It’s “sober” October — a popular sobriety challenge during which people live alcohol-free for a month to improve health and regain control of their drinking. But if you can’t commit to a full month of abstinence, you can still benefit from a “damp” or “dryish” alcohol reset.
The research is clear. Giving up alcohol for a month — or at least cutting back — can make a meaningful difference for your health and the role of drinking in your life. Studies have shown that people who abstained from alcohol for a month also started drinking less the rest of the year and showed striking improvements in their health.
And for those who don’t want to fully abstain, cutting back on their normal consumption for a month or longer also can make a difference. Studies show that even a modest reduction in drinking can lead to improvements in blood pressure, mental health and liver health. It can lower risk for cancer and heart disease. And you may even notice improvements in your sleep, energy levels and skin.
Here are some ways to cut back on alcohol.
Special occasion drinking
Avoid drinking for the month of October except for special occasions, like a wedding, birthday party or anniversary celebration.
Add more dry days to your month
Reduce the number of days you drink during October.
Consume fewer drinks in a setting
For a month, cut back on the amount you drink on each occasion. If you regularly have two or more glasses of wine with dinner, for instance, commit to just one drink per sitting.
A combination approach
You can set a goal to have a specific number of dry days each week and fewer servings on the days that you drink. You can drink only at special events or be sober on special occasions. Pick the strategy that works for you.
The important thing to know is that any strategy you use to reduce how much and how often you drink will be beneficial, said Katie Witkiewitz, director of the Centre on Alcohol, Substance Use and Addictions at the University of New Mexico and a former president of the Society of Addiction Psychology.
“Any reduction in drinking is associated with improvements in health,” she said. “As your drinking increases, you have increased health risks, and as your drinking decreases, you have decreased health risks.”
“Even if you didn’t drink for one day, that’s still one day less of drinking,” she added.
Reset your relationship with alcohol
“Damp” living — whether it’s a “sober-ish” October or “dry-ish” or “damp” January — works for many people because it’s not all or nothing. If your goal is to reduce your drinking by 30 percent and you fall a little short, that still counts as a success.
“Our livers are really magical organs, but they could use our help every once in a while,” Professor Witkiewitz said. “You should be kind to your liver and your brain and your body generally.”
Almost any adult can take part in a sobriety challenge. The exception, Professor Witkiewitz said, are people who are heavily dependent on alcohol: They should consult a doctor first because severe alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous.
But for everyone else, the benefits of doing a sobriety challenge are well documented. In a series of studies, researchers found that people who participated in Dry January reported losing weight, sleeping better, saving money and having more energy and a better ability to concentrate. They reported feeling a sense of achievement and gaining better control of their drinking.
Even though they typically returned to drinking after completing the challenge, they were still drinking considerably less six months later.
Richard de Visser, an author of the studies on people who participated in a sobriety challenge, said that those who reduced consumption only during the month also experienced health benefits — just not to the same extent as the ones who stayed sober for the full month.
“It’s temporary abstinence, which has some short-term benefits for your health, but it also gives you more control over your drinking,” said Professor de Visser, a psychologist at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in England.
He compared damp living to exercise. Getting up off the couch and moving even a little is better than doing nothing. And every day that you cut back on alcohol is effectively a training session that helps you develop the skills to better manage your drinking. “The more training sessions you do, the stronger you get,” Professor de Visser said.
Becoming a more conscious drinker
Here are some ways to set yourself up for success during a sober or sober-ish October.
Use an alcohol reduction app like Sunnyside or Reframe. Apps can help you customise your plans, send you daily reminders and give you access to a community of people who are trying to cut back on their drinking.
Follow the rule of 20. Cravings typically subside after about 20 minutes, said Vedant Pradeep, the co-founder and CEO of Reframe. “Play a game, go for a walk, talk to your friends or read a book,” he said. “Anything that you can do to distract yourself for that period of 20 minutes will go a long way.”
Find alternatives to alcohol. There is now a wide variety of nonalcoholic wines, beers and spirits you can use as substitutes for alcoholic beverages.
Find activities to replace drinking. Sunnyside found that some of the most common hobbies and activities for people who participated in sobriety challenges included reading, fitness, cooking, meditation, journalling, time with family and trying new restaurants and nonalcoholic bars.
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