News
17/09/2024 Sober October
What is Sober October? The internet states “If you’re still drying out after a summer of swigging Aperol Spritz, Sober October is a great incentive to take a break from booze. Similarly to Dry January, Sober October aims to encourage people to reduce or completely abstain from alcohol for 31 days, often raising money for charity in the process.”
During this month the news is full of stories pointing towards this event; ‘Here’s How to do Sober October Right,’ ‘What a Month of not Drinking Can do to your Health,’ ‘How to Cut back on Alcohol During Sober October.’ Whilst researching this topic I also found an article titled ‘How to Survive Sober October.’ Due to the popularity of this event, it is clear that alcohol is something that is very much present in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. Some people don’t have a negative relationship with alcohol and so giving up alcohol for a month is not a problem. For others, it is a matter of life or death.
I have friends who have ‘done’ Sober October in the past, and the break from alcohol for that month gave them a huge insight into their bad drinking habits and the rippling effect it had on their everyday lives. Sober October gets you to form new habits and create a new norm. Habits need to change if you want to stay away from the temptation of alcohol, the possibility of a ‘relapse’ is what we call it in recovery. So for instance, Friday evening you’d meet your friends at the pub for a social, you might decide to meet a friend and do a gym class instead. If by 5pm most nights you reach for that glass of wine, you might make a smoothie/herbal tea, and come the morning you’ll feel refreshed instead of foggy headed. It’s the simple changes that you start to see/feel the benefits, so that by the end of October, you are feeling revised, reenergised and clear headed. And that’s the power of a sober life.
Whether you are doing Sober October just for the month, or if you’ve decided to take the next step into your recovery, even if you realise at the end of the month that you may actually have a negative relationship with alcohol, we at Silkworth Lodge are here for you.
