January 17, 2024 • 25 mins
In this episode of the Catholic Sobriety podcast, we delve into the world of Dry January - a month-long challenge where individuals choose to abstain from alcohol. Join us as we explore the historical roots of Dry January, its evolution into a global movement, and the potential benefits and pitfalls associated with this sobriety initiative.
We'll take a deep dive into the numerous advantages of embarking on a Dry January journey. Discover how saying no to alcohol for a month can lead to increased energy levels, and improved mental health, and how this period of abstinence can bring about positive changes in your life.
But it's not all smooth sailing. We'll also address the potential pitfalls that participants may encounter during Dry January and how to deal with them.
Moreover, we'll discuss how Dry January can serve as a springboard for greater clarity for those looking to reduce or eliminate their alcohol intake.
Sources mentioned:
National Library of Medicine: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684010/
Time: https://time.com/6552262/dry-january-origins-alcohol-drinking/
Alcohol Change UK: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/managing-your-drinking/dry-january
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the
go-to resource for women seekingto have a deeper understanding
of the role alcohol plays intheir lives, women who are
looking to drink less or not atall for any reason.
I am your host, kristy Walker.
I'm a wife, mom and a JoyfieldCatholic, and I am the Catholic
(00:23):
Subriety Coach, and I am so gladyou're here.
We are a little over halfwaythrough January and everywhere I
look someone is talking aboutdry January.
Of course, I do consume a lotof media that revolves around
sobriety, but something justfeels extra different this year.
(00:44):
It seems to have gone even moremainstream.
If you type in the hashtag dryJanuary, you'll see all sorts of
information.
Non-alcoholic options Marketersare just like really going all
in on this dry January.
(01:04):
In fact, many of my localgrocery stores are end capping
their non-alcoholic adultbeverages, which is great to see
, and so many companies arestarting to develop
non-alcoholic options.
I even saw white claw, which Idon't really know what that is,
(01:29):
but I guess without the alcoholwouldn't it just be seltzer
water?
But the thing is that you havea white claw can, so it feels
like you're fitting in and likeyou're just doing the same thing
with the crowd and it may benice, because people don't
necessarily know that it's anon-alcoholic drink.
(01:49):
So if you're a little bitself-conscious about it, then
you'll feel like you fit in moreand maybe people won't try to
keep asking you if you want adrink when clearly you are
deciding not to have alcohol.
The other thing that I've seena lot advertised and really
directed towards dry Januaryalthough I've seen it advertised
(02:12):
all year, it just seems to becoming up a lot more in my feed
are herbal mood enhancers ordrinks that contain like a
seltzer water or something thatcontains different herbs that
are supposed to have like acalming effect on you.
I don't know if those work orhow they work or if they're even
(02:32):
good.
If you've tried them and theywork for you, let me know.
Just hit me up on Instagram orsend me a message, because I
would love to know what yourexperience is with them and
whether or not you found themhelpful.
So when did dry January start?
Anyway?
Believe it or not, it has itsroots all the way back to World
(02:54):
War II.
I was really surprised when Ilearned this through my research
, because I actually thought itwas a fairly new development.
So, anyway, the Finnishgovernment was the first to
introduce the concept calledratus januar, which translates
to sober January.
(03:14):
My apologies to any of myFinnish speaking listeners if I
butchered that pronunciation,which I'm sure I did, but the
reason for sober January backthen was to curb alcohol
consumption among the troops,and they believed that it would
boost their health and theirreadiness for combat, which I'm
(03:36):
sure they quickly realized wasan amazing idea.
So the next thing is that itreally caught on, and not only
did it lead to a drop innational alcohol consumption, it
also sparked a cultural shifttowards sober activities and
living.
So that's pretty cool right.
(03:58):
For a while, this whole soberJanuary thing was mostly a
Finnish affair, but as timepassed, the idea began to spread
across Europe.
So fast forward to the early2000s and the concept of dry
January popped up again.
People started challengingthemselves to stay sober for an
(04:18):
entire month and share theirexperiences on blogs and social
media, which helped the movementgain momentum.
But let's be honest, noteveryone was on board at first.
In a world where every eventseems like it revolves around
alcohol in one way or another,there was some resistance to the
idea of dry January.
(04:39):
However, that's when alcoholchange UK stepped in In 2013,.
They officially launched dryJanuary with free apps, social
media groups and a comprehensivewebsite to support the
participants.
That year, alcohol change UKreported that 4,000 people
(05:02):
signed up for the challenge, butsince then it has grown
significantly, with over 130,000signing up to participate in
the challenge in 2022.
These are just the people thatare signing up to participate,
but so many people are justdoing it on their own and
(05:22):
they're not officially signingup, so that number, I would
imagine, is quite a bit largerthan that reported number.
The popularity has spreadglobally and includes other
European countries and theUnited States and, as I said at
the beginning of the show, manypeople are talking about it.
(05:45):
So is dry January worth doing?
After all, it's only 30 days ofabstinence.
Well, according to the NationalLibrary of Medicine, research
has proven that dry January isan effective behavior change
campaign.
The campaign was independentlyevaluated in 2014 by the
(06:06):
University of Sussex and found72% of its participants had
sustained reduced levels ofharmful drinking.
Time magazine also reports thatthe campaign has flourished
during a period of increasedalcohol consumption, with one
study showing that drinking hasincreased by 70%.
(06:28):
Let me say that again, onestudy shows that drinking has
increased by 70% between theyears of 1990 and 2017.
The World Health Organizationalso states that no level of
alcohol consumption is good forour health.
They call alcohol a group 1carcinogen and the highest risk
(06:51):
group alongside asbestos,radiation and tobacco.
Drinking has also been provento be one of the leading causes
of preventable death in the US,and that is per the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
And I will leave links to thesearticles in my show notes
(07:12):
because there's tons moreinformation included in them,
with links to the studies aswell.
So, as you can see from thisinformation, the less alcohol we
consume, the better, and it'sfor that reason I will always
encourage happily, for anyone totake a chance on dry January.
(07:33):
So whether you decide to do itand make it through the whole
month, that's amazing.
If you don't quite make itthrough the whole month, that's
okay too, because you're stillgetting some benefits and you're
definitely gaining someawareness around your drinking.
Like I always say, just getcurious, figuring out what works
(07:56):
for you.
Now I'm going to talk a littlebit about the benefits of dry
January on your health and someof the pitfalls that you might
face, but how to manage thosepitfalls so that you can make
the most of your dry Januaryefforts, or it doesn't even have
(08:18):
to be dry January, it can beany effort to abstain from
alcohol for an extended periodof time.
So there are multiple healthbenefits.
I've already alluded to some ofthem when I was quoting from a
few of the articles earlier, butI just want to explain five of
those right now for you.
(08:39):
So one of those is going to beimproved sleep and energy levels
, because alcohol interfereswith our sleep cycle, leading to
poor quality sleep.
Abstaining from alcohol canimprove your sleep patterns and
boost energy levels.
I do want to note that thisdoesn't always happen right away
, though, so don't feeldiscouraged if you don't notice
(09:02):
all of a sudden having an uptickin energy and amazing sleep.
This is something that takes alittle while, because your sleep
pattern has to adjust, andafter that then you should reap
those benefits.
Another one is weight loss.
Alcohol is just high incalories, so cutting it out can
(09:25):
contribute to weight loss.
You'll also notice that yourskin looks better, because
alcohol dehydrates the skin andit can cause it to look dull and
tired.
The other benefit is improvedmental health.
Regular alcohol consumptionisn't great for our mental
health.
It increases our risk ofdepression and it heightens
(09:48):
anxiety.
So a period of abstinence willimprove your mental health and
it will also help you see alittle bit more how alcohol is
affecting you, because sometimes, when we're just doing it, we
don't realize what it is that'scausing a symptom, and when you
cut it out then you realize oh,it actually was that.
(10:13):
The last thing I'm going to talkabout is just awareness of your
overall health.
So dry January can lead to abetter understanding of your
relationship with alcohol, whichis what we're all about here,
right?
Just gaining that clarity andconfidence so that you can
choose to drink or not drinkfrom a place of peace.
I have in no way saying thatyou have to never have alcohol
(10:37):
again.
I just think that well, I knowtaking these bouts of abstinence
will definitely help you as youget more sober, curious and
start to find the level ofsobriety that works for you.
Now let's just talk about a fewof the things that might hinder
(10:58):
you or it might be considered apitfall, as you do dry January,
it might be a stumbling block ofsorts.
The first is social pressure.
We talk a lot about that onthis podcast and I have a lot of
episodes on how to deal withthat.
But social events that involvealcohol, where you are normally
(11:19):
drinking, are just going to feeluncomfortable, and there might
even be pressure from peers todrink, and that can be
challenging as well.
So I do want you to keep thatin mind.
The other thing is just likeyour habitual drinking pattern,
so for some reason, maybedrinking has become a regular
(11:41):
part of your daily routine.
Breaking the habit can be reallydifficult, especially if you
don't have meaning behind it andyou're just doing it to see if
you can do it.
You may also find that somenegative emotions come up,
because when you don't have yourcoping mechanism for stress and
(12:01):
anxiety, all of a sudden you'reactually having to feel your
feelings, and because maybe youdon't allow yourself to do that
very often, it can be reallyuncomfortable and even
overwhelming at times.
And then another pitfall canjust be lack of support.
So if you don't have people inyour life who are supportive of
(12:24):
your decision or even yourchallenge, your month long
challenge to not drink can bereally really difficult to
maintain your motivation.
So now, how can we manage thesehindrances?
The first, main, first important, is just preparation and
(12:44):
planning.
Preparing what you want to saywhen those questions come up,
when you are in those socialactivities, figuring out, maybe,
what you will want to drink,maybe just deciding that you
don't want to go to an eventbecause you will find it really
hard to say no, and this issomething that's really
(13:05):
important to you.
So just try to plan activitiesthat don't involve alcohol and
if you are going to be somewherewhere there is alcohol, just
make sure that you plan andprepare for what you want to say
.
Now, another thing that youwill learn during dry January,
as you face these pitfalls andobstacles and hindrances, is how
(13:25):
to develop coping mechanisms,because if you can't just reach
for alcohol to deal with yournegative emotions, you're almost
forced to find healthier copingmechanisms.
This could be exercise,journaling, meditation, reading,
prayer, pursuing a new hobbythere are so many other ways to
(13:48):
cope.
So I always suggest making alist of things to do instead of
drink.
You don't have to sit down andwrite down your end all be all
list, like, just start a listand then, as something comes to
your mind, add it to your list.
So that could be walking yourdog, calling your friend who
lives across the country.
(14:08):
It could be going, you know,for coffee or I don't know.
There's so many differentthings.
Sometimes it's just givingyourself a nice evening facial
during the time when you wouldhave been drinking a glass of
wine.
So trying to develop healthiercoping mechanisms is going to be
(14:28):
key and that will help youresist the urge when it arises.
If you are looking for support,a lot of times there are other
people who in your life who arealso kind of wondering about the
role that alcohol plays intheir lives.
So if you are like, yeah, thisJanuary I'm not really drinking,
(14:49):
or maybe you're thinking aboutlint, because this year lint
starts on February 14th, onValentine's Day, so maybe you're
thinking about it not for dryJanuary, but you're thinking
about it for lint maybe gettinga group of girlfriends together
who also want to abstain fromalcohol over the month of
(15:11):
January or during lint would bea really great thing.
You guys could even just meetup and do something.
It can be helpful.
You can feel seen.
You guys can talk about what'shard, what's easy, what good
things you've noticed, maybewhat obstacles have come up, and
just really make it a time ofnot just bonding but learning
(15:37):
about, not just what you'regoing through, but learning from
your friends as well.
So I highly recommend that.
Support networks are so so key.
Another thing to keep in mind isthat while they do say it can
take 21 or 28 days to change ahabit or at least that's
something I've always been toldor thought it actually isn't
(15:58):
going to change the habit justsimply from abstaining from
alcohol.
We have to be focused on ameaning or have a reason why
we're choosing to abstain.
Of course, you can do achallenge just for just to see
if you can do it, and that'sfine and you'll still learn
something.
And you'll learn something andyou'll still gain awareness.
(16:20):
But if you are looking to havea transformation, to actually
make a change in the way thatyou're drinking, or change your
habit, then it's reallyimportant to be focused on a
purpose.
And the reason for this isbecause a lot of times, when we
are just abstaining for the sakeof abstaining or for a
(16:41):
challenge, we focus a lot on thedeprivation.
We focus a lot on what we'renot having, what we can't have.
For example, my husband and Ihave done a whole 30, the whole
30 diet, like a bunch of times,and the very first time we did
it, we completed it, we did thewhole 30 days.
(17:03):
We are very strict with it, butthe entire time when people
would ask me about it, or when Iwas out to eat or when we were
somewhere, I always focused onwell, we can't, I can't have
this and I can't have that, andI can't have this and I can't
have that.
And what I didn't talk aboutwas all of the benefits I was
(17:25):
getting, not just health wise,but we were eating like
completely different dinners.
I was cooking real food.
We were trying all differentkinds of recipes, because you
know how it is, when you havebeen married for a long time and
you make the same meals thatyour family always loves, it's
really easy just to kind of goback to those and there's
(17:47):
nothing wrong with that.
But this just kind of helpedbranch us out into some new and
exciting ways to cook and eat.
It was wonderful, but again, Iwasn't focused on how great it
was until much, much later.
I was focused on all the thingsthat I was giving up.
And at the end of that 30 daysI am embarrassed to tell you,
(18:14):
but we went to a basketball gamefor my sons and they lost their
game and we were like, oh,let's go to Krispy Kreme and get
a donut.
And we went and I ate thesugary donut and I will tell you
like within five minutes I hada pounding headache and I felt
(18:34):
terrible, like for two days.
And that just goes to show youhow when you remove certain
things from your body and thenyou introduce them back really
quickly, like all at once, likeflour and sugar and all these
things, it can really wreakhavoc on you because you're just
(18:57):
not used to it.
So the next time we did Whole30, I tried to keep in mind and
remember like how good I felt,how much energy I had, how much
mental clarity I had, and itjust every time we have done it
since then, like as a reset.
(19:18):
It just is so much easier.
Like we don't have all thesymptoms that they list in the
like between day one and dayseven.
You'll feel this between days.
You know, whatever, whateveryou'll feel this, it's very
minimal to what it was in thebeginning and that's kind of
(19:39):
like with abstaining fromalcohol, maybe the very first
time you do it.
It's going to be really hard,really uncomfortable.
You're going to be focused onall your giving up what you're
not doing, even though you'regoing to also be experiencing
these really incredible healthbenefits clarity, maybe even
(20:04):
relationships improving, anxietyimproving but when we're
focused on the deprivationinstead of what we get to fill
our time with, what we get tofill our bodies with, instead of
that, then it can make theprocess or even just the entire
(20:24):
challenge not really veryfruitful for us, if that makes
sense.
So, before you even startabstaining whether that's just
because you really want to takea break for a while, or you want
to greatly reduce your alcoholconsumption, or you're giving up
alcohol for a long, whatever itis just make sure that you have
(20:50):
the purpose and your why inmind, and that will just make it
go so much easier for you.
I want you to know that if youslip up or maybe you don't even
feel as great as you thoughtthat you would, or maybe you're
(21:11):
thinking I'm not drinking andI'm completely bored, I can't
relax, I'm not going to get itbecause this urge is too big.
Maybe you feel like an outsider.
If you are having all of thesethoughts or obstacles come up as
you are trying to take a breakand step back and analyze your
(21:34):
drinking, don't be discouraged.
Just don't be discouraged.
Let it be learning.
Don't beat yourself up about it.
Just ask yourself what can Ilearn from this?
Why am I bored?
What could I do that maybewould feel fulfilling or bring
(21:55):
me joy?
What did I used to do when Iwasn't consuming this much
alcohol?
What did I do with my time?
If you can't relax, maybe youcan find different ways that you
can relax.
Is it painting?
Is it journaling?
Is it crocheting?
(22:17):
Is it exercising?
When you think you just won'tget it, those thoughts are not
the kind of thoughts that aregoing to get you the results
that you want.
I encourage you to change thatthought too.
This is just going to take sometime Building my sober muscles.
(22:39):
It's like going to the gym.
I just need to give myself sometime and I'm going to get it.
And if you feel like you're onthe outside looking in, think of
ways that you can not feel thatway, maybe it is having a
non-alcoholic drink in a prettyglass or finding a non-alcoholic
(23:02):
option.
Maybe, again, it's justdeciding.
Right now I don't really wantto go to an event like that, and
if you don't have to, thendon't.
Or you could create a plan withyour spouse or your friend or
your sister or your mom thatwhen you're starting to feel
uncomfortable, you have a codeword and you guys can just leave
(23:24):
.
Just having that support andletting people know how you're
feeling and what you're goingthrough is going to be so, so
helpful.
Whether you're doing dryJanuary or you're just getting
sober curious, it's all aboutchanging your thinking and it's
going to require learning newskills and practicing.
(23:46):
So just be patient withyourself, and I have tools and I
have resources that can helpyou as you do this.
This podcast is a big one thatI'm very passionate about and I
hope that it's helpful for youand, if it is, I hope that
you'll share it with others whomight find value in it.
(24:07):
I also have my five day sacredsobriety kickstart.
I'm going to be redoing thosevideos really soon, but if you
want to grab that, it's free andyou can get started.
You can grab it and decide todo it at Lent.
It's self-paced, you can justdo it whenever and however you
want.
(24:27):
And then, lastly, I've justopened up my sacred sobriety lab
, so check out all theinformation.
I have tons of information onthat at sacredsobrietylabcom.
Well, that does it for thisepisode of the Catholic sobriety
podcast.
I hope you enjoyed this episodeand I would invite you to share
(24:50):
it with a friend, who mightalso get value from it as well,
and make sure you subscribe soyou don't miss a thing.
I am the Catholic sobrietycoach, and if you would like to
learn how to work with me orlearn more about the coaching
that I offer, visit my website,thecatholicsobrietycoachcom.
(25:11):
Follow me on Instagram attheCatholic sobriety coach.
I look forward to speaking toyou next time, and remember I am
here for you.
I am praying for you.
You are not alone.
Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the
go-to resource for women seekingto have a deeper understanding
of the role alcohol plays intheir lives, women who are
looking to drink less or not atall for any reason.
I am your host, kristy Walker.
I'm a wife, mom and a JoyfieldCatholic, and I am the Catholic
(00:23):
Subriety Coach, and I am so gladyou're here.
We are a little over halfwaythrough January and everywhere I
look someone is talking aboutdry January.
Of course, I do consume a lotof media that revolves around
sobriety, but something justfeels extra different this year.
(00:44):
It seems to have gone even moremainstream.
If you type in the hashtag dryJanuary, you'll see all sorts of
information.
Non-alcoholic options Marketersare just like really going all
in on this dry January.
(01:04):
In fact, many of my localgrocery stores are end capping
their non-alcoholic adultbeverages, which is great to see
, and so many companies arestarting to develop
non-alcoholic options.
I even saw white claw, which Idon't really know what that is,
(01:29):
but I guess without the alcoholwouldn't it just be seltzer
water?
But the thing is that you havea white claw can, so it feels
like you're fitting in and likeyou're just doing the same thing
with the crowd and it may benice, because people don't
necessarily know that it's anon-alcoholic drink.
(01:49):
So if you're a little bitself-conscious about it, then
you'll feel like you fit in moreand maybe people won't try to
keep asking you if you want adrink when clearly you are
deciding not to have alcohol.
The other thing that I've seena lot advertised and really
directed towards dry Januaryalthough I've seen it advertised
(02:12):
all year, it just seems to becoming up a lot more in my feed
are herbal mood enhancers ordrinks that contain like a
seltzer water or something thatcontains different herbs that
are supposed to have like acalming effect on you.
I don't know if those work orhow they work or if they're even
(02:32):
good.
If you've tried them and theywork for you, let me know.
Just hit me up on Instagram orsend me a message, because I
would love to know what yourexperience is with them and
whether or not you found themhelpful.
So when did dry January start?
Anyway?
Believe it or not, it has itsroots all the way back to World
(02:54):
War II.
I was really surprised when Ilearned this through my research
, because I actually thought itwas a fairly new development.
So, anyway, the Finnishgovernment was the first to
introduce the concept calledratus januar, which translates
to sober January.
(03:14):
My apologies to any of myFinnish speaking listeners if I
butchered that pronunciation,which I'm sure I did, but the
reason for sober January backthen was to curb alcohol
consumption among the troops,and they believed that it would
boost their health and theirreadiness for combat, which I'm
(03:36):
sure they quickly realized wasan amazing idea.
So the next thing is that itreally caught on, and not only
did it lead to a drop innational alcohol consumption, it
also sparked a cultural shifttowards sober activities and
living.
So that's pretty cool right.
(03:58):
For a while, this whole soberJanuary thing was mostly a
Finnish affair, but as timepassed, the idea began to spread
across Europe.
So fast forward to the early2000s and the concept of dry
January popped up again.
People started challengingthemselves to stay sober for an
(04:18):
entire month and share theirexperiences on blogs and social
media, which helped the movementgain momentum.
But let's be honest, noteveryone was on board at first.
In a world where every eventseems like it revolves around
alcohol in one way or another,there was some resistance to the
idea of dry January.
(04:39):
However, that's when alcoholchange UK stepped in In 2013,.
They officially launched dryJanuary with free apps, social
media groups and a comprehensivewebsite to support the
participants.
That year, alcohol change UKreported that 4,000 people
(05:02):
signed up for the challenge, butsince then it has grown
significantly, with over 130,000signing up to participate in
the challenge in 2022.
These are just the people thatare signing up to participate,
but so many people are justdoing it on their own and
(05:22):
they're not officially signingup, so that number, I would
imagine, is quite a bit largerthan that reported number.
The popularity has spreadglobally and includes other
European countries and theUnited States and, as I said at
the beginning of the show, manypeople are talking about it.
(05:45):
So is dry January worth doing?
After all, it's only 30 days ofabstinence.
Well, according to the NationalLibrary of Medicine, research
has proven that dry January isan effective behavior change
campaign.
The campaign was independentlyevaluated in 2014 by the
(06:06):
University of Sussex and found72% of its participants had
sustained reduced levels ofharmful drinking.
Time magazine also reports thatthe campaign has flourished
during a period of increasedalcohol consumption, with one
study showing that drinking hasincreased by 70%.
(06:28):
Let me say that again, onestudy shows that drinking has
increased by 70% between theyears of 1990 and 2017.
The World Health Organizationalso states that no level of
alcohol consumption is good forour health.
They call alcohol a group 1carcinogen and the highest risk
(06:51):
group alongside asbestos,radiation and tobacco.
Drinking has also been provento be one of the leading causes
of preventable death in the US,and that is per the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
And I will leave links to thesearticles in my show notes
(07:12):
because there's tons moreinformation included in them,
with links to the studies aswell.
So, as you can see from thisinformation, the less alcohol we
consume, the better, and it'sfor that reason I will always
encourage happily, for anyone totake a chance on dry January.
(07:33):
So whether you decide to do itand make it through the whole
month, that's amazing.
If you don't quite make itthrough the whole month, that's
okay too, because you're stillgetting some benefits and you're
definitely gaining someawareness around your drinking.
Like I always say, just getcurious, figuring out what works
(07:56):
for you.
Now I'm going to talk a littlebit about the benefits of dry
January on your health and someof the pitfalls that you might
face, but how to manage thosepitfalls so that you can make
the most of your dry Januaryefforts, or it doesn't even have
(08:18):
to be dry January, it can beany effort to abstain from
alcohol for an extended periodof time.
So there are multiple healthbenefits.
I've already alluded to some ofthem when I was quoting from a
few of the articles earlier, butI just want to explain five of
those right now for you.
(08:39):
So one of those is going to beimproved sleep and energy levels
, because alcohol interfereswith our sleep cycle, leading to
poor quality sleep.
Abstaining from alcohol canimprove your sleep patterns and
boost energy levels.
I do want to note that thisdoesn't always happen right away
, though, so don't feeldiscouraged if you don't notice
(09:02):
all of a sudden having an uptickin energy and amazing sleep.
This is something that takes alittle while, because your sleep
pattern has to adjust, andafter that then you should reap
those benefits.
Another one is weight loss.
Alcohol is just high incalories, so cutting it out can
(09:25):
contribute to weight loss.
You'll also notice that yourskin looks better, because
alcohol dehydrates the skin andit can cause it to look dull and
tired.
The other benefit is improvedmental health.
Regular alcohol consumptionisn't great for our mental
health.
It increases our risk ofdepression and it heightens
(09:48):
anxiety.
So a period of abstinence willimprove your mental health and
it will also help you see alittle bit more how alcohol is
affecting you, because sometimes, when we're just doing it, we
don't realize what it is that'scausing a symptom, and when you
cut it out then you realize oh,it actually was that.
(10:13):
The last thing I'm going to talkabout is just awareness of your
overall health.
So dry January can lead to abetter understanding of your
relationship with alcohol, whichis what we're all about here,
right?
Just gaining that clarity andconfidence so that you can
choose to drink or not drinkfrom a place of peace.
I have in no way saying thatyou have to never have alcohol
(10:37):
again.
I just think that well, I knowtaking these bouts of abstinence
will definitely help you as youget more sober, curious and
start to find the level ofsobriety that works for you.
Now let's just talk about a fewof the things that might hinder
(10:58):
you or it might be considered apitfall, as you do dry January,
it might be a stumbling block ofsorts.
The first is social pressure.
We talk a lot about that onthis podcast and I have a lot of
episodes on how to deal withthat.
But social events that involvealcohol, where you are normally
(11:19):
drinking, are just going to feeluncomfortable, and there might
even be pressure from peers todrink, and that can be
challenging as well.
So I do want you to keep thatin mind.
The other thing is just likeyour habitual drinking pattern,
so for some reason, maybedrinking has become a regular
(11:41):
part of your daily routine.
Breaking the habit can be reallydifficult, especially if you
don't have meaning behind it andyou're just doing it to see if
you can do it.
You may also find that somenegative emotions come up,
because when you don't have yourcoping mechanism for stress and
(12:01):
anxiety, all of a sudden you'reactually having to feel your
feelings, and because maybe youdon't allow yourself to do that
very often, it can be reallyuncomfortable and even
overwhelming at times.
And then another pitfall canjust be lack of support.
So if you don't have people inyour life who are supportive of
(12:24):
your decision or even yourchallenge, your month long
challenge to not drink can bereally really difficult to
maintain your motivation.
So now, how can we manage thesehindrances?
The first, main, first important, is just preparation and
(12:44):
planning.
Preparing what you want to saywhen those questions come up,
when you are in those socialactivities, figuring out, maybe,
what you will want to drink,maybe just deciding that you
don't want to go to an eventbecause you will find it really
hard to say no, and this issomething that's really
(13:05):
important to you.
So just try to plan activitiesthat don't involve alcohol and
if you are going to be somewherewhere there is alcohol, just
make sure that you plan andprepare for what you want to say
.
Now, another thing that youwill learn during dry January,
as you face these pitfalls andobstacles and hindrances, is how
(13:25):
to develop coping mechanisms,because if you can't just reach
for alcohol to deal with yournegative emotions, you're almost
forced to find healthier copingmechanisms.
This could be exercise,journaling, meditation, reading,
prayer, pursuing a new hobbythere are so many other ways to
(13:48):
cope.
So I always suggest making alist of things to do instead of
drink.
You don't have to sit down andwrite down your end all be all
list, like, just start a listand then, as something comes to
your mind, add it to your list.
So that could be walking yourdog, calling your friend who
lives across the country.
(14:08):
It could be going, you know,for coffee or I don't know.
There's so many differentthings.
Sometimes it's just givingyourself a nice evening facial
during the time when you wouldhave been drinking a glass of
wine.
So trying to develop healthiercoping mechanisms is going to be
(14:28):
key and that will help youresist the urge when it arises.
If you are looking for support,a lot of times there are other
people who in your life who arealso kind of wondering about the
role that alcohol plays intheir lives.
So if you are like, yeah, thisJanuary I'm not really drinking,
(14:49):
or maybe you're thinking aboutlint, because this year lint
starts on February 14th, onValentine's Day, so maybe you're
thinking about it not for dryJanuary, but you're thinking
about it for lint maybe gettinga group of girlfriends together
who also want to abstain fromalcohol over the month of
(15:11):
January or during lint would bea really great thing.
You guys could even just meetup and do something.
It can be helpful.
You can feel seen.
You guys can talk about what'shard, what's easy, what good
things you've noticed, maybewhat obstacles have come up, and
just really make it a time ofnot just bonding but learning
(15:37):
about, not just what you'regoing through, but learning from
your friends as well.
So I highly recommend that.
Support networks are so so key.
Another thing to keep in mind isthat while they do say it can
take 21 or 28 days to change ahabit or at least that's
something I've always been toldor thought it actually isn't
(15:58):
going to change the habit justsimply from abstaining from
alcohol.
We have to be focused on ameaning or have a reason why
we're choosing to abstain.
Of course, you can do achallenge just for just to see
if you can do it, and that'sfine and you'll still learn
something.
And you'll learn something andyou'll still gain awareness.
(16:20):
But if you are looking to havea transformation, to actually
make a change in the way thatyou're drinking, or change your
habit, then it's reallyimportant to be focused on a
purpose.
And the reason for this isbecause a lot of times, when we
are just abstaining for the sakeof abstaining or for a
(16:41):
challenge, we focus a lot on thedeprivation.
We focus a lot on what we'renot having, what we can't have.
For example, my husband and Ihave done a whole 30, the whole
30 diet, like a bunch of times,and the very first time we did
it, we completed it, we did thewhole 30 days.
(17:03):
We are very strict with it, butthe entire time when people
would ask me about it, or when Iwas out to eat or when we were
somewhere, I always focused onwell, we can't, I can't have
this and I can't have that, andI can't have this and I can't
have that.
And what I didn't talk aboutwas all of the benefits I was
(17:25):
getting, not just health wise,but we were eating like
completely different dinners.
I was cooking real food.
We were trying all differentkinds of recipes, because you
know how it is, when you havebeen married for a long time and
you make the same meals thatyour family always loves, it's
really easy just to kind of goback to those and there's
(17:47):
nothing wrong with that.
But this just kind of helpedbranch us out into some new and
exciting ways to cook and eat.
It was wonderful, but again, Iwasn't focused on how great it
was until much, much later.
I was focused on all the thingsthat I was giving up.
And at the end of that 30 daysI am embarrassed to tell you,
(18:14):
but we went to a basketball gamefor my sons and they lost their
game and we were like, oh,let's go to Krispy Kreme and get
a donut.
And we went and I ate thesugary donut and I will tell you
like within five minutes I hada pounding headache and I felt
(18:34):
terrible, like for two days.
And that just goes to show youhow when you remove certain
things from your body and thenyou introduce them back really
quickly, like all at once, likeflour and sugar and all these
things, it can really wreakhavoc on you because you're just
(18:57):
not used to it.
So the next time we did Whole30, I tried to keep in mind and
remember like how good I felt,how much energy I had, how much
mental clarity I had, and itjust every time we have done it
since then, like as a reset.
(19:18):
It just is so much easier.
Like we don't have all thesymptoms that they list in the
like between day one and dayseven.
You'll feel this between days.
You know, whatever, whateveryou'll feel this, it's very
minimal to what it was in thebeginning and that's kind of
(19:39):
like with abstaining fromalcohol, maybe the very first
time you do it.
It's going to be really hard,really uncomfortable.
You're going to be focused onall your giving up what you're
not doing, even though you'regoing to also be experiencing
these really incredible healthbenefits clarity, maybe even
(20:04):
relationships improving, anxietyimproving but when we're
focused on the deprivationinstead of what we get to fill
our time with, what we get tofill our bodies with, instead of
that, then it can make theprocess or even just the entire
(20:24):
challenge not really veryfruitful for us, if that makes
sense.
So, before you even startabstaining whether that's just
because you really want to takea break for a while, or you want
to greatly reduce your alcoholconsumption, or you're giving up
alcohol for a long, whatever itis just make sure that you have
(20:50):
the purpose and your why inmind, and that will just make it
go so much easier for you.
I want you to know that if youslip up or maybe you don't even
feel as great as you thoughtthat you would, or maybe you're
(21:11):
thinking I'm not drinking andI'm completely bored, I can't
relax, I'm not going to get itbecause this urge is too big.
Maybe you feel like an outsider.
If you are having all of thesethoughts or obstacles come up as
you are trying to take a breakand step back and analyze your
(21:34):
drinking, don't be discouraged.
Just don't be discouraged.
Let it be learning.
Don't beat yourself up about it.
Just ask yourself what can Ilearn from this?
Why am I bored?
What could I do that maybewould feel fulfilling or bring
(21:55):
me joy?
What did I used to do when Iwasn't consuming this much
alcohol?
What did I do with my time?
If you can't relax, maybe youcan find different ways that you
can relax.
Is it painting?
Is it journaling?
Is it crocheting?
(22:17):
Is it exercising?
When you think you just won'tget it, those thoughts are not
the kind of thoughts that aregoing to get you the results
that you want.
I encourage you to change thatthought too.
This is just going to take sometime Building my sober muscles.
(22:39):
It's like going to the gym.
I just need to give myself sometime and I'm going to get it.
And if you feel like you're onthe outside looking in, think of
ways that you can not feel thatway, maybe it is having a
non-alcoholic drink in a prettyglass or finding a non-alcoholic
(23:02):
option.
Maybe, again, it's justdeciding.
Right now I don't really wantto go to an event like that, and
if you don't have to, thendon't.
Or you could create a plan withyour spouse or your friend or
your sister or your mom thatwhen you're starting to feel
uncomfortable, you have a codeword and you guys can just leave
(23:24):
.
Just having that support andletting people know how you're
feeling and what you're goingthrough is going to be so, so
helpful.
Whether you're doing dryJanuary or you're just getting
sober curious, it's all aboutchanging your thinking and it's
going to require learning newskills and practicing.
(23:46):
So just be patient withyourself, and I have tools and I
have resources that can helpyou as you do this.
This podcast is a big one thatI'm very passionate about and I
hope that it's helpful for youand, if it is, I hope that
you'll share it with others whomight find value in it.
(24:07):
I also have my five day sacredsobriety kickstart.
I'm going to be redoing thosevideos really soon, but if you
want to grab that, it's free andyou can get started.
You can grab it and decide todo it at Lent.
It's self-paced, you can justdo it whenever and however you
want.
(24:27):
And then, lastly, I've justopened up my sacred sobriety lab
, so check out all theinformation.
I have tons of information onthat at sacredsobrietylabcom.
Well, that does it for thisepisode of the Catholic sobriety
podcast.
I hope you enjoyed this episodeand I would invite you to share
(24:50):
it with a friend, who mightalso get value from it as well,
and make sure you subscribe soyou don't miss a thing.
I am the Catholic sobrietycoach, and if you would like to
learn how to work with me orlearn more about the coaching
that I offer, visit my website,thecatholicsobrietycoachcom.
(25:11):
Follow me on Instagram attheCatholic sobriety coach.
I look forward to speaking toyou next time, and remember I am
here for you.
I am praying for you.
You are not alone.
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