So you proudly proclaimed you were doing Dry January… only to wake up with a dry mouth after downing pints the night before.
Don’t do what so many of us are tempted to do: throw up your hands and say ‘oh well, guess there’s no point in not drinking now’.
A blip in your booze-free month doesn’t have to mean the end of your commitment, and one night of drinking doesn’t mean your only option is to head back to daily glasses of wine.
Every Dry January drink has a different story, though, so we’ve chatted to the team over at the Priory Group to explain what to do for each common scenario.
You met up with your friends and had a few drinks
This situation is a classic.
It’s really easy to do Dry January… as long as you stay in at home, alone or with other people who aren’t drinking.
If you meet up with friends at a bar or pub, resisting booze becomes a real challenge. Suddenly you’re having to ignore all the temptations and routines pushing you into getting a drink, and having to make a conscious decision to ask for a Pepsi or tap water instead.
So it’s totally normal if in the midst of Dry January you venture to a social gathering and end up absentmindedly hitting the drinks. Just don’t take this as a sign to give up or go all out on a big night.
Neil Macaulay, an addiction therapist at Priory Hospital Glasgow, said: ‘One or two drinks won’t negate all the good that you’ve done so far by changing your regular drinking habits.
‘You will still feel the benefits of giving up alcohol in terms of sleeping, eating, energy levels and concentration.
‘Research suggests that people who take part in Dry January are also likely to be drinking less alcohol six months down the line, even if they didn’t successfully complete the whole month.
‘It is all about getting back on track and not drinking for the rest of the month. You are trying to change something that has become a habit.
‘Lapses to old behaviours are common but this doesn’t mean you have failed completely. You are learning where your body is in relation to alcohol and what you want your relationship with it to be.’
You started off great, then had a massive binge
Another classic response to trying Dry January is to react to a few days of what feels like deprivation by going really, really hard in one night.
Again, it’s all about remembering that one bad night doesn’t erase all the good you’ve done, and it’s perfectly okay to get back on the sobriety wagon and keep going.
Neil says: ‘This sounds like a serious lapse, but keep it to a lapse rather than reverting back to old behaviours.
‘Instead of looking at the binge as a disaster, view it as a learning opportunity. What’s associated with or linked to your drinking patterns? Who do you drink heavily with, and when? What triggers episodes of heavy drinking? Identifying high-risk situations and working out coping strategies can make a major impact on your future relationship with alcohol.
‘See Dry January as an experiment through which you can understand your current relationship with alcohol, and springboard into a healthier relationship with it.
‘Also, remember that stopping, or trying to stop using, alcohol for a month and then resuming your usual drinking habits isn’t going to do much for your long-term health if you tend to overdo it.
‘The danger is that you develop an unhealthy pattern, bingeing one month and abstaining during the next. This is a good time to think about what a realistic amount of alcohol is for your lifestyle.’
You wanted to do Dry January, but haven’t been able to give up drinking at all
If you had planned to do Dry January but are finding it near-impossible, let that be a wakeup call: you may have a problematic alcohol with booze.
The moment you don’t feel able to control your intake, you have a problem. And yes, genuinely wanting to be sober but not feeling able to do so is a sign you’ve lost control.
In this case, it’s time to reach out to a professional to get help, whether that’s your GP or a therapist.
Claire Rimmer, lead addictions therapist at Priory Hospital Altrincham, says: ‘If you had every intention of going alcohol-free for a month, but have found that transferring this intention into action has been difficult, your drinking may be more problematic than you first thought.
‘You may have got through a few days of not drinking, and initially thought that things were okay, and that your drinking wasn’t so bad after all. If you have since become preoccupied with the thoughts of drinking, making excuses for a ‘time out’ from Dry January, and have found that ‘just one’ drink has set off cravings and urges, it is likely that you are problem drinker.
‘At this point, it is highly recommended that you seek professional help.
‘It is important to note that if you are physically dependent on alcohol, before you even attempt to cut down or stop drinking, you should seek medical advice via your GP.’
Tips for getting through Dry January:
- Take each day at a time. Instead of thinking of it as a long old slog that’ll stretch on forever, thinking daily will chunk it down.
- Join up with friends or colleagues also having a go – you can all support each other.
- Get rid of any alcohol in the house to remove temptation.
- Continue to go out with friends. Holing up will make you think of this as a negative thing, so still go to the pub and socialise but have a soft drink instead.
- Try out a new hobby – whether it’s exercising or joining a knitting club. New social interactions or pastimes will take your mind off alcohol.
- Give alcohol-free versions a go. From G&T to beer, there are tasty alternatives to any tipple you like, minus the hangovers.
- Be accountable. Some choose to post on social media, or tell their mates they’re doing Dry January. That way, you’re less likely to give up at the first hurdle.
- Enjoy it! Fresh mornings and no drunk texts are all part of the joy of Dry January. Notice everything you don’t miss about drinking, rather than just what you feel you’re missing out on
MORE: Dry January withdrawal symptoms: What happens when you stop drinking alcohol?
MORE: How Dry January can improve your sex life
MORE: Dry January: sometimes I win and sometimes I lose, but at least I’ve fought
source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/04/fail-dry-january-12001607/
0 Comments