Editor’s Note: If you struggle with mental illness, please see a mental health professional. Therapists are incredible allies and part of any healthy support system.
You’ve made it to January 16th, and you’re still dry! Congratulations! You’ve made it halfway through Dry January. At this point, you’ve been to a couple of social events, and you’ve abstained. You’ve had two weeks of exercise, sleep, and great skin. You might be asking yourself why you haven’t tried this before, or you’re starting to feel slightly bored. Either way, you’re committed, and the end is in sight.
I want to offer you three tips to get you to the finish line.
First, find your sober people. There must be at least one friend in your life who doesn’t drink or rarely drinks. Find that person and make plans to socialize. Chances are that friend is always doing things that don’t involve alcohol. After sixteen days, you’ve done your best. Now it’s time to lean into sober activities with friends who are pros at it.
Second, recognize how great you feel and write about it. If you’re not comfortable writing, record a voice memo for yourself. Take a picture every day this week and next and save those pictures on your phone. Your skin looks great, and you’ve slept great for sixteen days. Now is the time to note how your skin and body feel. Did you drop a few pounds? Now is the time to get on the scale and notice how much weight you’d lose if you drank less.
Third, now is the time to ask yourself if it’s worth continuing in February. Ask yourself how much you’ve missed a cocktail and be honest. Can you go sixty days? Part of the advantage of dry-January is that you’re not alone. Many people are abstaining from alcohol this month. How would socializing feel next month when less people are joining you?
Personally, I have no interest in being completely abstaining from alcohol. I enjoy cocktails in the mid-afternoon. However, I plan on finishing this month and adding Dry-July and Dry-October to my calendar year. While I might include an asterisk for those months (*Damp-July or *Damp-October), now that I’m older, sleeping better and waking up with great skin is far more important than ever. For those reasons, going dry in any month is worthwhile more than once a year.
If you’re interested in joining me in July or October, message me! Let’s do it together!
