Laura Van Antwerp first tried dry January 11 years ago. Like many who participate in this Monthly sobrietyShe enjoyed the immediate advantages: she slept better, more often went to the gym and saved money.
But as February approached, Mr. Wang Antwerp felt excited – “Maybe too excited,” she admitted – to drink again. She will travel to Southeast Asia for a six-week trip, and she suggested that sipping a glass of wine in Bangkok when she left the plane.
“I couldn’t even wait for so long,” said 40 -year -old g -van Antwerp. “I finished the fact that I drank at the airport and drank too right away from the gate.”
While people like Ms. Van Antwerp are inclined to undertake thoughts and efforts to plan a month of sobriety (and breaking through this), they do not necessarily consider the unreason, and what they want to take from this experience. “This is one of the most important parts of the month,” said Gillian Titz, leading the podcast of “sober food”, “and what many people do not think too much about.”
But Studies suggest The fact that people who participate in dry January tend to take more to their drinking habits for the rest of the year than those who do not. Therefore, we talked with several specialists in drug addiction and sober influential persons about how to go down for a month and Accept a conscious drink in the futureField
Think about your experience.
According to Joseph Shakhty, the associate professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of the Colorado Faculty of Medical Faculty, which studies the treatment of alcohol alcohol and the usual disorders, in fact, in its basis, Dry Janeral is the collection of information about your relationship with alcohol, which studies the treatment of alcohol and addiction.
“I always urge people to have to verify their bodies after any period of abstinence or a decrease in alcohol,” said Dr. Shakht. “Does your body feel better when you are not doing this? If so, this is a really important signal that you must listen to. ”
M -Van Antwerp, which controls the account on social networks, confirmed the recommendation. Cutting for seven years, she admits that her first break from alcohol more than ten years ago was a step on her way to new relations with alcohol.
“I would like me to write about how I felt, what I thought, my mood, you know how I won on certain situations without alcohol,” she said. “I would like to sign up more on why I was drawn to drink, so that I could better understand myself.”
Experts are very clear that dry January is not a replacement for treatment The mess of drinking alcoholThe field but this can offer participants a physical and mental reset, and there is also evidence that most participants want to change their drinks after these 30 days. Study In 2016, he discovered that the subjects continued to drink less than six months after the call than before.
Even if you are moderate or sporadic drinking, you can ask yourself such questions as “Did I be able to participate this month, as I expected?” Noah Emery, associate professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of Colorado, proposed, specializing in the use of psychoactive substances. Also: “What did I learn about myself on this path?”
According to Dr. Emery, reflect on your achievements, even if you slipped. Studies suggest Dry January, participants, as a rule, feel more confident in their ability to make an intentional choice of alcohol to move forward – regardless of whether they refrained all the time.
Shake things.
According to Dr. Emery, alcohol is so built into our social fabric, and in many of our procedures it can become “reflective”.
“Dry January is an opportunity to get out of the autopilot,” he added.
Think about the situations that you tend to associate with drinking, and think about how you can switch them, said Titz, who stopped drinking in 2019.
If you are the one who usually pours a glass of wine immediately after work, you can instead get to non-alcoholic drink or try to find A different relaxing habit? Add this to your plan after drying and stock up in inexplication in advance.
If you usually meet friends for dinner or a happy hour, said Titz, maybe it will go to the film or instead arrange the date of coffee. (Bonus: mixing how you communicate can also help bring you closer.)
You may also want to overestimate how much you drink after the dry January, since your tolerance may have become lower, Dr. Emery warned. “Drinking is the same amount that you are accustomed to, probably, will produce another intoxication profile than you are used to,” he said.
So, if you start drinking again in February, think about how you change your drinking habits. Dr. Emery said to drink water between drinks, check yourself, make sure that you have an appointed driver and so on.
Set specific goals for your drink.
Creating a plan is an important part Drink more consciously. Ask yourself: “What do I want to do before the end of the year?” Dr. Mine said. He added that if your goal is to soften your drink, it is important to name this goal and track your consumption in order to hold yourself accountable.
You can consider abstinence for another 30 or 60 days, recommended the Titz. “Nobody wants to hear it!” She added with a laugh. But, according to her experience, it may take more time to really experience changes that can accompany abstinence.
In 60 days without alcohol, “I actually felt that I was waking up from a dream,” said Titz. “It was very noticeable when I could think again again. And it was then that I really could understand what the drink did in my life. ”
