How to Prepare for Dry January

If you are like me and most of my clients you want to quit drinking but you want to wait and get through the holidays first. If you are thinking about addressing your relationship with alcohol, but putting it aside for now, and planning on doing something about it in the new year, I hear you. Are you feeling defeated almost daily by staying in the drinking cycle and continuing to not take action on a bad habit that is starting to take more than it gives? It doesn’t feel good to worry about your drinking incessantly and then do nothing about it. I know, I’ve been there. 

You might feel like you don’t have the capacity to completely abstain from alcohol this holiday season. You want to delay the endeavor for another better time in the future. A fresh start so to speak. I understand this. It is natural to resist change, especially such a big one like drinking. 

I personally think right now is always the best time to address and evaluate your relationship with alcohol, but that might be easier to say now that I’m sober. I want to remind you that you can take steps towards being more alcohol free right now, without deciding to quit drinking. If you are terrified to give you alcohol, I want you to know that you are not alone. Most of us are. 

You can do some things to start practicing being more alcohol free before January rolls around. You can think of this as setting the runway for a successful Dry January. What I mean by successful is that you are willing to do something different and try something new. I do not mean you have a perfect month with zero alcohol. I mean you start to learn about yourself and stay curious. Here’s how you can get started with this today.

1- Have a Non Alcoholic Drink First

It eases our mind to say we will have a drink, but can you try having a non alcoholic drink first? Start with something alcohol free to start to build your alcohol free muscle with some light lifting. This will help you practice taking a pause. This will keep you more mindful instead of resorting to the robotic instinct to grab a drink. This will help you notice what’s available or prepare by bringing your own. This is a great way to ease into socializing too. You can start with water and then have a drink. You can stop at your favorite coffee shop on your way to the party and arrive with a drink in hand. You can order a club soda with a splash of cranberry and then split the bottle of wine. You will learn so much about yourself with this exercise.

2- Daily Osmosis

The more you know. Can you commit to learning about alcohol and freedom from alcohol this month? Can you read a book, listen to a podcast, follow some sober writers or social media accounts? Can you tend daily to your sober curiosity by gathering information? I did this in early sobriety and just like the message of alcohol that surrounded me most of my life brainwashing me into thinking alcohol was a cure all, filling myself with happy alcohol free people and ideas started to plant seeds that would later bloom. How can you schedule daily tending to sober curiosity? I’ve got a list of blogs, podcasts, and Instagram LIVES ready for you. Email me RESOURCES to [email protected] and I’ll send them to you.

3- Tell Someone

Saying it outloud and sharing your struggle will do a world of good. Find a safe person and tell them you are questioning your relationship with alcohol. Better yet, find a community of people to talk to who are also questioning their relationship with alcohol. Many of us don’t have people to talk to about this and we need to find a place and space. My Insider Community is a wonderful place to meet happy sober people and ask questions. We are doing a Dry January Challenge. You’ll get a workbook with habit tracker, prizes, support, giveaways and more. It’s a great place to connect with other highly professional woman who are not sure they want to give up alcohol completely, but are certain their current relationship with alcohol isn’t working. We go so much farther with a community of non judgemental, like-minded people supporting us. I resisted community for a long time and now I see it was very much the missing piece to escalting my alcohol free success. 

4- Label It

Many of us are turned off by labels. We don’t want to be sober. We don’t want to call ourselves a person in recovery. There’s a stigma attached to all of it that very much keeps us drinking. We want to be normal. We don’t want to stand out. We don’t want a spotlight on us. You get to define this for yourself. Starting now you can come up with your own talk track. “I am on a wellness quest”. “I am looking to improve my health this year.” One client, age 45, calls it a “half way to 90 reset”. It can be an experiment, you’ve tried drinking now you are trying not drinking. You can decide what works best for you. You have committed to a temporary challenge, “I am going X amount of days without alcohol.” That’s it. You do not have to sign up for a life of recovery or sobriety if you don’t want to. You can simply say “I am getting rid of unwanted clutter in my life, bins of stuff in basement storage, micromanaging the people around me, and alcohol” or  “I am simplifying my life and alcohol has to go”. “I am sick of the hangovers.”  “As I age it’s giving me more headaches”. “I am trying to limit my migraines and I think alcohol might be the cause.” “I feel so much better when I don’t drink.” “I need all the extra energy I can get and alcohol brings me down, I’m ditching it for now.”  Whatever works for you. Find a way to define it for yourself and practice saying it outloud.

5- Put it on the Calendar

You will feel so relieved to know that this drinking cycle won’t continue by having a date on the calendar. Your future self will thank you. There’s so much preparation you can do now so that when the calendar flips to January you will be ready to start. You can schedule a complimentary call and decide on investing in a sober coach. Everyone that meets with me drinks less or none at all. This is only for people that want to see results. If you want to connect with a few options now is the time to start getting to know them, scheduling discovery calls and deciding who you feel most comfortable with. You can have a vision of your guide now to get started in January. Many coaches, like me have waitlists so you need to plan in advance. Additionall you can immediately purchase my Jumpstart Digital Class for self study (Insider Community Membership included). You can start to preview the lessons now or sign up now and show up later. It is a self paced class, with new lessons dropping each week. If you sign up now you can  “binge” lessons later when you’re ready to go all in. You are more likely to achieve success if you write it down, invest in it, and add accountability. This is scientifically true for everyone. Get a guide and put it on the calendar. 

There are many things you can do right now so you are more likely to swing the momentum in your favor come January. I am here for you. Reach out!