Sober for October

At the end of September, I decided that I needed to do something different to feel better. After months of various illnesses and just feeling extremely run down, I have committed to ‘Sober for October’.

The first day I wrote this:

Day 1

What the actual f**k am I doing?  I’m run down, stressed and now I don’t know how to wind down. Yes, I realise that alcohol does not help health-wise when run down and it is good to have a break but I find myself on the first night feeling lost. How do I take the edge off?!?!! This is HARD.

It’s now Day 8, so 7x nights sober and I finally feeling a little bit calmer.  My journey this week has been tough.  I wasn’t expecting it to affect me as much as it has.  The biggest struggle has been; as I ferociously state above, is how to switch off.  I have been relying on alcohol as my cue to relax and without it I feel in a weird limbo.

One of the other rules that I set myself was that I would continue to meet with friends in bars and not change any part of my social life.  Doing so would have felt like cheating.

Being in a bar sucks. While I didn’t explicitly mind not drinking alcohol, I had no idea what to drink! My usual being red wine, there is no natural equivalent.

In my search to find an alternative at home & out, I’ve tried the following:

• Diet Coke: My fav so far but after 1x I don’t want any more fizz!
• Virgin Mojito: Basically soda & lime with a hint of mint – BORING and very watery
• Alcohol-Free Beer: This one is ok too, but again, too much fizz that I’m not used to
• Alcohol-Free Red Wine: What the actual F**k did I expect from this??? It’s weirdly like fizzy grape juice! Yuk yuk.

In conclusion, for at home, the exploration continues; I want to try some new squashes, fruits juices or smoothies, teas…

At a bar, I’m going to just stick to my 1x diet coke and/or alcohol-free beer and just drink really really SLLLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWWLLLYYYY!!!

In terms of switching off, I still haven’t found the magic button nor do I physically feel any better or different but I’m told it’s onwards and upwards after 7-days so fingers crossed…I have high hopes and expectations this coming week!

To give me some additional motivation, I’ve decided give to a charity close to my heart, Lucy Air Ambulance. You can read all about why here: https://www.lucyaac.org.uk/transfer-stories/max-olli/

If you would like to donate, you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sammi-jo110