Dry January is a time when people take a break from drinking alcohol. The U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for cancer warning labels on all alcoholic beverages to highlight the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. “Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States…yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk”.
After hearing this, Dry January and an NA lifestyle are even more relevant than ever for our long term health.
Here are 5 tips that will help you on your journey:
1. Make sure to have lots and lots of Non-Alcoholic choices on hand. Can anyone say, Green Bee? Our fizzy, delicious honey sodas and sparkling waters are the perfect replacement for any cocktail. If you’re going to a friend’s house bring a few 4 packs so you know your covered.
2. Sit down and make a list and identify why you drink. Are you drinking because you are stressed out? Are you drinking to help you sleep better or to help break the ice in social situations? Once you identify why you are drinking. Come up with alternatives to drinking so you are prepared before someone tries to hand you a drink.
3. Pay attention to how you are feeling without drinking. Start a journal so you can track your daily progress. Are you sleeping better? Have more energy during the day? Feeling less bloated? These are all positive signs that will help stay you on your alcohol-free journey.
4. Put all of the money aside that you would have spent on alcohol and do something nice for yourself at the end of the month.
5. If your feeling great without alcohol, come up with a long-term plan. Just like with healthy eating habits, if you aren’t making a conscious effort on a daily basis, it is very easy to fall into your old bad habits.
