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Packing for the journey


I often remind people that, whatever your long term goal, reviewing and resetting your relationship with alcohol is a journey. 

I know a lot of you have decided to set out on that journey on 1 September because it's the beginning of the month, or maybe 2 September cos that's a Monday and you already had plans for the weekend. Maybe you're back to school as a teacher or parent and the idea of starting a new term as you mean to carry on is something you can commit to. 

But I want to focus on the comparison with a journey a bit more. Deciding to take a month (or longer) off alcohol is like deciding on your holiday destination. Now you need to work out how to get there. And what to pack. Basically, you need a plan. 

If you live in Essex, a day trip to London is probably not complicated, and you may have done it so many times before that you don't even feel like it needs a plan at all.  By comparison, the longest overland road trip from Sagres in Portugal to Talon in Eastern Russia (15,151km) definitely needs a plan!  So, now you're committed to Sober September, what's the plan? 

My first piece of advice is START SMALL and break the journey up into bitesize chunks. If you're using the Try Dry App to help you  keep track of your progress then maybe just set a goal of 3 days then 1 week. Sometimes we can just get overwhelmed with the enormity of the thing, and when we're so used to all the habits and rituals of drinking, it's all too easy to find reasons to stop before we even started (the wedding next weekend, the birthday at the end of the month, the work conference ...).  Small changes you can stick to daily are more likely to become your new habits.

Secondly, plan for what you're going to DRINK when you normally drink. It's really easy for me to get takeaway pizza when I didn't plan for my healthy meal, and in the same way it's just too easy to reach for an alcoholic option if you don't have the substitute easily to hand.  So get the alcohol out of the fridge and the house and fill your shelves with substitutes, whether that's alcohol free beers, fizzy drinks, herbal teas or mineral water (don't overdo options with caffeine though). 

Thirdly, plan for what you're going to DO when you normally drink. Our brains are amazing, but they like habits that they don't have to waste energy thinking about. Choosing alcohol free is making a new habit and your brain will rebel (sometimes called a craving). But your brain is also really easily distracted, so maybe plan to go for a walk or take a gym class, find a YouTube dance workout or do some decluttering, sign up for a language app or start doing some cross-stitch.  Do something you don't associate with drinking and choose something that's actually hard to do while you're drinking, andput it in your phone diary as an appointment with yourself toactuially do it. However, it must also be easy to incorporate into your day and be something that's easy and achievable, even if you're tired or stressed - remember it's just a distraction. 

I've got much more advice and ideas, especially for when you hit "traffic jams" or "potholes" on the way, but for now these three are a good start for the early days of your journey. And don't forget, if you would like sober coaching with personal accountability and mentoring as you undertake your journey you can make an appointment for a What'sApp call or Zoom chat using this link ... 

Red Kites Life Make an Appointment


 

 


Location: 11000 Carcassonne, France

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