4 Ways to Thrive This Summer Without Alcohol.

If this is your first summer alcohol-free, there might be some long-held beliefs you have to reassess like:  my mornings on vacation are rounded off with mimosas, I must have a beer while watching the ball game, or no barbeque is complete without tongs in one hand and a cocktail in the other.

These beliefs are understandable, but we can move beyond them.

What follows are four proactive ways to help you not merely survive the summer sans booze but thrive as the alcohol-free badass you are.

1) List your “whys.”

Trying to uproot ingrained habits and unexamined beliefs takes effort and attention.  A good place to begin is to determine precisely why it is you want to reduce the role of alcohol in your life.

Take some time to honestly search within yourself and write down the reasons why you do not want to drink. Perhaps you wish to be healthy or fully present or more responsible.

This is an opportunity to reconnect with your values and discover whether alcohol has a place there or not.

Keep that list on you. If you feel overwhelmed, like having a drink is the only course of action, then get the list out. Remind yourself why you are on this journey.

2) Start a new project or hobby.

We have time to devote to other interests once alcohol no longer encroaches on our lives.

This summer would be an excellent time to build that palapa you have always wanted or revive your long-repressed interest in ax throwing.

Explore whatever ideas have been floating around in your noggin. Now that your mind is clear and unencumbered by booze, it would love the challenge of a new hobby or project.

3) Find your tribe.

Connection and community are integral to our well-being as a social species. Through our relationships with others, we find our purpose in the world; it is how we thrive and grow and heal.

Quitting drinking has the potential to cause upheaval in your friend groups. This is an opportunity to branch out.

Go find others who share your new passions or form your own group of folks seeking an alcohol-free life.

4) Get out there.

You will have more energy to burn once you quit paying the heavy toll that booze exacts.

You might naturally want to challenge yourself; to push your comfort zones.

With that spirit of exploration in mind, I will leave you with the words of Edward Abbey:

“So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.”

Get after it!

P.S.

I am happy to coach you on this topic, and I have spots open. You can schedule a free and completely confidential call by clicking here. There is no obligation in this call. We will discuss where you are, where you would like to be, and if you think working with me would be a good fit. I look forward to hearing from you

I know how it feels to even think about reaching out to someone. It doesn’t mean you are weak or broken. It shows you dare to change your own life.