More and more people are choosing to skip the booze. Find out why they feel free to be alcohol-free!

A collection of recent stories about people choosing to skip the booze.

Watch – PROOF: a documentary about drinking

Blackouts, bad hangovers, and even an embarrassing incident with Helen Clark didn’t stop Guyon Espiner from drinking – but two years ago he finally joined those choosing to skip the booze. https://www.youtube.com/embed/M2mCb2_NPsw?feature=oembed

Read – Guyon Espiner: ‘Heavy drinking was normal. It was celebrated’

Guyon Espiner can still remember the Steinlager ad campaigns of his youth. Years on, it’s still impossible to escape alcohol marketing.

Anna’s story: RNZ listener speaks out against myths about alcohol in advertising

“Booze allegedly lifts us when we’re down, calms us when we’re upset, helps us be upbeat and helps us chill. There are so many myths that need busting around drinking culture” – a text from Anna.

Photo: Kelsey Chance / Unsplash

Watch – Bad Alcoholics

TV presenter Hayley Holt chats to James Nokise about drinking, dancing, getting sober and staying happy.https://www.youtube.com/embed/8S8e8YPfpQs?feature=oembed

The normalisation of drinking alcohol in virtually every setting is unhealthy, says author Lotta Dann.

Listen – Telling the truth about booze and life

When Clare Pooley left her advertising job to be an at-home mum, her drinking began to spiral out of control. Nearly five years ago, she quit alcohol and started the Mummy was a Secret Drinker blog that spawned her memoir The Sober Diaries.

Photo: 123rf

Disrupting the business of booze

All over the world, younger generations are drinking less. Claire Crofton discovers how millennials are disrupting the hospitality and alcohol industries.

Photo: Pexels / Cottonbro

Annie Grace is choosing to skip the booze

Giving up alcohol with awareness

Annie Grace was a social drinker who eventually found herself drinking two bottles of wine a night. She found a way to change her relationship with alcohol, based on awareness rather than abstinence.

Annie Grace Photo: Supplied

No beers, who cares: learning to live without alcohol

Many people feel peer pressure to drink alcohol and are relieved when someone close to them gives up drinking, says Claire Robbie from the support group No Beers? Who Cares!

Claire Robbie from No Beers Who Cares Photo: Supplied

Read more at www.rnz.co.nz

Learning to understand our emotions can actually allow us to change how they make us feel and how we feel about them. Read on to discover just what I mean.

2022 is here.

Many of us started this year thinking about how we were going to make 2022 different. Thinking about the actions to take and the tangible things to do that we believe are what we need to make things different.

I’m going to propose something radically different. I don’t think you need to take action at all. In fact, I don’t think it’s what you’re physically doing that needs to change to make 2022 different. I believe it all needs to start with how you feel about what you’re doing.

You see, although this year has barely started, many of us may already feel like failures. We are looking at the calendar and thinking, I set these resolutions and I couldn’t even make it a few weeks with them. We’ve built up all these emotions around our perceived failures and those emotions can almost paralyze us from moving forward. We are desperate for change yet our feelings and emotions keep us stuck.

The Need To Understand Our Emotions

We tend to think of our emotions as just a singular thing. Maybe, we feel hungry. We feel anxious. We feel happy! We’re frightened! And to us, that sums up the emotion.

What we fail to realize is that our emotions have layers to them. And these layers don’t exist independently of each other. They are interwoven and as complex as each and every one of us is. We need to understand our emotions and the layers to them.

Emotions have three layers to them. We have affect, meaning, and judgment. Alone, none of these layers holds incredible power. But when we put them together and combine them everything changes.

Affect is the actual physical feeling. It is the sensation we experience that we have named. We all know what hunger or tiredness feels like. Affect by itself is pretty benign. It isn’t what causes us to dread feelings like anxiety or discontent. In fact, in many cases, the affect is an enjoyable thing.

Read more at www.elephantjournal.com

The Alcohol Experiment

If you’d like to make 2022 different by changing your relationship with alcohol, The Alcohol Experiment can help you not just change your drinking but change how you feel about it as well. Join the over 300,000 others who have taken this free 30-day break from alcohol!

Do you find that you crave sugar when you quit alcohol? You’re not alone and there is a scientific reason behind it! Let’s explore this!

Sugar, Sugar

Scott Pinyard was never a dessert guy — until he quit drinking about five years ago. Then, suddenly, the dad and then-engineer began craving Swedish fish. So much so that for at least a month, he kept the candies in his desk and car.

“When the craving hit, I just allowed it,” Pinyard, now the head coach of This Naked Mind, said during a video for participants of his organization’s “Alcohol Experiment.” The free 30-day experiment, which I signed up for this month, helps people rewire how people think and feel about alcohol while taking a break from booze.

Sugar cravings like Pinyard’s are common when going alcohol-free. But the urge typically fades, and there are strategies to handle it in the meantime.

Why You Crave Sugar When You Quit Alcohol

Sugar and alcohol both stimulate dopamine

If you’re used to guzzling higher-sugar wines or mixed drinks, your body is missing both alcohol and sugar. (I’m crushed but not surprised to learn my favorite canned cocktail, Cutwater Spirit’s White Russian, has a whopping 32 grams of sugar.)

But even if your drink of choice is straight liquor or beer, both of which are typically sugar-free, losing booze can mean gaining a sweet tooth since both substances produce dopamine, a chemical associated with reward.

“When you take away something like alcohol, which is overproducing dopamine, it is so easy for your brain to say, ‘Oh my gosh, I need that. I need my fix,'” This Naked Mind founder Annie Grace said in the video. “And it looks for what it has in its environment, which is so often sugar.”

Read on to learn why you crave sugar when you quit alcohol at www.insider.com

Quitting alcohol for Dry January can bring many benefits, such as improved sleep, skin, and mood. Cutting out alcohol, even temporarily, has invisible benefits, too, like to your liver and heart. But I’ve also discovered some surprising changes, including hunger and vivid dreams.

Quitting alcohol for Dry January

I tucked into bed on January 1 with a belly full of New Year’s Eve leftovers and alcohol-free beer. I waited — and waited — for the blissful sleep so treasured by alcohol abstainers to descend.

It didn’t come until 2 or 3 in the morning after I’d tossed, turned, gotten up to pee countless times, and relocated to the couch for a fresh start.

If you’re like me, a near-daily drinker trying Dry January for the first time, you may have to pass through sleep trouble before arriving at babylike slumber.

That’s because alcohol is a depressant that the body is used to relying on to go to sleep, said Katie Witkiewitz, a psychologist at the University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions. Take it away, and your body and mind may need to relearn how to drift off on their own.

The good news in those early days: “Even if you’re having a hard time falling asleep, you are probably sleeping better,” Witkiewitz said.

Depending on how much you drank before, your sleep may bounce back within days to weeks. For me, it took a couple nights before I awoke before my alarm and hit the pool feeling like Michael Phelps.

Just how restorative sleep can be tends to surprise people most, Witkiewitz said. “We don’t realize how much alcohol impacts sleep and energy in the long run,” she said.

Indeed, while a normal sleep cycle can include up to six or seven REM cycles — the restorative phase of sleep — after drinking, you may only get one or two, said William Porter, the author of “Alcohol Explained.”

Healing Damage

If you’ve been a longtime heavy drinker, your body also needs that extra energy to help heal all the organs that booze has been damaging, emphasize the coaches at The Alcohol Experiment, the 30-day program I’m following.

They recommend drinking lots of water and filling up on protein to support the process.

Your body may crave sweets, in part thanks to all the sugar in alcohol — especially if your go-to drinks included wine and cocktails.

Reaching for the cookies and ice cream may also feel comforting in the absence of your old crutch, Witkiewitz said.

“Anytime people change a behavior, our natural gut reaction — literally — is to experience more hunger,” she said. “There’s the boredom factor and the reward factor.” Witkiewitz added, “And food is a very accessible, natural reward.”

Fortunately, she said, the intensity of the cravings shouldn’t last. “The body is really miraculous in coming into a homeostatic state,” she said. “Eventually, people feel more cravings for healthier foods and have more energy.”

Meanwhile, you can curb your cravings by brushing your teeth; drinking a nonalcoholic beverage, such as peppermint tea; or grabbing some fruit, recommended AlcoholChange.org, the UK organization credited with launching the Dry January movement in 2013.

Several people in my private Facebook group for The Alcohol Experiment have reported experiencing all the feels — from despair to joy — early this month. That’s expected, especially for former heavy drinkers, since alcohol numbs emotions and Dry January puts them on full display.

Keep reading about the benefits of quitting alcohol for Dry January at www.insider.com

Data suggests the first Friday of the month is a popular slip-up day in Dry January, and most people cave at one point or another. But experts say there are ways to foresee the tempting times and recover from slip-ups. Learn how to resist a drink and how to bounce back if you have one.

Feeling Tempted

The first time I really craved a drink this month was Friday, January 7.

I’d gone for a late afternoon swim, was proud of myself for a productive (and dry) week, and I was thirsty! Not much would taste or feel better on this cool January evening, I thought, than the simple pleasure of a cold craft brew at a local bar.

While I placated myself with a non-alcoholic beer or three at home, many other Dry January participants — or those committed to living the month alcohol-free — imbibed.

Most people who commit to Dry January don’t stay totally dry

Data from over 15,000 users of the mindful drinking app Sunnyside found that this year, 35% of those aiming for a sober month had a drink the first week. More of them — 27% — did so on Friday, January 7, than any other day.

The first Friday was also the most common “first fail” day last year, and Fridays, in general, had nearly twice as many drinkers as any other day of the week, the organization found.

“What this tells us is the end of the workweek for many people is, ‘I have now been through the gauntlet of five days of working and I’m needing to give myself some respite,'” Nick Allen, Sunnyside’s co-founder, and CEO told me.

The last Saturday of the month is also a popular day to drink. Alcohol Change UK, the organization credited with launching the Dry January movement, found that more participants tippled — 27% — on January 30, 2021 than any other day of the month.

Meanwhile, a UK study by the water company Volvic finds January 16 is the most likely day Dry January participants cave, Good Housekeeping reported. “By week three, your enthusiasm can start to wane,” psychiatrist Dr. Tony Rao of Alcohol Change UK says.

In all, estimates of the percentage of Dry January attempters who remain dry all month range from 19% to 55% — and these are folks motivated enough to download apps to support their goals. Never mind that some likely fudged their records.

“If you’re not totally successful at keeping it to complete zero, you’re actually in the majority — not someone who’s some outlier who doesn’t have any self-control,” Allen said.

How to resist a drink when you feel vulnerable

Annie Grace, founder of the Alcohol Experiment, the 30-day program I’m following, told me predicting if and when people drink is less about a specific day and more about an individual’s emotions and thoughts around alcohol.

If you anticipate a trigger, Grace suggests sharing how you’re feeling with a supportive community. My Alcohol Experiment Facebook group is filled with people working through upcoming ski trips, funerals, dinner parties, and late work shifts.

It also helps to return to why you wanted to take the month of in the first place. For me, it’s to prove I can keep promises to myself and to simply experience life without booze. Better sleep, workouts, and skin are a bonus too.

Practically, Allen recommends stocking up on alcohol-free substitutes and making plans for Saturday morning — a hike, yoga class, or early coffee with a friend — if you’re one of the many tempted on Friday nights.

“Shifting the reward center in your mind from, ‘I’m going to drink in order to relax’ to ‘I know I’ve got this thing that I’m really forward to tomorrow morning that I don’t wanna ruin by drinking tonight’ makes a really big difference,” he said.

What to do if you have a ‘wet’ day

The experts agree: If you take the month to explore your relationship with alcohol, it’s a success whether or not you drink. If you abstain but white-knuckle your way through only to double-down on your drinking in February, well, you’ve missed the mark.

That’s why Grace calls an unplanned drinking moment a “data point” from which to learn and discourages people from feeling like they have to start again at day 1. Quitting drinking, she says, “is not a linear process.”

Read more on how to resist a drink at www.insider.com

Hi, I’m Kelly and I’m not an alcoholic; I’m a non-drinker. I’ve always prided myself on my ability to change my mind. I used to believe that I would never want to live anywhere but New York. That I would never marry or have children, or ― most frightening of all ― get a tattoo. Now I live in Seattle. I’m planning a wedding while daydreaming about baby names. And I have half a dozen tattoos.

I’m not an alcoholic but I do not drink alcohol

But the most momentous, life-altering thing that I’ve changed my mind about has also been the most difficult and complicated adjustment yet. I never envisioned my life without alcohol. And yet here I am, at the age of 31. Writing this with a glass of chai by my side instead of wine.

Over the past year, I slowly but radically changed my mind about alcohol’s place in my life. Ultimately deciding to become a non-drinker. This was an unexpected development to both myself and the people around me ― not because I had a drinking problem, but because I didn’t.

My Relationship with Alcohol

My belief that only alcoholics need to quit drinking was the barrier that kept me from ever analyzing my relationship with alcohol. Instead, I drank socially for more than a decade, bolstered by everyone around me doing the exact same thing.

I never questioned the strong drinks (more vodka than cranberry) that my older boyfriend would ply me with in college. Never questioned the fact that all of the worst fights I had with loved ones were preceded by drinking. I speculated that my health was being affected by some undiagnosed condition. PCOS, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression. Not the very normal drinking habits that I saw reflected in my friends and family and in the media I consumed.

Pandemic Drinking

Also like many others, my alcohol intake increased during the pandemic. A glass or two of red wine, previously a bright spot at the end of the occasional hard day, suddenly became the only bright spot in a life that had become extremely small, stressful, and dull.

Then three things happened at once. We moved apartments. I decided to do Dry January. And I joined a friend in reading and discussing Holly Whitaker’s “Quit Like a Woman.”. Any one of those things would have been fantastic for shaking up my routine. Together they managed to wrench me free of alcohol’s grip in a way I’d never experienced before.

Inspired by Quit Lit

Since reading Whitaker’s book, I’ve become keenly aware not only of alcohol’s downsides but also of the societal rejection she predicted. Whether it’s thanks to the work of quit-lit writers like Whitaker and Annie Grace, the rising trend of celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Chrissy Teigen and ​​Real Housewife Luann de Lesseps publicly renouncing alcohol, or the increasingly hard-to-ignore proof of alcohol’s role in breast cancer, hormonal disruptions and mental health issues, more and more women are becoming sober-curious.

Read more at www.huffpost.com on why I’m not an alcoholic.

Today Jessi has Annie Grace on the show to discuss alcohol addiction and emotional regulation. Annie is the bestselling author of The Alcohol Experiment and This Naked Mind.

Alcohol Addiction and Emotional Regulation

Annie offers insight on how to take a break and bring lasting change to the way we drink. Annie has a similar approach to healing with alcohol as Jessi does to binge eating. For example, she believes we must put down the blame and shame and instead change our thinking to find lasting success. Jessi and Annie discuss the key difference between those who struggle with alcohol and those who don’t. In addition, they explore the brain chemistry that triggers these impulses. Annie also shares a game changer! The reason why it might not be in your best interest to set strict “rules” surrounding food and alcohol. If you’re curious about the role alcohol plays in your life or other addictive tendencies this episode is a must-listen!

Listen at dearbodypodcast.libsyn.com

Find more of Annie Grace:

To dive deeper into alcohol addiction and emotional regulation check out all of the resources Annie Grace offers. From the podcast to the completely free Alcohol Experiment – so many resources are available to help you decide what role alcohol will play in your life.

The Dear Body Podcast

The Dear Body Podcast brings you real talk on how to stop binge and emotional eating, make peace with food and thrive in a body you love with Certified Eating Psychology Coach, Jessi Jean. Join Jessi each week in this powerful, down-to-earth, and entertaining show focused on helping you evolve your mind and regain control around food.

Entering his thirties overweight and unhappy with his drinking habits, Jay Oza decided to stop drinking as part of his larger fitness goals. With the help of Reddit and family support, he was able to stop drinking and get in the best shape of his life.

My Drinking Habits

I was a pretty normal college kid who drank at parties, but when I graduated into adult life, I didn’t stop drinking. At first it was just drinking on the weekends. Then it crept into drinking more during the week. Even when I didn’t really feel like drinking, I’d do so out of habit. I’d stock beer in the fridge the same way someone would stock milk, eggs, and bread.

I was never in danger of losing my job, but I love my work and have always been good at it. As a perfectionist who expects a lot from myself, I realized that drinking was taking up a lot of time and energy in my life—it kept me from a full eight hours of sleep, which left me groggy and less efficient at work. And it kept me from exercising the way I wanted; I wasn’t bringing everything I had to the gym.

How To Stop Drinking and Get in Shape

I had already started intermittent fasting, and saw some positive results. I wondered how much better I could do by cutting out all the extra calories from alcohol. So intermittent fasting was really the main catalyst that gave me the motivation to quit drinking for good. And I worked quitting into my fitness plan.

A couple of things helped from the beginning. This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life, a book by Annie Grace, really helped me understand the psychology of alcoholism, including how your brain rewards you with dopamine that makes you feel good. That understanding boosted my confidence to quit; I figured I could get my dopamine from working out instead of drinking.

Start Reading

Is it time for you to stop drinking and get in shape? Download the first chapter of This Naked Mind and begin your journey!

Keep reading how to stop drinking and get in shape at www.menshealth.com

Whatever your reasons, participating in Dry January could lead to better sleep, fewer calories, and healthier habits overall. This month offers healthy alternatives to alcohol for those who seek them.

Helpful Books, Apps to seek hralthy alternatives to alchol

There are apps available to help you stay on track, like Try Dry and Less, as well as several books about the journey of sobriety, such as “Quit Like a Woman,” by Holly Whitaker, and “This Naked Mind,” by Annie Grace.

Cutting alcohol out for a month offers up a chance to redefine what relaxes you, and to opt instead for activities like meditating, working out, or journaling.

It also gives some space to notice what triggers your desire to drink, and to manage those triggers in healthier ways. You may even find that you prefer life without it.

Start Reading

Healthy alternatives to alcohol begin with your mindset. Start reading This Naked Mind for free now and change how you think about booze as well!

‘A twist on tea’

“I think a lot of people’s go-to would always be like a fruit punch type, where it’s basically just all the juices, a little bit of grenadine, and a little bit of Seven-Up … My other favorite is doing a twist on tea. If you have a tea syrup, which is easily my favorite, I would do that with a tonic. So then you kind of have like this gin and tonic essence without the alcohol.”

Click here to view original web page at www.guampdn.com

From tough love titles to budgeting manuals, guided journals are no longer the domain of niche and self-help publishers. Jenny Valentish puts some to the test.

The rise of the guided journal

Bianca Jafari is a product development executive at Thames and Hudson, focusing on gift products: puzzles, stationery, games and, in the pipeline, guided journals.

She says journals are no longer just the domain of niche or self-help publishers. The bigger publishing houses are basing journals on their bestsellers, such as Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Journal (HarperCollins) and Michelle Obama’s Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice (Penguin).

“Producing a guided journal is a no-brainer because they can use content that they already have,” says Jafari. “For example, the Michelle Obama journal is a big win for Penguin because they already own the images. They’ve already got data that says that the content is a bestseller. There’s already an audience that exists.”

Journals to clean up specific areas of your life

“Some journals are interest-based to help you practise a craft, like astrology, or manage your veganism or gardening,” says Jafari.

Since none of those are areas of concern for me, I unearthed some that are applicable to many of us as a new year begins.

Collective Hub, from Australian publisher Lisa Messenger, puts out books and journals aimed at entrepreneurs. Know Your Numbers is one such product. A chunky hardback that works hard for the money with budget templates, saving tips, start-up launch advice, and income tracking tables.

Several publishers offer journals dedicated to going alcohol-free, including Sober As F*** (based on Sarah Ordo’s memoir); the 90-day journal Dear Alcohol, I’m Breaking Up With You, and the Alcohol Experiment Journal, based on the bestselling book This Naked Mind by Annie Grace.

Goal-oriented journals

The line between habit-tracking books, such as bullet journals (which focus on to-do lists, logging completed tasks, and the steps towards achieving various-sized goals) and guided journals has blurred to near indistinction.

One such hybrid is the Australian creation The Resilience Agenda. A “mental fitness diary” that provides strategies for achieving said fitness; though your main task is to identify each day’s three top priorities to help you reach your goals.

James Clear’s bestselling Atomic Habits has been turned into the Clear Habit Journal. Adelaide United’s football club captain Stefan Mauk has created the Inner Game, to help athletes with goal monitoring and preparation.

I tried out Mindset. Reset, from Perth-based finance professional turned life coach Alisa Pettit. Promising to focus on “the non-fluff emotional stuff”, she’s delivered a generous amount of theory among the exercises. There’s still plenty of scribbling to do, and I find this the most productive journal yet.

Read more at www.theguardian.com

Learn how you can go dry this January and give up drinking. Find out what resources can help you!

As more people are attempting a sober month — or a sober life — stores are filling shelves with beautiful buzz-free beverages. Bartenders are shaking up sumptuous zero-proof cocktails. Bookstores are offering a bevy of “quit-lit” stories. There are support groups beyond AA and online communities for any niche, intense recovery-focused fitness classes and serene alcohol-free retreats.

Go Dry and Give Up Drinking

This year, the Star Tribune is gathering all the expert advice and mocktail recipes you’ll need to complete Dry January, including a Facebook page where you can check in and enlist support. No white-knuckling needed.

The challenge comes at a time when many of us could use the help. Since COVID-19 hit, Minnesota liquor store sales have spiked. More people in the U.S., and women in particular, have reported drinking more heavily and more often. Nearly one in four Americans say they’re drinking more to cope with pandemic stress.

Resources

Back when Minneapolis musician and then home brewer Paul Pirner quit drinking, a decision inspired by a couple of toddlers, bars didn’t have other options.

During a holiday party, drinks missing from their hands, he and his neighbor Jeff Hollander decided to brew a better NA beer. Eventually, research and development for Hairless Dog Brewing Co. moved from Pirner’s garage in Uptown Minneapolis to a production facility in Stevens Point, Wis. Today, liquor stores locally and nationally stock their beer, including an IPA as hoppy and foamy as any craft brew.

Get Curious

If you pair this challenge with mindfulness — by doing daily journaling, perhaps — you can approach it as a chance to look more closely at why you’re imbibing, she said. “What might you discover about yourself that you don’t notice when you’re drinking?”

In fact, start the month with an understanding that might happen. “How are you going to handle that? What is your plan?” If you do drink, ask yourself: “Why? What purpose was it serving?”

Experiment

The biggest barrier to completing a month-long challenge is “judgment of self,” said Annie Grace, author of “This Naked Mind,” a book that spawned a business that includes live events, 30-day alcohol “experiments” and other coaching programs.

“The moment I was able to get curious about my behavior without judgment, everything changed,” she said. Instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?” Grace began asking: “Why is this substance having this effect on me?”

The monthlong breaks of today “feel like a very different conversation,” Grace said. “It is a wellness conversation. People are going into it with curiosity.

Keep reading at www.startribune.com

Donna Y. Ferris shares how her drinking escalated during the pandemic and the gift that came from it.

My Drinking Escalated During The Pandemic

I will never forget the day. It was March 13, 2020, and like most moms, I was grabbing essentials at the grocery store. Toilet paper, paper towels, canned soup, lunchmeat, cheese, cereal, almond milk — and six bottles of chardonnay.

The day was memorable, of course, because it marked the beginning of the pandemic here in the U.S. — but it stuck with me for another reason. It was the first time I seriously questioned my alcohol consumption.

See I was the only person in my house who drank. That chardonnay was all for me. And by the end of that first week, I’d joined four wine clubs.

And I wasn’t alone.

US Drinking Escalated During The Pandemic

According to a study by the research organization RTI International, the proportion of people exceeding drinking guidelines (four drinks a day for men and 14 drinks per week / three drinks a day and seven drinks per week for women) increased to 39% between February and November 2020 (the last data they received). And more women reported exceeding recommended drinking guidelines than men between April and November 2020.

“Women are more likely to use alcohol to cope with stress, depression and anxiety, and all these are a natural response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Caroline Barbosa, Ph.D., a health economist at RTI. “Alcohol consumption among women has been on the uptick for the past two decades, and our study suggests the pandemic may only exacerbate that trend.”

My Gift From The Pandemic

Sure, I’d written more than one scene where I blacked out or drank to cope with spousal betrayal and grief. But didn’t everyone do that? I’m not an alcoholic, am I?

Google’s response to this question is a list of the signs of a drinking problem. Which scared me so much I opened a bottle of wine and turned on the “Housewives” for comfort.

Several days later, on a walk listening to a “Ten Percent Happier” podcast with guest Annie Grace, I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to sign up for the free “Alcohol Experiment.” Its 30-day “just try it” approach sounded perfect for gray-area drinkers, which is where I saw myself. It allows us to be curious about sobriety without feeling it’s an all-or-nothing enterprise. They augment the program with Facebook support groups whose members are going through the same process. There are a lot of people jumping on this bandwagon. Some call it a sober revolution.

Read more at www.post-gazette.com

Meet Christy Wynne, co-owner of Awake, Denver’s first sober bar!

Christy Wynne of Awake Denver shares why so many are interested in Dry January this year, why free-spirit drinks cost what they do, and how to enter mindfully into sobriety in 2022.

Awake – Denver’s First Sober Bar

Christy Wynne and her husband Billy opened Awake in Jefferson Park to provide a comfortable place for people to socialize and connect without the pressure to indulge in high-ABV social lubricants. Part coffee shop, part nonalcoholic “liquor” store, and part watering hole, Awake is all about normalizing, embracing, and elevating the sober lifestyle. While the bar component didn’t open until May 2021, the coffee and bottle shops have been providing zero-proof libations since last November. We caught up with Christy to talk business, nonalcoholic drinks, sticker shock, and all things Dry January.

Why do you think so many people are interested in Dry January this year?

I think it’s been building momentum for several years. People naturally want to do these kinds of things at the beginning of the year. That’s what we do, but I also think there’s a shift where people are realizing the ramifications of alcohol—the anxiety and depression. There’s a movement toward being more mindful. Also, it’s probably more culturally acceptable to do something like a Dry January now. They can take a break, not necessarily say ‘I have a problem’. If it’s a popular thing to do, it offers people a safe space to do it.

What are you doing at Awake for the month?

We’re running a kind of challenge group for people who want to sign up. We’ll meet once a week in person, serve a drink of the week, and go through the Alcohol Experiment by local author Annie Grace. It’s for anyone who wants to take a break and learn the science behind alcohol. We’ll also have specials throughout the month in our bottle shop, and we’re having a New Year’s Eve party. That should be really fun to take us into Dry January.

Click here to view original web page at www.5280.com

I journaled, read, and listened, devouring self-help guides, so-called “quit lit” memoirs, and books that blended both. Some were light, some literary. But all offered a new perspective on my drinking and our drinking culture. Here are 5 books that can help you kick alcohol.

5 Books That Can Help You Kick Alcohol

First, try this if you’re looking for a fiery, feminist take on women and alcohol

The book that famously inspired Chrissy Teigen to quit drinking. Holly Whitaker’s “Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice Not to Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol” is a funny, unflinching look at alcohol’s ubiquity in our culture — as well as her own life.

Or in contrast, if you’re craving an ultra-readable memoir with an optimistic outlook

Laura McKowen starts her 2020 memoir, “We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life,” with her brother’s wedding in 2013. There she left her 4-year-old daughter alone in a hotel room overnight “because I was blackout drunk.”. A night that should have been her proverbial rock bottom — but wasn’t, not yet.

If you’re searching for a memoir from a Black writer who’s in recovery

Alcohol and drug addiction are just one layer of “Punch Me Up to the Gods,” a vivid coming-of-age story by Brian Broome.

If you’d like a self-help guide to remake your beliefs around alcohol

Annie Grace wants to forever change how you think about alcohol. Turning it from a tasty source of liquid courage into a dangerous poison that’s keeping you from being healthy, present, and relaxed.

Along the way, her book “The Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness and Change Your Life” answers common concerns about quitting. How will my partner react? How can I keep my friends or make new ones? Her conversational style suits the audiobook format.

“Alcohol erases a bit of you every time you drink it. It can even erase entire nights when you are on a binge. Alcohol does not relieve stress; it erases your senses and ability to think. Alcohol ultimately erases your self.”

Start Reading

If you’re ready to get started on one of the books that can help you quit alcohol – download the first chapter of This Naked Mind for free right now!

Finally, If you’re attracted to the myth of the alcoholic genius

A blend of memoir, cultural analysis, and literary criticism, Leslie Jamison’s “The Recovering: Intoxication and its Aftermath” looks at the stories we tell about addiction and recovery. Researching the works and lives of literary masters, including John Berryman and Raymond Carver, Jamison teases apart the myth that booze-fueled their creativity.

Read the full article at www.startribune.com

If you’re determined to stop drinking alcohol for 30 days or more, but you’re worried how you’ll manage to stick to it, then you might find some of these ideas useful. Here are all the things I did to stay on track when I decided to give up alcohol:

How to stop drinking alcohol for 30 days or more

1) I read ‘quit lit’

There are loads of great books out there offering advice on how to stop drinking. They range from very personal accounts of addiction to motivational guides and psychology-based books, aimed at changing your mindset, so you view drinking differently.

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober

The Sober Diaries

The Sober Diaries

This Naked Mind by Annie Grace
Annie Grace is the queen of sobriety – so many people credit this book with helping them finally quit! It’s packed with psychological insights into why we drink, and why we don’t need it – as well as explainers on the physical effects.

Alcohol Explained by William Porter
This self-published no-nonsense book has become a sensation and answers all the questions you have about how alcohol affects your body and mind. Follow the Facebook group for weekly live Q&As with the author.

2) I tried Allen’s Carr’s Easyway to Stop Drinking Alcohol

This method, which has been credited by dozens of celebrities for helping them quit various addictions, seeks to undo all of the brainwashing you’ve been exposed to about drink, and encourages you to see yourself as free from alcohol rather than it being something you’re painfully trying to withdrawal from.

3) I signed up for an online course on how to stop drinking alcohol

The Naked Mind author Annie Grace charges £35/$47 to sign up for her 30 Day Experiment online course. I haven’t tried it, but it’s had great reviews. You can also download the FREE app, which includes lots of really useful resources – including daily video lessons. You can start at any time and when you sign up, you’re automatically added to a chat room as well, so you can talk to other people who’ve just started the course. Daily lessons include, for example – Why We Think We Like to Drink, Why Will Power Doesn’t Work For Long, and How Alcohol Affects Your Senses.

Read more at www.goodto.com

Wondering what can possibly replace the booze while you’re on a break from alcohol? We want you to be prepared with these alcohol-free drinks to stay dry in January!

Alcohol-Free Drinks to Stay Dry in January

Coffee Cosmo

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my coffee! I also loved the idea of being sophisticated so the first drink I ordered when I moved to New York City was a Cosmopolitian. This drink doesn’t have any liquor in it but it packs a punch with espresso allowing you to stay dry in January!

All you need is –

❄ 1 oz espresso

❄ 1 oz sweetened condensed milk (use the coconut milk version if you’re dairy-free!)

❄ 2 oz milk (any milk alternative will work too!)

Instructions:
❄ Combine ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and shake well. (You can use a mason jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid as well!)

❄ Pour into your favorite glass.

❄ Garnish with espresso beans or chocolate-covered espresso beans

❄ Enjoy!

Sweet, Tart, and Tangy

Here in the US citrus fruits are in season in January and there is nothing like the tang you get from this grapefruit drink! If you can’t find drinking shrubs where you are – you can make your own! Once you have that in hand – start crafting this delicious beverage using –

❄ 1 oz grapefruit shrub

❄ Chilled sparkling water or club soda (to fill glass)

❄ Ice (if desired)

Instructions:

❄ Fill tall glass with ice if desired.

❄ Add 1 oz grapefruit shrub to glass.

❄ Fill with club soda or sparkling water.

❄ Stir to combine. Garnish with fresh thyme or rosemary.

The Crisper

If the Sweet, Tart, and Tangy left you wishing for more refreshing options to indulge in – you’re going to love The Crisper! Your body will love it too as it’s also thirst-quenching and sugar-free! To make it you’ll need –

❄ 4 cups water

❄ 1 lemon sliced with rind removed – (You can save this to use as garnish if desired)

❄ 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber

❄ 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves – torn and packed

Instructions:

❄ Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher.

❄ Stir to combine.

❄ Cover and refrigerate at least four hours before serving.

The Naked Pineapple

Fun drinks deserve fun names! The Naked Pineapple delivers the fun and the flavor. It’s naked of course because it doesn’t have any alcohol – so you can drink as much as you want and stay dry in January. It’s also fun because it only uses two easy to find ingredients! Hit the store and pick up –

❄ 1 12-oz can of ginger ale

❄ 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice

❄ Fresh basil or fresh ginger if desired

Instructions:

❄ Combine the juice and ginger ale in a pitcher.

❄ Stir to combine

❄ Add fresh basil or fresh ginger for an extra kick.

❄ Serve over ice. Garnish with fresh pineapple wedges if desired.

Need more help to stay dry in January?

Do you need more support than just alcohol-free drink ideas? Could you use additional tips on taking a break from alcohol? Download our free e-book – 6 Best Tips For Taking A Break From Booze. Click here to get your copy!

And if you’re looking for a community to support you and to swap more alcohol-free drink ideas with – join us in The Alcohol Experiment. It has helped over 300K people take a 30-day break from alcohol, change their thinking, and find balance in their lives!

More Alcohol-Free Drinks

If you need more alcohol-free drinks ideas or you’re wondering if NA drinks are even ok to indulge in – we’ve got you covered!

4 Alcohol-Free Drinks to Make in November
5 Alcohol-Free Beverage Recipes for Labor Day
Non-Alcoholic Christmas Drinks You and Your Guests Can Enjoy
5 Booze-Free Beverages to Try During Dry January
EP 64: Reader Question – Non-Alcoholic Drinks: Are they okay?
EP 198: Reader Question – Alcohol Free drinks? Are they OK?

January is upon us. You might be thinking it’s too late to join but that’s just not true! You can still go dry for January 2022 even if the month has already started. Here are five reasons to give it a go –

You Like Money

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the price of everything has been creeping up. That includes alcohol! Taking a break from alcohol can save you money. You won’t be spending money on the booze, obviously, but you’re also looking at better meal choices, saving money on transportation, and saving money on the cost of going out. I can throw another freebie your way that can help you go dry for January 2022- join The Alcohol Experiment! It’s forever free and will give you daily tips and advice along with an entire community taking a break from booze just like you are!

You’ll Love The Way You Look

January is often a time that we start looking at our physique. The indulgent season has passed and we’re ready to fit in those jeans again or are over the food-related breakouts we’ve been having. Taking a break from booze can help you look so much better. While it’s true that some people will lose weight when they stop drinking, most see other physical benefits as well. Hair gets shinier, skin gets rehydrated and glows, and you’ll be less bloated!

You’re Setting The Tone For The Year

Researchers found that giving up alcohol for a month helped participants reduce drinking days later in the year. Most went from an average of 4.3 days/week prior to Dryuary to an average of 3.3 days/week after. The Dryuary break also reduced how much they drank. Excessive drinking fell from 3.4 times/month to 2.1 times/month on average. In fact, those who did Dryuary consumed an average of 8.6 units of alcohol per drinking day at baseline to 7.1 units of alcohol per drinking day following.

“The simple act of taking a month off alcohol helps people drink less in the long term; by August, people are reporting one extra dry day per week,” notes Dr. de Visser.

Your Numbers Will Look Better

The benefits of going dry in January 2022 show up all over your body. Thirty days off booze gives your liver a chance to repair itself. Many see a drop in liver fats of 15% during the month of January alone. Blood glucose levels can drop by up to 16% in the first month. Cholesterol levels will fall around 5% initially. And most importantly, a survey from One Year, No Beer revealed that those taking a four-week break from alcohol reported feeling 92% happier.

Need Help To Go Dry in January 2022?

Could you use some tips on how to be successful at going dry for January 2022? Download our Six Tips on Taking A Break From Booze and you’ll be on your way to 30 days without alcohol!

You’re Curious

The only reason you really need for trying Dryuary is that you’re curious. You want to know how a break from alcohol can make you feel. If you’ll be happier, healthier, or if life will change in any way by doing it? Pursue that curiosity and make your own observations and decisions based upon what your experiences are. You’re the captain of this ship, don’t let anyone else decide your course!

I joyfully share my story with you because as long and as challenging as it has been, it now has a happy ending. This Naked Mind is an important part of that happy ending to my drinking.

Nothing Obvious

People who know me would never think that I struggle with not drinking.  I present as someone who has one drink at a time, all I can handle, and not very often.  The issue for me is that I can’t let it go.  I am 66 years old. I have wanted to let go of this habit since I started drinking in my early 20s.  That means I have been carrying this with me, giving energy to something I don’t want for 45 years.  Obviously, that’s a very long time.

Struggling To Moderate?

Do you find that you struggle to moderate your drinking? Download our free e-book “Six Vital Things You Need To Know About Moderation” and find out the secrets behind your struggles! Get it here!

An Ironic Combination

The irony is that for most of my adult life I was entrenched in health and fitness. For example, I choose to eat a plant-based diet.  My health is wonderful except for the times that I drink.  Every single time I have disturbed sleep and a massive headache.  Now I understand this as a response to poison in my system.

The Wisdom in This Naked Mind

As I reflect on the messages of This Naked Mind, I see that my need to fit in started in college.  Add on to that the cultural and societal pressures to drink and I started on a path of no return.  In many ways choosing to abstain from alcohol has raised the same responses as choosing a plant-based diet.  Whether it is from a posture of defensiveness or not, many people will give me a hard time about the foods I don’t eat.  I think I have continued to drink socially because I can’t bear one more thing that will make me strange, and not part of the norm.

A Happy Ending To My Drinking

So, this introspection has been with me for a long time, and yet I still could not quit the occasional drink.  What is different now is the understanding presented in This Naked Mind.  The proverbial light bulb went off and I got it.  All of the things presented, the cultural pressure, the desire to fit in, the physical damage, and the simple fact that it is an addiction.  It’s not my lack of willpower.  To clarify, I am addicted.  Period.

I have arrived at a golden moment. My deep desire to end my drinking combined with my newfound knowledge.  It is enough.  I am finished.  In closing, I am most grateful to Annie Grace for her insights and for the willingness to share her story and do the deep research that is needed to bring these issues to light.

Share Your Story

Did This Naked Mind, The PATH, or The Alcohol Experiment bring a happy ending to your drinking? Share your story like Nancy did and inspire others. Find out how here!

I have enjoyed diving back into the books that have been an important part of my journey with you each month. For January’s This Naked Mind Book Club, I am bringing you a book of my own, The Alcohol Experiment. January often is a month for making commitments to change and one of the things many look to change is our relationships with alcohol. Join us again this month for The Alcohol Experiment Book Club feature!

The Alcohol Experiment Book Club

I’m incredibly proud to have written this book. It was groundbreaking at the time and it continues to be the first step many people take on the path to changing their relationships with alcohol.

Written as a day-by-day guide, each day will present you with useful tips and techniques to interrupt your habits and change the way you think about alcohol. There’s no pressure to make a choice or commitment forever. You’re only asked to stay curious and to determine for yourself what role you want alcohol to play in your life.

The expanded edition of this book includes a day-by-day journal so you can put the thoughts and prompts into action.

If you’d like an excellent supplement to the book – join us in the LIVE Alcohol Experiment where you’ll also get daily coaching, videos, and a community to share and discuss your discoveries with! Registration ends January 1.

Why are you curious about taking a break from alcohol?

What circumstances have led you to want to see what changing your relationship with alcohol can do for you?

Have you used the ACT technique to explore any of your thoughts and beliefs around alcohol?

What discoveries have you come across by using the ACT technique in your life?

What role do you see alcohol playing in your life in the future?

Was this experiment harder or easier than you expected? Were there any surprises or challenges along the way?

More Suggestions from Annie’s Book Club

So many amazing books and resources have been mentioned in our newsletters, podcasts, interviews, and so many other places. If you’re a voracious reader like I am, you could probably use a few more books to place on your list. Here are some bonus features to check out:

More from the Same Author

One of the things that many people find most beneficial when taking a break from alcohol is reading the stories of others who have done the same. This Naked Life is a compilation of 48 true stories from people just like you who may have started by reading a book or joining the LIVE Alcohol Experiment but ultimately found their freedom from alcohol. Find out what challenges they faced and what freedom from alcohol looks like for them in This Naked Life.

Quick Read

Let’s be honest – sometimes we just don’t have time to sit down and read an entire book! Blog posts can be a great way to squeeze in beneficial and informative reads when you are short of time. One of my most popular blogs is “Six Reasons I No Longer Drink Alcohol”. Take a moment to read it and see if you can relate! Click here!

Audio Options

I know, I know – not everyone is a reader! If you’re more of a listener – or maybe you enjoy both – there are plenty of great options for you as well. In fact, Scott Pinyard, This Naked Mind Head Coach did an amazing Q&A session last year on the LIVE Alcohol Experiment. If you’d like to learn more and join for 2022 – you should watch this!

For Motivation

We’ve started something new here at This Naked Mind that you might find to be an excellent companion to our monthly book club. We’re also doing a monthly journaling challenge. Writing things out can be so beneficial to dealing with stress. Check it out here!

Looking Ahead at This Naked Mind Book Club

I hope you are enjoying this journey of living a Naked Life! Continue the conversation and discuss the books featured in our Facebook group. Next month we’ll be reading a book that is transformational when it comes to relationships and relationship building. I can’t wait to join you again for this read! Make sure to drop me an e-mail if you have any suggestions for future book club reads!

With the holidays bearing down, parties and gatherings that include alcohol abound. Have you ever been sober curious? What actually happens when you don’t drink? Can you get closer to God being sober? Is being alcohol- and drug-free a path to higher consciousness?

Are You Sober Curious This Holiday Season?

What’s the longest you have gone without a drink?

Before I got sober, nine years ago now, I remember going to the doctor for a checkup. They asked how many drinks I had in a week. The maximum on the intake sheet was six per week. I had to lie because I would sometimes have that many in one day … at least.

And I’m pretty sure I wasn’t thinking about God. Unless, of course, there were blue and red lights flashing behind me after I had gotten behind the wheel after a few cocktails. Then it was, “God, get me out of this, and I swear I’ll never drink again.”

Until I picked up the next day, I mean, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right?

And now, with all the gastropubs, whisky and tequila bars, and mixology making a comeback in millennials’ living rooms, drinking is encouraged, promoted, and available everywhere. It’s culturally and socially acceptable, an expected rite of passage.

Options if you’re sober curious this holiday season

When a person finally admits they have a problem with alcohol, it may or may not be too late. We are super fortunate to have hundreds of solutions if you are interested in changing your relationship with alcohol.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and substance use disorders.

In the book, “This Naked Mind,” by Annie Grace, the author offers new and positive solutions by presenting alcohol use’s psychological and neurological components based on the latest science.

If you are curious whether drinking has become too big a part of your life and worry that it may be affecting your health and relationships, give sobriety a chance by looking at yourself as sober curious. Tapering off before you quit entirely keeps it going one day at a time.

Explore Your Curiosity

If you’re sober curious this holiday season, check out the LIVE Alcohol Experiment! It’s a 30-day break from alcohol that ditches the rules and allows you to explore what a life without alcohol can look and feel like. Join us here!

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