Many Sober Club members find the festive season tricky. Alcohol is so deeply ingrained in our culture; it’s the ‘social glue’ that sticks everything together, ‘celebrations to commiserations’ We’ve been brainwashed into thinking there are two types of drinkers, those at rock bottom – alcohol dependent – and everyone else. The reality is it’s a spectrum, the majority of people fit into the category of ‘Grey Area Drinkers’, I reckon there are at least 50 shades of grey, and none of them sexy! Without doubt, what helped when I ditched the booze almost 6 years ago, was being able to calm my ‘inner toddler’ who was telling me I may be ‘missing out’. However, we can ‘Keep the ritual, change the ingredients’ The rise in popularity of alcohol free drinks by the big breweries as well as artisan producers is monumental. There are alternatives to beers, spirits and botanicals, not to mention Kombucha and fabulous artisan tonic waters.
The truth is if you ditch the booze, you aren’t giving anything up, you are only gaining. You have the opportunity to get back your health, your ideal weight, your appetite, your sleep, good relationships, your sanity…You will feel less anxious, the link between alcohol and mental health cannot be denied and then there’s surprising benefits like feeling brave, and getting ‘sober hair’ (Who knew!) Ask yourself: Could my festive season be better without the booze? If the answer is…Yes! Set yourself a challenge, WOOP IT! Plan ahead using the great behaviour change planning tool called WOOP developed by Dr Gabrile Oettingen, It’s been used effectively in many areas of life. WOOP, stands for: WISH OUTCOME OBSTACLE PLAN Wish – Set your wish, to achieve a meaningful goal and make it a memorable phrase (ie Ditch the booze for minimum of 100 days) Outcome – What is the outcome you want – the best result from accomplishing that wish? .(ie: You’ll have more energy, less anxiety) Obstacle – What might prevent you from accomplishing your wish, or what make you feel wobbly? (ie: A family party) Plan –How can you plan ahead, in case the obstacle presents itself? (ie Offer Af cocktails) Write down your ‘WOOP’ on a piece of paper and use the technique every time you have a new situation coming up. Become Sober Curious!
