Why You Should Continue Your Dry January Mindset Throughout 2021
Let’s chat about bringing your dry mindset with you as you navigate the rest of the year! If you are among the loads of people who needed a detox after 2020, you aren’t alone. We saw record numbers of participants this year. According to Alcohol Change UK, 6.5 million people planned to do Dry January this year, compared to the 3.9 million in 2020. Those numbers show us that not only has the pandemic had a major impact on physical health, but mental health as well.
As a new year approaches, many of us use it as a chance to reevaluate and reinvent. We manage to separate ourselves from the winter gloominess and replace that with optimism for a fresh start. Kind of amazing, right?
If you bravely enrolled yourself in Dry January this year, we’d like to give you a few tips to keep a dry mindset moving forward. Whether you got started late or had a slip up in the middle, progress is progress!
If you’ve managed to hold yourself accountable all this time, why not use that to your advantage in 2021? Dry January is built for the sober-curious to do a test run with a community behind them. You aren’t doing it alone! And while the name only implies the month of January, the impacts are meant to last much longer.
Here is how you can be mindful of your alcohol consumption moving forward.
Take note of what worked.
Ask anyone in long term sobriety, and they’ll tell you that everyone’s path is different. No “one thing” works for everyone. So, take note of what seriously helped, and what held you back. Try to assess your environment, relationships, and habits to see if you’ve got room for improvement.
Having a dry mindset will likely involve a few lifestyle changes. You might find that you don’t frequent some of the same places anymore, or hang around the same people. It’s natural to grow and change when you’re searching for your own sense of peace.
Stock up on alternatives.
Leading a dry life doesn’t mean you need to be any less creative or fun with your beverage choices. Do a quick search for sober bartenders on Instagram and you’ll find plenty of innovative creators to serve as your inspiration. Be your own mixologist right from your kitchen! Grab our Self-Care Pack to kickstart your stockpile and try some of our non-alc recipes, like our Immunity Tonic Ginger Ale or the Ginger & Pear Elixr.
Seek out community support.
As you may already know from following Sunwink, the sober and sober-curious community is filled with welcoming and passionate people. This crowd famously accepts newcomers with open arms and often provides tips, stories, and advice.
Set new, attainable goals.
Setting SMART goals takes away your fear of big “forever” goals. You’ve made one month of valuable progress, so you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with the thought of forever. Give it another month or two, and just focus on that. Set goals that you know you can stick to! Eventually, what’s right for you will reveal itself through experience.
Celebrate milestones in your own way.
Acknowledge your progress! Allow yourself to feel proud and use it as fuel to keep going. You can celebrate in any way that feels comfortable for you. Maybe you snag your favorite Sunwink flavor, have some friends over, or take the day for yourself. Either way, don’t overlook how far you’ve come!
When in doubt, lean on plants.
Utilizing healing herbs is one of the most naturally effective ways to soothe anxiety and stress. Calming herbs like lavender, chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm have been used by physicians and healers dating back 5,000 years. These herbs are meant to protect your body from everyday stress. You can use them in tea, tonics, oils, and even aromatherapy. Herbs are incredibly versatile and can be easily incorporated into any daily ritual. We believe in harnessing all the good this Earth has to offer!
All things considered, this coming year will be filled with plenty of unknowns. We can’t control what happens to us, but we can certainly control how we react. Instead of reaching for alcohol to take away our worries, let’s take a pledge to focus on wellness first. Adopting a dry mindset will allow you to face your feelings head-on, and be more prepared for anything life throws our way in 2021.
This blog post was written and contributed by Nicole Nettell––a member of our Sunwink community and a member of the sober community.
