Raise your glass to a healthier you—without the alcohol. In a world where ‘cheers’ often means clinking glasses, it’s time to reconsider the role of alcohol in our lives. Excessive drinking & alcohol abuse can lead to a laundry list of health issues, from the dreaded hangover to the more serious threats like liver disease, heart problems, and even cancer.
If you’ve reached that pivotal moment of realisation and decided it’s time to bid adieu to alcohol, there’s a journey ahead that doesn’t necessarily involve the traditional path of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
PSA: You don’t need to have an alcohol addiction to decide alcohol isn’t serving you anymore. But, regardless of your relationship with alcohol, we’re here to help.
In this article, we’re here to guide you through alternative avenues on your quest for sobriety. No judgment, just practical advice and strategies that can help you stay on the path to getting sober without aa.
Keep reading for seven invaluable tips on how to stay sober without AA. Also check out 9 Top Tips: How to Give Up Alcohol For 1 Year.
Note: Before diving into these tips, it’s crucial to emphasise that if you’re concerned about alcohol withdrawal, seek medical assistance. Alcohol withdrawal is a serious condition that requires professional care and support.
1. Understanding Your Relationship with Alcohol
Before embarking on your journey to stay sober, it’s essential to gain a deeper understanding of your relationship with drinking. Take some time to reflect on your alcohol consumption habits and evaluate whether alcohol is serving you in any way. Consider whether you are ‘using’ alcohol, whether that might be to numb a feeling, forget about something, or to block out external overwhelming factors.
You might also explore why you started drinking in the first place & how your drinking habits have evolved. Ruby Warington’s 100 day sober curious reset is a great tool for exploring your relationship with alcohol and getting to the crux of your drinking habits in an explorative format – this is also a private and convenient solution. Complete it first thing every day for 100 days so your sobriety is top of mind before going on with your day. As you start to understand why you drink, you’ll be less inclined to continue the negative patterns.
Consider the following:
Evaluate Your Alcohol Intake
Let’s begin with a candid self-evaluation of your alcohol consumption. It’s a crucial first step on your journey to a healthier lifestyle. Even if you don’t consider yourself reliant on alcohol, understanding your drinking habits is paramount.
Are you occasionally indulging in binge drinking sessions? Have you unknowingly slipped into patterns of substance abuse? Can you confidently have just one drink and call it a night, or do you find yourself succumbing to temptation more often than not?
Tip: Remember, it’s much easier to resist the first drink than to exercise restraint once you’re already under the influence. Safeguard your judgment by confidently saying ‘no’ to that initial drink and keeping your decision-making skills intact.
Identify Triggers
Let’s dive deeper into your journey towards a life without alcohol by identifying the triggers that steer you towards drinking. Recognising these triggers is a pivotal move in developing alternative, healthier coping strategies.
Common triggers often include the weight of stress, the pull of social events, the pressures of work-related challenges, and the restlessness of insomnia. By shining a light on these triggers, you open the door to discovering more constructive ways of addressing the underlying issues.
Take stress, for instance. Alcohol may seem like a quick escape from its grip, but it’s important to realise that alcohol actually adds to the body’s physical stress. Consider this scenario: you return home after a taxing day at work, pour yourself a glass of wine, and settle in front of the TV. It might appear to help you unwind, but in reality, it’s numbing the sensation of stress by impairing your cognitive function. Your body then toils to process and eliminate the ingested substance, further affecting your sleep quality. (Fun fact: alcohol disrupts REM sleep, impacting mood, learning abilities, and memory.)
Tip: By pinpointing these triggers, you’re embarking on the first leg of a journey towards discovering healthier and more effective ways to cope.
2. Develop a Personal Approach
If going sober forever feels overwhelming, start by setting yourself a personal goal and commit to a period of abstinence. You could start with 30 days and then extend to 90 days, 100 days, 6 months, 1 year…
A popular phrase is ‘One Day At A Time’ which reminds us to only focus on staying sober today and not worrying about how we will cope tomorrow.
The ‘I Am Sober’ app is a great free tool for following your progress. It works as a timer to show you how many days you have been sober for. But, it also allows you to check in each day, recording your mood and anything else you may have noticed.
This is important in helping us to register all the highs and lows and improvements, big and small. It reminds us to stay on track and not to take the calmness of sober life for granted.
You need to find what will work for you and being realistic, you might not find what works first time round. What’s important is that you keep trying different things until you find what sticks.
3. Seek Support
Opening up to your loved ones about your decision to quit drinking can be a source of invaluable support and encouragement. Sharing your health goals and the desire for positive change with them helps normalise your decision, making it easier to stay committed. It also gives you your own personal support group.
If you’re hesitant to confide in a friend or family member initially, consider seeking out alternative support groups. Beyond Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), there exists a vast array of other support groups. (See also support groups below).
The online sober community, for instance, is a thriving and cost-free support group. You can create a ‘sober’ account on platforms like Instagram, and if you prefer, maintain complete anonymity. As you engage with others and share your journey, it can provide a sense of accountability and belonging and become your 24/7 support system.
What sets the sober community apart is its authenticity and honesty, often in stark contrast to the superficiality often associated with social media. You’ll find a welcoming and supportive atmosphere that can be a pillar of strength on your journey to sobriety.
Check out hashtags: sober life, sober lifestyle, we do recover, soberaf, odaat, recovery, sober, sobriety, sober journey, alcohol free
4. Learn to Say “No” Politely
Because of societies warped relationship with alcohol (which is the only drug people will shame you for not using) it can feel daunting to tell people you’ve decided to quit drinking. It’s something many people dread. We worry more about how others will react to our decision more than how beneficial the decision will be for us!
But, if you’ve decided it’s time to walk away from alcohol and put yourself first, you will need to be prepared to say no. This might lead to discovering some people you thought were your friends were really glorified drinking buddies but we’ll look at that next!
When offered a drink, it’s important to have a polite but firm response ready. Practicing your refusal in advance can boost your confidence in social situations where alcohol is present. Eventually it will become second nature & as those around you get used to your unwavering sobriety, they will stop offering & hopefully start offering you delicious alternatives!
Depending on who you’re surrounded by you may want to decide whether to be honest, try to make a joke out of it or just rip the band aid off and tell people you’re now a non drinker. End of.
5. Create a New Environment
If you’ve been drinking for a long time, hanging out in bars, pubs, clubs and are worried you don’t know who you will be or what you will do without alcohol, now is the time for some self exploration! This is an opportunity to create the life you want for yourself and be the person you really want to be. But these changes need to happen inside and out.
This doesn’t mean you’ll never step foot in a pub again but it’s all about finding what you’re most comfortable with. You might feel you can go straight into the same environment surrounded by alcohol and say no. Or, you might find your old drinking holes way to triggering and decide to stay away from them until you’ve got a couple of months under your belt and some confidence in your ability to turn drinks down.
Either way, changing your physical environment can be instrumental in reducing alcohol triggers.
Consider the following strategies:
Remove Alcohol from Your Home
Eliminating the presence of alcohol in your home is a strategic move in your journey toward sobriety. When alcohol is readily accessible, it can test your resolve to abstain from drinking. By removing all alcoholic beverages from your living space, you remove this daily temptation. Throw it away or give it to a friend.
If you find this step challenging, consider it a practical deterrent. When you no longer have alcohol at arm’s reach, it means you would have to make a conscious effort to go out and purchase it, which provides you with valuable time to reconsider your decision.
Stock Up on Alternative Drinks
Discover non-alcoholic drinks that you enjoy as substitutes for alcoholic drinks. Experiment with flavoured sodas, mocktails, alcohol-free beer, or herbal teas. Having appealing alternatives on hand can make it easier to resist the urge to reach for alcohol. Particularly once we’ve learnt our triggers! Much better to reach for an alcohol free beer on a Friday night to satisfy a craving.
Tip: Make sure you are buying no alcohol and not low alcohol. Some ‘low alcohol’ wines are still 5% alcohol. Stick to 0.5% and below.
Get Hobbies & Join New Communities
Staying engaged in activities that not only keep you occupied but also physically active can be a powerful distraction from the urge to drink. Seek out new hobbies, consider joining clubs or groups that align with your interests, or allocate more time to the activities you’re already passionate about. By enriching your daily schedule with fulfilling pursuits, you’ll naturally have less time and inclination to turn to alcohol.
As previously mentioned, your friendships may be seriously impacted by your decision to quit drinking. If this is the case for you, it’s even more of a reason to put yourself out there and immerse yourself in new communities.
You can join clubs where you don’t know anyone and enter as the ‘new you’. When the inevitable conversation of alcohol comes up, it is much easier to tell people who don’t know anything about your past, that you don’t drink.
6. Prioritize Self-Care
Kicking alcohol to the curb can be like saying goodbye to an old friend – one who might’ve overstayed their welcome. But remember, this journey is all about you, and it’s okay to put yourself first. In fact it’s encouraged!
Here’s the secret sauce: prioritise yourself, inside and out. Take care of your mental and physical well-being like they’re your VIP guests. When you make self-care your partner in crime, those overwhelming feelings won’t stand a chance.
Focus on Wellness
Improving your physical health can boost your resilience and emotional strength. Stay hydrated, eat balanced meals, engage in regular physical activity, and prioritise quality sleep. You might struggle with your sleep to begin (that’s totally normal) but give it time & without alcohol in your system you’ll be getting much higher quality sleep!
Let us not forget our mental healthy habits too! Whilst the above physical habits can have a very positive impact on our mental health, there are also other things we can do to be kind to ourselves. Try journaling, having pamper nights, meditating (try a free app if you don’t know where to start), or alternative to meditating, you can try NSDR (Non Sleep Deep Rest) which is recommended by Dr Huberman.
7. Seek Professional Support
If you find it challenging to give up alcohol on your own, seeking professional support can be immensely helpful. Consider the following options:
Therapy or Counselling
Working with a licensed mental health professional experienced in addiction treatment can provide valuable guidance and support. This can be done online or via face to face meetings. They can help you explore underlying issues that contribute to your relationship with alcohol and develop personalised strategies for giving it up.
Support Groups
Joining online support groups can connect you with individuals on similar journeys. Websites like Sunnyside, Tempest, Moderation.org, or Ben’s Friends offer virtual communities where you can share experiences, receive support, and find encouragement from others who understand your struggles.
Conclusion
Giving up alcohol without relying on Alcoholics Anonymous is entirely possible with the right approach and support. By understanding your relationship with alcohol, developing a personal plan, seeking support, creating a new environment, prioritising self-care, and considering professional assistance, you can successfully navigate the journey towards a healthier and alcohol-free life.
Remember, each step you take towards giving up alcohol is a step towards improved well-being and personal growth.
Picture it: with every step, you’re shedding the weight of the past and embracing the promise of a brighter future. Your well-being is the destination, and the path is paved with determination and self-love. So, keep moving forward because the best version of ‘you’ is just around the corner. Cheers to your personal growth!