exercise or going out to dinner.
Consider changing the foods you eat during this time to avoid consuming empty calories. These empty calories can add up quickly, which will affect your weight.
When you’re ready to resume drinking, you should plan to limit it to two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women. It can be a great way to give your body a break while still having a social life.
Exercise
Much research suggests that exercise is a great way to boost your mood. You may feel more alert, giving you more energy to do your regular duties.
While we haven’t found any science-backed evidence that suggests exercising can help you metabolize alcohol more quickly, it’s a good idea to find an activity that you enjoy. It will be simpler for you to follow through on your sober strategy.
Whether playing a game, taking a walk or hitting the gym, finding a healthy activity you enjoy can be a great way to boost your mood and overall health.
Making sure you look for yourself in sobriety is among the most crucial things you can do. It means eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly.
You can also create a sober treats list for yourself to use as a reward when you are doing well with your new lifestyle. These treats don’t have the same chemical reaction as a drug but offer pleasure and help you stay motivated.
Change Your Environment
Alcohol can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health, but 30 days without drinking have been shown to reduce weight, improve kidney and liver function, boost sleep, enhance skin and decrease anxiety.
The first 30 days can be challenging, but not giving up on your goal is essential. Even a tiny amount of alcohol can cause a dramatic spike in blood pressure, make you feel weak and depressed, and increase your risk of certain cancers, so it’s best to stick with your plan.
Aim to change your environment and find ways to cope with cravings that don’t involve alcohol. It can be as simple as listening to music, walking, doing a little housecleaning or running an errand.
Journaling can also be helpful for self-reflection and identifying your primary triggers. By writing about what happens when you’re drinking and what you experience when you’re not, you can better understand what works for you.
Let your friends and family know your goal and ask them not to offer you alcohol at social gatherings. Getting support and encouragement can help you succeed.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is a vital part of our health, and yet one in three adults gets by on six hours or less nightly. Your chances of developing obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, poor mental health, and early mortality can all be increased by not getting enough sleep.
The best way to get enough sleep is to plan a regular bedtime and wake-up time each day. It will help your body learn to associate these times with slumber and improve your sleep quality, giving you more energy and clarity.
Avoid drinking caffeine in the evenings to ensure you can fall asleep quickly. It can interfere with sleep and disrupt REM cycles, making you tired in the morning.
To make your sleep even more restful, try reducing the light in your home and going to bed early. Darkness helps our brains prepare for sleep, while avoiding screens and devices an hour before bedtime can also help you relax.
