Advice on how to make it through the month of January alcohol-free : NPR

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Yearly, increasingly People embark on Dry January – a complete month of giving up alcohol. It is easy to think about the advantages – no hangovers, higher sleep, perhaps a happier pockets. However as with every decision for the brand new yr, change might be arduous. Our associates on the Life Package podcast have suggestions for staying sober in 2025. This is host Marielle Segarra, speaking with sobriety coach Casey Davidson.

MARIELLE SEGARRA, BYLINE: I ponder, for folk who’re contemplating giving up consuming even for a time, may it assist to ask themselves what they’re really getting from consuming? Like, what position it performs of their lives?

CASEY DAVIDSON: Completely, as a result of we maintain alcohol in our life for a motive. I believe while you write down what you suppose alcohol helps you with, that provides you a extremely good checklist of issues which you can experiment with to seek out different methods to fulfill these wants.

SEGARRA: So it is just a little little bit of a pro-con checklist – what you suppose you are getting from alcohol after which additionally what you understand it is blocking for you?

DAVIDSON: Yeah, completely.

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SEGARRA: I imply, I’ve heard from associates that they do not need to cease consuming or they only cannot cease consuming as a result of that’s how they socialize or it is how they date. How will you, if you happen to’re contemplating this, reimagine your social life with out alcohol?

DAVIDSON: I really feel like, typically, a drink is only a shorthand for, I need to hang around with you. I imply, if somebody asks you to exit to espresso, they truthfully do not care if you happen to order tea or not. There are such a lot of nonalcoholic choices. However strive new actions, whether or not it is selecting up a bunch of books or taking over guitar or going to a yoga class, transferring from completely satisfied hours to brunches. There are such a lot of issues that you are able to do that do not contain consuming.

SEGARRA: How do you rewire that reward system? And particularly if you happen to’re like – you understand what? – I need to transition from this to consuming alcohol means much less or stopping totally.

DAVIDSON: Yeah. I imply, my favourite factor to counsel is to really plan out what I name sober treats. And to start with, in your first week or two, I like to recommend planning them out each single day. So for instance, on Friday nights, as an alternative of getting a bottle of wine, I might perhaps get a pedicure. Throughout the week, it is likely to be blocking an hour on my calendar and going for a stroll someplace very nice with music on, getting sushi takeout and watching a film. And truthfully, when you cease consuming, like, waking up feeling good, feeling clear-eyed, being in your house within the morning when it is quiet, with espresso – that is a sober deal with.

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SEGARRA: If you end up in a state of affairs the place it’s important to go to an area the place lots of people are going to be consuming, what are you able to do to assist your self there?

DAVIDSON: First is eat one thing, and eat one thing with protein earlier than you go. Starvation is a large set off to drink. I might say inform somebody prematurely, if you happen to can in any respect, that you just’re not consuming. And you are able to do this even going to a celebration, actually casually, saying, hey, I am so excited to see you. It’s going to be unbelievable. By the best way, I am not consuming. The very last thing I might say is totally do not volunteer to be a chosen driver simply since you’re not consuming. Individuals have a tendency to right away say, oh, you are doing a no-alcohol problem. Nice. You possibly can drive us. And then you definately’re caught there until the tip with a complete bunch of people that may get drunk, and it is actually annoying.

KELLY: That was an episode of Life Package, and you’ll take heed to the complete story on-line at npr.org or in your podcast app of selection.

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