give up alcohol for several months every year. I certainly don’t have a drinking problem but I feel much better in general without any alcohol at all in my system and I’ve written about my alcohol abstinence several times. I’ve had a few emails from people who have been wanting to have a mini-cleanse or a month without alcohol but they just don’t seem to have a spot in their calendar where that fits. I totally understand this. There would be some tough nut dieticians out there that would tell you to harden up and just do it but I get that some people enjoy drinking and want to find a way to do it in a more healthy and sustainable way. Nothing wrong with that, so here are a few tricks I use when I’m trying to have an alcohol cleanse but there are just too many events/holidays/weddings to make a month long cleanse feasible; here’s how to give up alcohol without actually giving it up.
Have a pre-booked rule
If I want to have a break from alcohol but I have two weddings, a weekend away and three friends birthdays coming up, it’ll be a rough month to stick to it. I tend to ‘pre-book’ during these months. Which means that if you’re going to cleanse in April, you’re only allowed to drink on days that have been pre-booked before the month starts. That way you can drink at weddings, important birthdays or while on holiday but you’ll cut back on all those casual after work beers and Friday night drinks. Basically you can’t drink unless you booked it in before the month started.
Pre-choose your AFDs
You should aim to have as many Alcohol Free Days as you can manage in a week but at the very least, if you’re trying to cut down on daily drinking, you should have a minimum of 3 AFDs. The trick is to pre-choose them. So for example if you choose Monday, Tuesday and Thursday just stick to them as your non-negotiable AFDs every week and plan your boozy dinners and catch ups on other days. Easy.
Have an unbreakable drink limit
I’m a massive lover of red wine and I choose to very strongly believe in all the hyped-up ‘healthy benefits’ of a glass of red. However once I’ve had four glasses of red wine the health benefits tend to drop away, along with my ability to use my inside voice. Give yourself a drink limit. A mate of mine once did One Glass October. She could have a glass of wine every day but it could only be one. She did it for a month, was hangover free the whole time and even lost a couple of kgs. She was still able to have her glass of wine with dinner but she still reaped all the benefits of cutting back.
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What are your drinking habits like? Do you need to cut down?
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P.S If you’re a blogger and you can get to Melbourne on the 21st March you should come to the Little Blog Big Workshop I’m running with Hair Romance and Sesame Ellis. Get in quick kids, they’re almost all gone!
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Oh I so needed this post! Than you. I like the idea of an unbreakable drink limit. I think I can actually do that one. Do big glasses count? Haha ????
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I’d say so! One big healthy glass! 🙂
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In my family a glass of wine doesn’t count unless its filled up to the very tippy-top. My Dad pours it so you have to sip a bit out before you can pick up your glass.
None of this standard drink bullshit that they pull in bars where its only filled up to the line.
That does not even count as imbibing….
As I come from a family of grape producers I feel it would be detrimental to give up wine, so maybe I will cut back on jellybeans or something ;o)
Honestly though, I do lose weight much easier if I am committed to a certain length of time. I will try this when I have nothing fun scheduled!-
Oh yes! We’re a family of healthy pour-ers too. Especially for red wine because it’s okay if it gets a little warm!
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FOUR glasses!?! Holy mother of pearl I’m impressed! I will get drunk off ONE. I hardly ever drink, obviously, since I’m the definition of a lightweight.
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I used to be a lightweight but Melbourne and all it’s wine bars have ruined me! I’m much more of a lightweight these days because I’m abstain so much!
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Love this post, and such good timing!
After the hectic Christmas/NY/ birthday period that lasts until March I am feeling like I need to do this! I have in years passed, and know it is beneficial for me to do it again.
I’m liking the one glass concept – but I really do struggle keeping it to just one! It is difficult isn’t it, when social events are all revolved around having a drink! For example, I’m hosting a girls brunch at my house this weekend and people are already talking about bringing bubbles to drink! I can’t escape! Wish me luck 🙂-
That’s the big problem isn’t it? Most of my friends are pretty good about it but for some them drinking is such a big part of their day that they just drink anyway which is fine but watching people get drunk is a bit boring!
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Well, guess what! I did it! I survived my girls brunch this morning without having even a sip! High five to me!
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I love the idea of one glass rule. But most of all choosing certain days and sticking to them. Usually Sunday, Monday and Wednesdays are AFD – sometimes Friday, but not all in the same week! I’m a work in progress! Wish this course was here on the Gold Coast I’d be in like Flynn!
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We’re actually considering a GC course! If we can rustle up 50 attendees we’d be there in a flash!
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These are such good tips – nothing too drastic, just simple and realistic. I always have 4 AFD per week (either Sunday to Wednesday or Monday to Thursday). I really like the unbreakable drink limit. I’ve actually found it so much easier to say “no more thanks” after your first glass than it is after your second. x
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Oh god yes! If I have 1 glass, I can stop. If I have 2 I’ll have 5… as you’ve witnessed!
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I’m sort of doing this at the moment as part of a 12 week fitnes plan and without those pre-booked days I think I would crack and fail. Like that you put the pre-month door policy on it, great way to look at it 🙂
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I’m fastidious about my pre-month door policy!!! I’m loosely doing it this month but I’ve been so damn busy I haven’t even been drinking at all this month! Win!
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Doing the 5:2 diet has been a good way to enforce AFDs… need all my precious calories for food! But on those other days I feel a bit incomplete if I only have one glass.
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The 5:2 is great! I was doing it for ages but I’ve taken a break for #whole30.
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Once you actually start cutting out alcohol from your life, it becomes surprisingly easy to just ask for a soft drink or a juice when you go out. I’ve been alcohol free for a year now, and I honestly don’t feel any desire to drink at all.
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I’ve been thinking about going totally alcohol free… I think next year may be the year!
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My husband’s (and my) mates would – and still do – drop around after work a couple of nights a week to down a few beers and talk crap. The problem for me was that it became very easy to hang out with them and down 3 or 4 before dinner! Not only did I gain a lot of weight over the past few years but I found I didn’t actually enjoy it.
When I turned 40 last year I decided I needed to start drinking like a grown up, ie no more beer swilling drink-for-drink with the lads and settling for cheapo swill because I was ‘on a budget’ instead of enjoying a quality bottle of wine every couple of weeks.
Now instead of the ‘6 o’clock swill’ in the shed with the lads I make myself an old school cocktail (Manhattan and Old Fashioned are two faves) or pour a shot of something nice and savour it while I check my email and Facebook messages and get dinner ready. If I want something with dinner, I pour a small (100ml) glass of wine and enjoy it while I eat. I try to avoid events that involve drinking unaccompanied by food; apart from that one aperitif of an evening I only allow myself to drink with food, even if it’s just canapes. At least 2 days a week are AFD. And if I don’t feel like a drink I don’t let others peer pressure me into it – I’m a grown up and I don’t need to drink to have fun 🙂
