Did you know that 20% of regular drinkers will become alcohol dependent over the years? That’s why it makes so much sense to take regular breaks to check your dependency.
If you do an alcohol-free July — and it’s a breeze then well done — sounds like you have things under control. On the other hand, if you can’t get through 30 days without a drink — or can’t even contemplate the thought of it then you really need to make some changes.
Taking a 30-day break from alcohol is beneficial for so many reasons — but let’s just pick 10 them:
- Alcohol is cunning. It’s an addictive drug and needs to be treated with caution. We need to check regularly that we are still in control.
- Drinking more than one and a half bottles of wine a week may put your health at risk. A break will help to “reset” your drinking patterns.
- A 30-day break will allow you to identify your “triggers” and learn how to deal with them in more healthy ways.
- Neuroscience shows that 30 days is enough time for our brain to form new neural pathways to form new habits — and break unhealthy ones.
- It will take 7–10 days for your body to detox — after that, your sleep, your skin and your mood will improve.
- Taking a break from booze will free your mind from wondering if you should drink tonight — or why you drank so much last night.
- 30 days gives you an opportunity to become “Sober Curious” — to explore what your life would be like without alcohol in it — you may just prefer it!
- Studies have shown that liver stiffness and high blood pressure will reduce during an alcohol-free month.
- You may realise that you can have fun without alcohol — that you have been giving alcohol far too much credit for the good times!
- Drinking alcohol is like throwing gasoline on the fire of anxiety and depression — you’ll feel calm and centered by the end of July!
An alcohol-free month is the best choice we could possibly make for our health. It’s a natural extension of the wellness movement. We all do the yoga, the juicing and the exercise but at some point we will need to come face-to-face with our wine habit —the “elephant in the room” which may well be sabotaging all our hard work.
Just follow Tribe Sober’s Instagram page for some daily inspiration to stay on track!
You may feel so good by August 1st that you decide to join Tribe Sober!