January is coming to an end and it’s bringing the dry January trend along with it. For those who don’t know, dry January is a challenge, or trend, that sees participants staying sober for the full month. It goes hand-in-hand with many health-orientated New Year resolutions which can be tricky to stick to for an entire year. However, if you have managed to complete dry January and want to continue your streak, read on for Brig’s guide on going out sober.
How to go out sober
The most important thing is to choose your battles. If you want to go to a club or an event where you know you have to be at least a little tipsy to have a good time, maybe save that for later in the year. Start off simple with small pub visits or drinks at a friend’s house.
Then you want to find a drink or two that you can enjoy. A good tip is to make it one that you don’t usually drink – having a Sprite in a pub when you drink it regularly may waiver your resolve. Some good sober drinks include cranberry and lemonade, orange and lemonade, or a fizzy drink you don’t have often. Also, creating your own mocktails for places that don’t offer them can be fun. Just look up what goes in to a cocktail and order that without the alcohol.
Investing in some snacks for the night may also help those with fidgety hands from drinking too much juice. Pretzels, nuts, or crisps are stocked in most pubs and can help take your mind off getting a pint.
Probably one of the most helpful things to do is to have friends take part in non-alcoholic nights out with you. Being the only one sober at the club can feel extremely isolating, even more so for those who can get a bit anxious at events. This feeling can cause you to falter and order a drink to calm your nerves. Instead, when you have a sober friend with you, their presence alone can be grounding when surrounded by drunk people, flashing lights, and loud music.
Sometimes it is better to decide if you can have fun at an event without drinking beforehand – if the answer is no, perhaps pass and have a night in. This is easier said than done, especially when the rare summer sun shines on Scottish beer gardens and lures you in with promise of a cool beer. Just remember why you decided to take this journey and what you hope to gain from it.
Lastly, some people choose to be sober for the year barring special occasions – weddings, birthdays, festivals, anything that isn’t a regular occurrence. This limits their alcohol intake (from what could be every weekend or every other weekend) to once, or less, per month. If you don’t want to miss a special day but you don’t feel comfortable going sober then this mindset could work for you.
Why continue dry January?
Health-wise, drinking can cause heightened anxiety the next morning for some people, and it also acts as a depressant. Furthermore, drinking can cause physical health complications. Currently, the NHS recommends 14 units or less per week (if you drink this much regularly) for adults to lower the risk of alcohol-related illness. They consider this a low-risk drinking level.
In the end, going alcohol-free is a choice only you can make. There’s nothing wrong with going out for a drink or two on the weekend, but for those who take it too far and want to change, those who want to save some money, or those who are invested in living a healthier lifestyle than they currently do, going sober could suit you.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels
Fourth year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Words at Brig, The Daily Evergreen, Alloa Advertiser, Discovery Music Scotland, and The Mourning Paper.
