Laura Van Antwerp tried to dry in January for the first time 11 years ago. Like many who participate in this monthly challenge for Sobriety, he revealed the immediate benefits: he slept better, went to the gym more often and saved money.
But as February approached, Mrs Van Antwerp felt excited – “perhaps too excited,” she admitted – to drink again. He would travel to Southeast Asia for a six -week trip and imagined pushing a glass of wine in Bangkok when he got off the plane.
“I couldn’t wait so much,” said Mrs Van Antwerp, 40 years old. “We ended up drinking at the airport and staying very drunk just outside the gate.”
While people like Mrs Van Antwerp tend to think and try to design a month of sobriety (and hit through it), they do not necessarily look off-Ramp-and what they want to get away from experience. “This is one of the most important parts of the month,” said Gillian Tietz, the host of Podcast “Sober Powered”, “and something that many people don’t think too much.”
But research suggests that people involved in dry January tend to worry more about their eating habits during the rest of the year than they do not. Consequently, we have spoken to several experts and sober influences on how to spend the month and embrace the awareness of the drink in the future.
Think of your experience.
At its core, Dry January is about gathering information about your relationship with alcohol, said Joseph Schacht, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado, who studies the treatment of alcohol and addictive disorders.
“I always encourage people to check in with their bodies after any abstinence period or reduced alcohol consumption,” said Dr. Schacht. “Your body feels better when you don’t do that? If this is the case, this is a very important message to hear. ”
Mrs Van Antwerp, who manages the social media account, Sober Pal reflects the recommendation. Sober now for seven years, she recognizes that her first alcohol break a decade ago was a step on her way to a new relationship with alcohol.
“I wish I had written about how I felt, what I thought, my mood, you know, how I navigated some alcohol -free situations,” he said. “I wish I had done more about why I arrived for a drink so I could better understand myself.”
Experts are very clear that dry January is not a replacement for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. But it can offer participants a physical and mental reintroduction and there is also evidence that most participants want to change their consumption habits over these 30 days. A study in 2016 found that people continued to drink less six months after the challenge than before.
Even if you are average or sporadic drinker, you can ask questions like “I was able to join the month in the way I envisioned?” suggested by Noah Emery, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Colorado State University specializing in substances. Also: “What did I learn about myself along the way?”
Think of your achievements, even if you slipped, Dr. Emery said. Research suggests that dry January participants tend to feel more confident about their ability to make deliberate consumption choices – regardless of whether they avoided all the time.
Shake things.
Alcohol is so integrated into our social fabric and in many of our routines that alcohol consumption can become “reflex”, Dr. Emery said.
“Dry January is an opportunity to get out of an automatic pilot,” he added.
Think about the situations you tend to associate with the drink and think about how you can change them, said Ms. Tietz, who stopped drinking in 2019.
If you are someone who usually throws a glass of wine right after work, can you get to a non -alcoholic drink or try to find a different relaxing habit? Add this to the plan after the January stand and store non -alcoholic supplies in front of time.
If you usually meet friends for dinner or happy time, Ms. Tietz said, you might go to a movie or have a coffee date. (Bonus: mixing how you socialize can also help you bring you closer.)
You may also want to reassess how much you drink after dry January, as your tolerance may have become lower, Dr. Emery warned. “Eating the same amount you are used to is likely to produce a different poisoning profile than you are used to,” he said.
So if you start drinking again in February, think about how to change your consumption habits. Dr. Emery said to drink water between drinks, check in with yourself, make sure you have a defined driver and so on.
Set specific goals for your drink.
Creating a plan is an important part of consumption more carefully. Ask yourself, “What do I want to do for the rest of the year?” Dr. Schacht said. Add that if your goal is to mitigate your drink, it is important to name this goal and monitor your consumption to keep yourself responsible.
You may consider abstinence for another 30 or 60 days, Ms. Tietz recommended. “No one wants to hear it!” Added with laughter. But from her experience, it may take more time to truly experience the changes that can accompany abstinence.
In 60 days without alcohol, “I felt like I was waking up a dream,” said Ms. Tietz. “It was very remarkable when I could think clearly again. And then I could really understand what the consumption in my life did.”
