Sober October: That’s a Wrap!
“Live less out of habit and more out of intent”
Wow! We are at the end of this month-long journey. What was it like to move through this experience alcohol-free?
Take some time to reflect. Whether this was a slog through a swamp or a stroll in the park, you laid a foundation on which you can build further if you choose.
How do you see yourself now? You adopted a new view of yourself by stepping into the role of a non-drinker. You ventured outside of your comfort zones and expanded the boundaries of who you are as an individual.
Reframing success.
What if I didn’t stay alcohol-free during the entirety of Sober October? Does that mean I failed? Absolutely not!
Let’s reframe this all-or-nothing mentality a little bit. Even if you drank for 6 days during October, that is an 80% success rate! If a company had an 80% annual revenue increase, would it consider that a failure? I doubt it.
“But I only had six days alcohol-free during October…” Fantastic! Let’s reframe this thought: You increased your days alcohol-free by 20%. That is amazing, especially if you were like me and drank every single day.
If you were trying to exercise more, would you not consider it a significant achievement if you increased your time in the gym by 20%? Of course, you would.
Do the same with your relationship with alcohol.
The point is to see the effectiveness awareness can have on our urges and habits and how empowering it is to take responsibility for them. The point is that creating a gap in your drinking habits, no matter how seemingly small, can cause an exponential shift over time.
What are your goals?
Where would you like to be in relationship with yourself and alcohol in the next six months? 12 months? Maybe you want to moderate, not drink at all, or simply drink mindfully.
Use S.M.A.R.T. as a guide for your goals. It stands Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
Taking the time to write down your goals will help align your subconscious and conscious mind in a profound way. Share them with someone so that they can help keep you accountable and further cement your vision of the future in your being.
Celebrate!
Your time spent earnestly observing your relationship with alcohol and doing the internal work is a big deal!
It is no small feat to question the beliefs, assumptions, habits, and actions around alcohol that may have gone unexamined for decades.
This 30-day break allowed you to interrupt those old patterns and build a new structure of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Be proud of yourself for what you have accomplished, and continue on this path to liberation from alcohol, whatever that may look like for you.
