10 Tips To Changing Your Drinking Habits
Ready to change your drinking habits? And you want to make it stick this time? You’ll need a plan for triggers, plenty of support and an honest look at your WHY. It all starts with WANTING to change.
Let’s dive in.
If you’ve made the decision to change your drinking habits you’ve given yourself a gift. It’s the gift of clarity and confidence. No hangovers, no regrets, no exhausted mornings lying around on the sofa and no guilt. Reframe changing your drinking habits to be ALL about what you are going to gain, rather than what you are ‘missing out’ on. You are about to gain plenty!
So, why have a plan when changing drinking habits?
Having a plan to follow and support behind you when you decide to change your drinking habits is like a road map. Because that road can get bumpy – hello stress triggers! Having a clear plan on how you’ll change your behaviour makes it easier.
10 Tips To Changing Your Drinking Habits:
Examine your WHY.
Your Why is super important. It gives you an anchor as you change your drinking habits. Try to make your Why specific and write it down. Make it more specific than ‘Because of my family’. Change it to ‘To be present with my kids and physically fit enough to play with them every day’. Look at your Why and keep it close. Refer back to it whenever you need to.
Play it forward in your mind.
Ask yourself ‘How will I feel tomorrow? How will I wake up?’ Just imagine yourself the next day. You’re either going to bounce out of bed with energy and joy (and pride for your sobriety). Or, you’re going to feel hung over, perhaps anxious and exhausted. Just think ‘What does this look like tomorrow?’
Be prepared.
Remove all alcohol from your house. Stock the fridge with alternatives. Friends are coming over? Have a couple of quality AF drinks handy. Let people close to you know you are changing your drinking habits or quitting altogether. Ask for their support (without them asking you to justify it).
Start designing your sober lifestyle.
This is the fun part! Ask: What would a sober person do? Go for a jog on a Saturday morning! Let’s say you usually catch up with friends at a bar, plan to go for a bushwalk together instead. Plan a picnic in the park. Start designing and living your sober lifestyle – and make it FUN.
Take an AF bottle with you - and don’t over-explain.
If you’ve been invited to a friend’s place and you know the alcohol will be flowing, take a bottle of mineral water or an AF drink you love. Get in the habit of not over-explaining. You don’t need to feel defensive or pressured to justify your choices. Have a couple of things to say planned to take the pressure off.
Join an online support group.
Having like-minded people on the same mission as you can make all the difference. Especially if they are strangers! In a group setting with strangers we can often be ‘more ourselves’ without the pressure of family and friends watching us take on something new. You’re welcome to join my free Facebook Group - The Women’s Wellbeing Collective, if you’re in Perth, then come and join Perth Sober Socials!
Have a sober buddy.
Along with a group, having the support of one close sober friend or partner as you are changing your drinking habits can be a game-changer. Keep each other accountable and well supported. Celebrate each other’s wins.
Have an escape plan from boozy social events.
One of the best things about socialising sober is you can leave the event at any time. When the night starts getting messy, plan your getaway – you may have an ‘early coffee date’ in the morning you need an early night for.
Have something planned every Saturday morning.
Friday nights when you start changing your drinking habits can be HARD. The week has probably been busy and stressful and you may be CRAVING the release that wine brings. Stop for a second. Plan a walk or a run with a friend early on Saturday morning. Make it a friend you can’t let down. Even better, your sober buddy. Plan something physical you know you will need a clear head and plenty of energy for.
Focus on the health benefits.
This is a BRILLIANT habit to get into. Every day, ask yourself ‘How am I feeling better? What’s changing?’ Keep a journal. Keep checking in with your journey and look at how far you’ve come. Celebrate small wins! They all add up.
Xx Sarah
P.S. Need some extra support? My April Alcohol Free Challenge is just around the corner! It starts April 1 – I’d love to see you there! Join HERE.
Join the next Alcohol Free Program!
Want to explore taking a break from booze? Come and join my infamous 30-Day Alcohol Free Program, next one starts soon!