Dry January is coming to an end. For many participants, February 1 will be a kind of holiday. The day that alcohol can finally be drunk again. There is a real chance that a number of people will celebrate the end of their alcohol-free month with far too much … alcohol. But what should you have learned from such an alcohol-free month? And above all, have you felt the urge to continue with it? Let us know on this link what your experiences with the non-alcoholic month were and read our tips for the following months.
Advantages?
As a participant in Dry January you have undoubtedly experienced some advantages. These have been thoroughly discussed in the media. Weight loss, better sleep, better concentration and less useless expenses are some of the benefits that keep coming back when talking about an alcohol-free month. Which of these benefits have you experienced yourself and were they worthwhile to continue with these 31 non-alcoholic days?
Tip: Put the benefits that you have experienced on paper. Keep them somewhere within reach as a reminder when you want to start the next non-alcoholic month. It might make the start a little easier.
Ontdekkingen?
With Soberito we try to provide an overview of as many non-alcoholic alternatives as possible. You may have tried some of them. Chances are that you discovered some drinks you didn’t like at all. However, the chance is even bigger that you have discovered a few drinks that you really enjoy and that you want to drink more in the future. Know that the next non-alcoholic challenge may become easier because new non-alcoholic drinks are coming on the market at almost every day.
Tip: Make a list of the tastiest non-alcoholic alternatives that you drank last month. Stock some of those drinks at home to easily fall back on if you don’t want to drink alcohol for one or a few days.
Tip: Keep an eye on the non-alcoholic department in the supermarket in search of new products that can make your next dry January easier.
Social pressure?
There is a good chance that you sometimes had difficulties keeping up with the abstinence, due to social pressure. Friends who keep asking you to drink a beer, a party where you are promptly offered a glass of champagne without an alternative or a pub that has no alcohol-free drinks on the menu apart from a soft drink and water. At those moments you have to show a bit of character to continue. Alcohol is so socially established that you have to justify yourself again and again when you don’t drink alcohol.
Tip: Let your local pub, your friends and the organizer of the party know that there are good non-alcoholic alternatives and keep asking about them. If more people do this, there is a good chance that more alcohol-free alternatives will be available in the future on every occasion.
And next month?
The alcohol-free month is now (almost) over, now the question remains whether this experience has changed your relationship with alcohol. Will it be easier to banish alcohol during a party or a night out, or was this month such an ordeal that you will never want to do a month of total abstinence again? We know from experience that most participants are prepared to do another non-alcoholic month or to stop drinking alcohol for a period of time.
For many, an initiative such as Dry January is a very good motivator to keep going for a month. If you want to do another alcohol-free month, there are plenty of initiatives. In February there is Tournée Minerale in Belgium, where people can participate and not drink alcohol for a month. This is organized by the anti-cancer foundation in Belgium. But it doesn’t stop there. Within a few months you can participate in Dry July, Sober September or Go Sober for October. All of these initiatives are gaining popularity and have in common that participants support each other (for example via social media) to keep up and share plenty of tips. So choose your next non-alcoholic month now, so you can prepare even better.
Tip: If you want to do another alcohol-free month, it’s best to opt for an existing initiative, so you get more support and it all becomes a little easier.
