Pubs and bars may have been closed since March, but the latest research from Opinium* finds that Brits have ramped up their alcohol consumption CONSIDERABLY during lockdown.
According to the survey, an estimated 250,000 Brits have their first sip of alcohol before midday, with the average drinker increasing their weekly consumption by a staggering 27 units.
“I’m probably drinking about four times as much as I normally would.
I know it’s not great for me but as soon as we’re out of lockdown I’ll stop.” (The US Sun)
With the world in a state of constant anxiety the urge to numb fear with alcohol is understandable, but drinking to this extent can so easily harm our physical and mental health. As we know only too well, habits are quickly made and hard to break.
So play the movie forward: when the pandemic has passed what condition do you want to find yourself in? If you’re concerned you may be drinking too much here are 5 ways to help you protect your mental and physical health:
5 Tips to get Back on Track
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Be Aware. Monitor how much alcohol you’re consuming by using a tracker on your phone. The recommended limit is 14 units per week for men and women (6 average-strength beers or 7 medium-sized glasses of wine).
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Be Active. The natural high of endorphins triggered by exercise is a powerful tool to help reduce your alcohol intake, and has so many benefits to your mental health as well as physical – so use them!
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Be Mindful. We numb our feelings when we drink which can lead to deeper issues not being addressed and problems further down the line. We recommend a mindfulness meditation exercise, and consider starting a journal where you can express yourself privately.
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Be Curious. One of the biggest challenges we face when reducing our alcohol intake is what to do with that time you would’ve spent drinking. It’s important to find or rediscover an interest or passion that can help distract your brain from craving old habits. Of course YouTube and Ted Talks are great for learning, but one of my favourite discoveries is a site called Udemy which offers thousands of online courses, including some for free.
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Be Connected. Last but not least – it’s so vital to connect with others who are on a similar path. We’ve seen some incredible results connecting our members in a private WhatsApp group. Knowing you have a sympathetic and friendly bunch on hand 24/7 to celebrate wins or offer words of encouragement when you need it most has been vital to helping so many of our members.
We hope you found these tips useful, and if you’re interested in learning more about the Sober Curious movement you can find plenty of information here at Tribe Sober.
We’ve recently launched our new Podcast ‘Goodbye to Alcohol’ where we interview our members and hear inspiring stories how they turned their life around following alcohol dependency. You can find us on your preferred podcast provider (search ‘Goodbye to Alcohol’), or on site here.
The Tribe Sober membership subscription service includes many exclusive benefits, including our private WhatsApp Membership Group and regular Zoom sessions.
Click here for more info on how to join our growing Community.
Janet Gourand
Founder of Tribe Sober