Sober Wednesday - how to start

So I've been chatting a lot on this blog about the journey I'm on, trying to make my way slowly but surely towards living my best life. 

I have now been free of alcohol for 135 days. Things have definitely settled into a new way of being and I'm loving being teetotal. In fact, sometimes I wonder how I ever managed life when I was drinking. 

But what if you're at the start of your own journey? What if you've been thinking about quitting booze for a while but never quite jumped in with both feet? 

It's natural to be anxious about what lies on the other side of sobriety, or any big lifestyle change that we make in order to stay (or get) healthy.

My advice would be to tackle one thing at a time, one little habit, and instead of just cutting it out, try and replace it with something else.

So when it comes to drinking, if you usually have a glass of something in the evening while watching tv, get some really indulgent, rich hot chocolate to have instead, that way, it's still a treat to look forward to.

If you just want to moderate your drinking while you're out, start by having singles rather than doubles, or make every other drink a soda water (I love drinking soda water in pubs, because it's usually free and it looks just like a gin and tonic - so you don't get questioned about your life choices when you're just trying to have a good time).

Do something to treat yourself with the money you save by not drinking. This is huge as drinking is bloody expensive. What ever you like, fresh flowers, facials, massages, trips away, give yourself a break and enjoy treating yourself.

You could get an app on your phone that counts the days since you last drank alcohol - this really helped me in the beginning, firstly because it also tells you how much money you've saved (over £400 for me now) but also, it would feel crummy to have to reset the timer to day one, so I have just kept going.

Get on instagram and find your sober tribe (I'm @sexysobervegan) - having updates from other sober men and women is brilliant and opens our eyes to the possibility of full and exciting lives away from alcohol.

Obviously if you have a bigger drinking addiction than this I would always suggest seeking professional guidance. One of the bravest things a human can do is ask for help. Especially this week during Mental Health Awareness Week. Please don't be afraid to reach out.

If you're thinking about quitting booze or you have already, let me know in the comments. Let's do this together.

Chat soon,

SSV x