(Sober) October is here and you know what that means! Break out the pumpkin spice, fire up the Hocus Pocus, and pull out your comfiest sweater.
Whether you’re ready to get outdoors if you live somewhere warm (like me) or you’re ready to hunker down on the couch for the cold season, it’s another great opportunity to participate in a sober challenge!
It might seem haunting to commit to 31 days sober, but we are here to alleviate your fears with 9 practical tips for success this Sober October:
If you’re attempting to give up booze, you must stock up on alternative options to sip on.
Throw in some sparkling waters, gut-healthy soda pops, and non-alcoholic beers and wines that will satisfy those cravings all month long. Keeping a NA bev in your hand at all times is one of the best ways to avoid picking up an alcoholic one!
Perhaps the greatest determination of your success in Sober October is being prepared for it from the start, so stock up now!
Try committing to staying off the sauce from at least Sunday through Thursday. This is an easy way to introduce cutting back and more mindful drinking habits.
Have no fear, your weekdays can still be Grüvi! That’s where your non-alcoholic stock comes in to save the day, for a delicious after-work beer, without the guilt.
This Sober October, have a plan for avoiding a slip when you don’t want one! If you are out with friends or somewhere you would normally drink, take your own car or have an exit plan of exactly when you will leave and how you will do so.
Having a plan also goes for the answer to “Why aren’t you drinking?” Whatever response you come up with, practice saying it beforehand and stick to it with confidence. You really don’t owe anyone an explanation and likely no one will ask follow up questions, so just keep it simple.
Whatever it is you’re hoping to achieve, improve on, or cut back on with your alcohol-free journey, keep track of it and celebrate even the smallest of wins.
Whether you want to lose weight, save money on buying drinks out, or get 7 days in a row with no alcohol, you can keep track of these goals and give yourself some props with each success along the way.
In the grand scheme of things, all we have is today, and that is worth being celebrated!
Non-alcoholic bevs and mocktails are a fabulous way to indulge in drinking without actually consuming alcohol. It’s a win-win!
Plan one day a week (like Mocktail Monday or Thirsty Thursday) where you can try out a new mocktail recipe (like this one) to spice up your week, expand your NA repertoire, and have something to look forward to.
There is so much choice in the NA beverage space now, you don’t have to worry about giving up anything other than the booze.
When you’re taking a break from drinking, it can feel like everything you see is your friends out for bottomless mimosas, that tall glass of a crisp IPA, or celebs carelessly partying with shots of tequila.
The truth is, nothing is as it seems, and we can only do what is best for ourselves.
Sober October is the perfect time to set your Instagram feed (and all your socials while you’re at it) up with sober-positive pages.
You can follow sober influencers, like No Booze Babes and Join Soberish, non-alcoholic beverage companies, or sober-related comic relief pages like Fucking_Sober.
Switch up your feed so IG’s algorithm works in your favor!
By now, we all know how therapeutic journaling is (whether you’ve actually gotten into it or not), but Sober October can be the opportune moment to give it a try.
Noting how you’re feeling each day (the good, the bad, and the ugly) can help guide you through your alcohol-free month.
Jotting down a quick gratitude list each morning or night can be an incredibly powerful practice, as well!
Even if you go back to drinking, keep journaling! It’s a very therapeutic process and it gives you the gift of reflection.
No, you don’t have to jump into a bootcamp or even sign up for the gym. One of the most beneficial things we can do for our bodies is move.
Forget the goal of losing weight or lifting a certain amount of weight - just get moving!
Walking, hiking, yoga, stretching, and body-weight resistance exercises are all easy and free ways to engage your body. You’ll be surprised by how great you feel (and look)!
Not only is diving into a good book or a podcast a great distraction, it can also be a wonderful learning tool! There are tons of good “quit lit” books out there, with more being published all the time.
Check out Not Drinking Tonight by Amanda E. White or We Are the Luckiest by Laura McKowen.
Also try the F*cking Sober Podcast for a hilarious and captivating walk-through of Anika Drake’s first 90 days sober. We can pretty much all relate to the drunken mishaps of this story and all the feels that come with kicking booze to the curb.
It doesn’t have to be all or none - it is a chance for us to practice mindful drinking and show up for each of the 31 days as our best selves.
Taking little steps and celebrating small wins is what it’s all about. Here at Grüvi, we are here to support you! Don’t miss a beat this spooky season, stock up on this 0% Dry Red or try one of our Spooky Mocktails.
