At the end of a busy and stressful day, the only thing you may want to do is to lie on your sofa in front of the telly with a glass of wine or a bottle of beer in your hand. You may feel as if a dose of alcohol is what you truly deserve to wind down for the evening.
The reality, though, is that there is no need to lift your elbow in order to relax, let alone go on a booze spree on Fridays to celebrate the start of the weekend. Indeed, you can enjoy your nights off without having to rely on alcoholic drinks. Going sober, you will be able to chill out better and have genuinely more fun at parties.
This article offers tips on how to make the switch to an alcohol-free lifestyle while also outlining what benefits the change will bring to you.
How to embrace a boozeless lifestyle
If you have always loved sipping the odd cocktail or spirit but have now decided to cut on alcohol for good, it may be tricky to know how and where to start from. Do not worry – we are here to help you kickstart your alcohol-free life. Here are a few useful tips:
- One step at the time – As mentioned, it is challenging to ditch the booze from one day to the next. Ignoring the temptation of some cider or prosecco right from the outset may be wishful thinking. This is why, to begin with, you should try to set yourself realistic targets.
In fact, by taking your alcohol-free journey step by step, you will be able to prepare mentally for your ambitious target.
Start with a one-week trial. Once you have successfully completed it, you will feel ready to take on monthly boozeless challenges!
- Find alternatives – Switching to an alcohol-free lifestyle does not mean you can only drink water for the foreseeable. There are plenty of thirst-quenching options out there that will happily replace your alcoholic drinks!
For instance, why not swap a lager with a refreshing ginger beer? Or why not enjoy homemade, rich-in-fibre fruit juice instead of a Pinot noir?
- Make a reflective list – At first, you may find it difficult to have the motivation to stick to your alcohol-free plan. One way to tackle any potential afterthoughts is to jot down a few ideas. Why did you choose to stop drinking alcohol in the first place?
Note down what made you take the decision. You can also include what you do not like about alcoholic drinks and what you expect to achieve by binning the booze. You will be surprised to discover how many good reasons you have! If you are struggling to find any, though, keep reading…
Benefits and reasons
Consuming alcohol can undoubtedly be a pleasurable experience, but there is no hiding that cutting on wine, beers, and spirits has a wider array of benefits. Therefore, this also means there are many reasons for which you should consider lowering your elbow. Here are some significant upgrades:
- Save money – Let’s be honest, cutting costs to preserve our finances is always a good reason to take action. It is no secret that alcoholic drinks tend to be quite pricey. By keeping them on the supermarket shelf when you go shopping, you will have more spare change left in your pockets.
Also, why not stick the coins in a jar and watch them grow? You will then be able to treat yourself to something nice too!
- Keep your figure – Gyms are packed with “no pain, no gain” slogans. Equally, unless you switch to a boozeless lifestyle, you will be constantly battling against that bloated belly.
If you want to keep in shape, ditching alcohol will take you one step closer to your goal.
- Sleep better – Yes, you are right. Alcohol does make you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the cushion. But it does not mean you will have a good night’s rest. On the contrary, boozing has a negative impact on your sleep cycle. In short, it stops you from having the deep and restorative sleep you deserve to feel properly rested.
- Improve your memory – One of alcohol’s most noticeable effects is that it fogs your mind. While it may seem a short-term condition, the truth is that it can cause damage to your brain in the long run.
Reducing your alcohol consumption has been shown to enhance your memory function and help you solidify your concentration levels.
- Prevent cancer – We obviously do not intend to scare you, but the reality is that alcohol can increase the risk of cancer. Indeed, it can cause seven different types of cancer, including bowel, breast, and mouth cancer. Ultimately, regulating your drinking habits will reduce your risk.
- Socialising – We occasionally think that, in order to socialise and have fun at events, we need to booze with our fellow drinkers. However, this only increments the possibility of anti-social behaviour, as well as other potentially dangerous situations.
By socialising without alcohol, not only will you still have a great time, but will actually be able to remember how much fun you had when you wake up the next morning!
If you have been drinking and enjoying alcohol for many years, it may be challenging to suddenly decide to go without for the foreseeable future. By following our simple tips on how to kickstart your boozeless lifestyle, we hope that you will find avoiding wine and spirits that bit easier. Also, remember: cutting on alcohol consumption has an important range of benefits that will make your resolution worth sticking to.
Sources
https://hellosundaymorning.org/2020/01/15/10-practical-tips-for-staying-af-alcohol-free/
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/12-tips-for-going-alcohol-free_uk_5a574117e4b088f20c3959a8
https://truthaboutgout.com/5-tips-strengthen-alcohol-free-lifestyle/
https://thesoberschool.com/love-life-alcohol-free
https://champagneliving.net/10-benefits-of-being-alcohol-free/
https://www.alustforlife.com/tools/the-benefits-of-going-alcohol-free
