People often white-knuckle their way through a dry month, pre-loading the month prior and the month after, struggling through the days in anticipation of “drinking like normal” again. Let’s rewire those thoughts and treat July as a great way to set yourself up for a life with less alcohol, instead of blowing out in August and undoing the progress you’ve made.
Here are our top tips for a successful Sober(ish) July:
- Embrace Habit Tracking: Start by setting your drink intentions for the week ahead. It’s about making conscious choices that align with your goals, whether that be complete abstinence or reducing your overall consumption. You can do this by using a physical diary or via the calendar inside the Mind The Sip app. Make sure to update your entries with what you actually consumed, this is key in tracking habits associated with your consumption.
- Stock Up on Alcohol-Free Alternatives: Keep your routine of nightly wine, weekend beers, or favorite cocktails with alcohol-free versions. It’s about the ritual, not the content. If you find a replica too tempting, opt for a kombucha or flavored sparkling water to mix things up.
- Listen to Podcasts: Pop a sober-curious podcast in your ears. We have plenty of options in app to keep you motivated and entertained. New episodes drop every Monday and Wednesday.
- Journal Your Moods: Use our quick-add journal feature to note triggers or celebrate wins. It doesn’t have to be a novel, just a couple of sentences to take stock of how you’re feeling. Reflecting on your entries can be invaluable to establish certain environments or people that escalate your drinking patterns.
- Read “Quit-Lit”: Dive into books that educate and inspire. We have collated a range of our favorite Quit-Lit titles.
- Guided Meditation: Wind down with guided meditations available in the app. Find a comfortable spot, listen, and let your mind relax. We love listening to the sleep meditations; they are like a bedtime story for adults (a perfect place to start).
- Socialize Without Alcohol: Challenge yourself to maintain your social life without alcohol. Go in with your alcohol-free options and enjoy the liberation of booze-free socializing.
If the idea of a dry month seems daunting, it might be exactly what you need. Even if you reduce your intake instead of going completely dry, it’s still a fantastic achievement and great progress towards a life with less alcohol.
Let’s go!
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