In this episode of the Catholic Sobriety podcast, we delve into the world of Dry January - a month-long challenge where individuals choose to abstain from alcohol. Join us as we explore the historical roots of Dry January, its evolution into a global movement, and the potential benefits and pitfalls associated with this sobriety initiative.
We'll take a deep dive into the numerous advantages of embarking on a Dry January journey. Discover how saying no to alcohol for a month can lead to increased energy levels, and improved mental health, and how this period of abstinence can bring about positive changes in your life.
But it's not all smooth sailing. We'll also address the potential pitfalls that participants may encounter during Dry January and how to deal with them.
Moreover, we'll discuss how Dry January can serve as a springboard for greater clarity for those looking to reduce or eliminate their alcohol intake.
In this episode of the Catholic Sobriety podcast, we delve into the world of Dry January - a month-long challenge where individuals choose to abstain from alcohol. Join us as we explore the historical roots of Dry January, its evolution into a global movement, and the potential benefits and pitfalls associated with this sobriety initiative.
We'll take a deep dive into the numerous advantages of embarking on a Dry January journey. Discover how saying no to alcohol for a month can lead to increased energy levels, and improved mental health, and how this period of abstinence can bring about positive changes in your life.
But it's not all smooth sailing. We'll also address the potential pitfalls that participants may encounter during Dry January and how to deal with them.
Moreover, we'll discuss how Dry January can serve as a springboard for greater clarity for those looking to reduce or eliminate their alcohol intake.
Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the go-to resource for women seeking to have a deeper understanding of the role alcohol plays in their lives, women who are looking to drink less or not at all for any reason. I am your host, kristy Walker. I'm a wife, mom and a Joyfield Catholic, and I am the Catholic Subriety Coach, and I am so glad you're here. We are a little over halfway through January and everywhere I look someone is talking about dry January. Of course, I do consume a lot of media that revolves around sobriety, but something just feels extra different this year. It seems to have gone even more mainstream. If you type in the hashtag dry January, you'll see all sorts of information. Non-alcoholic options Marketers are just like really going all in on this dry January. In fact, many of my local grocery stores are end capping their non-alcoholic adult beverages, which is great to see, and so many companies are starting to develop non-alcoholic options. I even saw white claw, which I don't really know what that is, but I guess without the alcohol wouldn't it just be seltzer water? But the thing is that you have a white claw can, so it feels like you're fitting in and like you're just doing the same thing with the crowd and it may be nice, because people don't necessarily know that it's a non-alcoholic drink. So if you're a little bit self-conscious about it, then you'll feel like you fit in more and maybe people won't try to keep asking you if you want a drink when clearly you are deciding not to have alcohol. The other thing that I've seen a lot advertised and really directed towards dry January although I've seen it advertised all year, it just seems to be coming up a lot more in my feed are herbal mood enhancers or drinks that contain like a seltzer water or something that contains different herbs that are supposed to have like a calming effect on you. I don't know if those work or how they work or if they're even good. If you've tried them and they work for you, let me know. Just hit me up on Instagram or send me a message, because I would love to know what your experience is with them and whether or not you found them helpful.
Speaker 1:
So when did dry January start? Anyway? Believe it or not, it has its roots all the way back to World War II. I was really surprised when I learned this through my research, because I actually thought it was a fairly new development. So, anyway, the Finnish government was the first to introduce the concept called ratus januar, which translates to sober January. My apologies to any of my Finnish speaking listeners if I butchered that pronunciation, which I'm sure I did, but the reason for sober January back then was to curb alcohol consumption among the troops, and they believed that it would boost their health and their readiness for combat, which I'm sure they quickly realized was an amazing idea. So the next thing is that it really caught on, and not only did it lead to a drop in national alcohol consumption, it also sparked a cultural shift towards sober activities and living. So that's pretty cool right.
Speaker 1:
For a while, this whole sober January thing was mostly a Finnish affair, but as time passed, the idea began to spread across Europe. So fast forward to the early 2000s and the concept of dry January popped up again. People started challenging themselves to stay sober for an entire month and share their experiences on blogs and social media, which helped the movement gain momentum. But let's be honest, not everyone was on board at first. In a world where every event seems like it revolves around alcohol in one way or another, there was some resistance to the idea of dry January. However, that's when alcohol change UK stepped in In 2013,. They officially launched dry January with free apps, social media groups and a comprehensive website to support the participants. That year, alcohol change UK reported that 4,000 people signed up for the challenge, but since then it has grown significantly, with over 130,000 signing up to participate in the challenge in 2022. These are just the people that are signing up to participate, but so many people are just doing it on their own and they're not officially signing up, so that number, I would imagine, is quite a bit larger than that reported number.
Speaker 1:
The popularity has spread globally and includes other European countries and the United States and, as I said at the beginning of the show, many people are talking about it. So is dry January worth doing? After all, it's only 30 days of abstinence. Well, according to the National Library of Medicine, research has proven that dry January is an effective behavior change campaign. The campaign was independently evaluated in 2014 by the University of Sussex and found 72% of its participants had sustained reduced levels of harmful drinking. Time magazine also reports that the campaign has flourished during a period of increased alcohol consumption, with one study showing that drinking has increased by 70%. Let me say that again, one study shows that drinking has increased by 70% between the years of 1990 and 2017. The World Health Organization also states that no level of alcohol consumption is good for our health. They call alcohol a group 1 carcinogen and the highest risk group alongside asbestos, radiation and tobacco. Drinking has also been proven to be one of the leading causes of preventable death in the US, and that is per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Speaker 1:
And I will leave links to these articles in my show notes because there's tons more information included in them, with links to the studies as well. So, as you can see from this information, the less alcohol we consume, the better, and it's for that reason I will always encourage happily, for anyone to take a chance on dry January. So whether you decide to do it and make it through the whole month, that's amazing. If you don't quite make it through the whole month, that's okay too, because you're still getting some benefits and you're definitely gaining some awareness around your drinking. Like I always say, just get curious, figuring out what works for you.
Speaker 1:
Now I'm going to talk a little bit about the benefits of dry January on your health and some of the pitfalls that you might face, but how to manage those pitfalls so that you can make the most of your dry January efforts, or it doesn't even have to be dry January, it can be any effort to abstain from alcohol for an extended period of time. So there are multiple health benefits. I've already alluded to some of them when I was quoting from a few of the articles earlier, but I just want to explain five of those right now for you. So one of those is going to be improved sleep and energy levels, because alcohol interferes with our sleep cycle, leading to poor quality sleep. Abstaining from alcohol can improve your sleep patterns and boost energy levels. I do want to note that this doesn't always happen right away, though, so don't feel discouraged if you don't notice all of a sudden having an uptick in energy and amazing sleep. This is something that takes a little while, because your sleep pattern has to adjust, and after that then you should reap those benefits.
Speaker 1:
Another one is weight loss. Alcohol is just high in calories, so cutting it out can contribute to weight loss. You'll also notice that your skin looks better, because alcohol dehydrates the skin and it can cause it to look dull and tired. The other benefit is improved mental health. Regular alcohol consumption isn't great for our mental health. It increases our risk of depression and it heightens anxiety. So a period of abstinence will improve your mental health and it will also help you see a little bit more how alcohol is affecting you, because sometimes, when we're just doing it, we don't realize what it is that's causing a symptom, and when you cut it out then you realize oh, it actually was that.
Speaker 1:
The last thing I'm going to talk about is just awareness of your overall health. So dry January can lead to a better understanding of your relationship with alcohol, which is what we're all about here, right? Just gaining that clarity and confidence so that you can choose to drink or not drink from a place of peace. I have in no way saying that you have to never have alcohol again. I just think that well, I know taking these bouts of abstinence will definitely help you as you get more sober, curious and start to find the level of sobriety that works for you.
Speaker 1:
Now let's just talk about a few of the things that might hinder you or it might be considered a pitfall, as you do dry January, it might be a stumbling block of sorts. The first is social pressure. We talk a lot about that on this podcast and I have a lot of episodes on how to deal with that. But social events that involve alcohol, where you are normally drinking, are just going to feel uncomfortable, and there might even be pressure from peers to drink, and that can be challenging as well. So I do want you to keep that in mind. The other thing is just like your habitual drinking pattern, so for some reason, maybe drinking has become a regular part of your daily routine.
Speaker 1:
Breaking the habit can be really difficult, especially if you don't have meaning behind it and you're just doing it to see if you can do it. You may also find that some negative emotions come up, because when you don't have your coping mechanism for stress and anxiety, all of a sudden you're actually having to feel your feelings, and because maybe you don't allow yourself to do that very often, it can be really uncomfortable and even overwhelming at times. And then another pitfall can just be lack of support. So if you don't have people in your life who are supportive of your decision or even your challenge, your month long challenge to not drink can be really really difficult to maintain your motivation. So now, how can we manage these hindrances?
Speaker 1:
The first, main, first important, is just preparation and planning. Preparing what you want to say when those questions come up, when you are in those social activities, figuring out, maybe, what you will want to drink, maybe just deciding that you don't want to go to an event because you will find it really hard to say no, and this is something that's really important to you. So just try to plan activities that don't involve alcohol and if you are going to be somewhere where there is alcohol, just make sure that you plan and prepare for what you want to say. Now, another thing that you will learn during dry January, as you face these pitfalls and obstacles and hindrances, is how to develop coping mechanisms, because if you can't just reach for alcohol to deal with your negative emotions, you're almost forced to find healthier coping mechanisms. This could be exercise, journaling, meditation, reading, prayer, pursuing a new hobby there are so many other ways to cope. So I always suggest making a list of things to do instead of drink. You don't have to sit down and write down your end all be all list, like, just start a list and then, as something comes to your mind, add it to your list. So that could be walking your dog, calling your friend who lives across the country. It could be going, you know, for coffee or I don't know. There's so many different things. Sometimes it's just giving yourself a nice evening facial during the time when you would have been drinking a glass of wine. So trying to develop healthier coping mechanisms is going to be key and that will help you resist the urge when it arises.
Speaker 1:
If you are looking for support, a lot of times there are other people who in your life who are also kind of wondering about the role that alcohol plays in their lives. So if you are like, yeah, this January I'm not really drinking, or maybe you're thinking about lint, because this year lint starts on February 14th, on Valentine's Day, so maybe you're thinking about it not for dry January, but you're thinking about it for lint maybe getting a group of girlfriends together who also want to abstain from alcohol over the month of January or during lint would be a really great thing. You guys could even just meet up and do something. It can be helpful. You can feel seen. You guys can talk about what's hard, what's easy, what good things you've noticed, maybe what obstacles have come up, and just really make it a time of not just bonding but learning about, not just what you're going through, but learning from your friends as well. So I highly recommend that. Support networks are so so key.
Speaker 1:
Another thing to keep in mind is that while they do say it can take 21 or 28 days to change a habit or at least that's something I've always been told or thought it actually isn't going to change the habit just simply from abstaining from alcohol. We have to be focused on a meaning or have a reason why we're choosing to abstain. Of course, you can do a challenge just for just to see if you can do it, and that's fine and you'll still learn something. And you'll learn something and you'll still gain awareness. But if you are looking to have a transformation, to actually make a change in the way that you're drinking, or change your habit, then it's really important to be focused on a purpose. And the reason for this is because a lot of times, when we are just abstaining for the sake of abstaining or for a challenge, we focus a lot on the deprivation. We focus a lot on what we're not having, what we can't have.
Speaker 1:
For example, my husband and I have done a whole 30, the whole 30 diet, like a bunch of times, and the very first time we did it, we completed it, we did the whole 30 days. We are very strict with it, but the entire time when people would ask me about it, or when I was out to eat or when we were somewhere, I always focused on well, we can't, I can't have this and I can't have that, and I can't have this and I can't have that. And what I didn't talk about was all of the benefits I was getting, not just health wise, but we were eating like completely different dinners. I was cooking real food. We were trying all different kinds of recipes, because you know how it is, when you have been married for a long time and you make the same meals that your family always loves, it's really easy just to kind of go back to those and there's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 1:
But this just kind of helped branch us out into some new and exciting ways to cook and eat. It was wonderful, but again, I wasn't focused on how great it was until much, much later. I was focused on all the things that I was giving up. And at the end of that 30 days I am embarrassed to tell you, but we went to a basketball game for my sons and they lost their game and we were like, oh, let's go to Krispy Kreme and get a donut. And we went and I ate the sugary donut and I will tell you like within five minutes I had a pounding headache and I felt terrible, like for two days. And that just goes to show you how when you remove certain things from your body and then you introduce them back really quickly, like all at once, like flour and sugar and all these things, it can really wreak havoc on you because you're just not used to it. So the next time we did Whole30, I tried to keep in mind and remember like how good I felt, how much energy I had, how much mental clarity I had, and it just every time we have done it since then, like as a reset. It just is so much easier. Like we don't have all the symptoms that they list in the like between day one and day seven.
Speaker 1:
You'll feel this between days. You know, whatever, whatever you'll feel this, it's very minimal to what it was in the beginning and that's kind of like with abstaining from alcohol, maybe the very first time you do it. It's going to be really hard, really uncomfortable. You're going to be focused on all your giving up what you're not doing, even though you're going to also be experiencing these really incredible health benefits clarity, maybe even relationships improving, anxiety improving but when we're focused on the deprivation instead of what we get to fill our time with, what we get to fill our bodies with, instead of that, then it can make the process or even just the entire challenge not really very fruitful for us, if that makes sense. So, before you even start abstaining whether that's just because you really want to take a break for a while, or you want to greatly reduce your alcohol consumption, or you're giving up alcohol for a long, whatever it is just make sure that you have the purpose and your why in mind, and that will just make it go so much easier for you.
Speaker 1:
I want you to know that if you slip up or maybe you don't even feel as great as you thought that you would, or maybe you're thinking I'm not drinking and I'm completely bored, I can't relax, I'm not going to get it because this urge is too big. Maybe you feel like an outsider. If you are having all of these thoughts or obstacles come up as you are trying to take a break and step back and analyze your drinking, don't be discouraged. Just don't be discouraged. Let it be learning. Don't beat yourself up about it. Just ask yourself what can I learn from this? Why am I bored? What could I do that maybe would feel fulfilling or bring me joy? What did I used to do when I wasn't consuming this much alcohol? What did I do with my time?
Speaker 1:
If you can't relax, maybe you can find different ways that you can relax. Is it painting? Is it journaling? Is it crocheting? Is it exercising? When you think you just won't get it, those thoughts are not the kind of thoughts that are going to get you the results that you want. I encourage you to change that thought too. This is just going to take some time Building my sober muscles. It's like going to the gym. I just need to give myself some time and I'm going to get it.
Speaker 1:
And if you feel like you're on the outside looking in, think of ways that you can not feel that way, maybe it is having a non-alcoholic drink in a pretty glass or finding a non-alcoholic option. Maybe, again, it's just deciding. Right now I don't really want to go to an event like that, and if you don't have to, then don't. Or you could create a plan with your spouse or your friend or your sister or your mom that when you're starting to feel uncomfortable, you have a code word and you guys can just leave. Just having that support and letting people know how you're feeling and what you're going through is going to be so, so helpful. Whether you're doing dry January or you're just getting sober curious, it's all about changing your thinking and it's going to require learning new skills and practicing. So just be patient with yourself, and I have tools and I have resources that can help you as you do this.
Speaker 1:
This podcast is a big one that I'm very passionate about and I hope that it's helpful for you and, if it is, I hope that you'll share it with others who might find value in it. I also have my five day sacred sobriety kickstart. I'm going to be redoing those videos really soon, but if you want to grab that, it's free and you can get started. You can grab it and decide to do it at Lent. It's self-paced, you can just do it whenever and however you want. And then, lastly, I've just opened up my sacred sobriety lab, so check out all the information. I have tons of information on that at sacredsobrietylabcom.
Speaker 1:
Well, that does it for this episode of the Catholic sobriety podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I would invite you to share it with a friend, who might also get value from it as well, and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a thing. I am the Catholic sobriety coach, and if you would like to learn how to work with me or learn more about the coaching that I offer, visit my website, thecatholicsobrietycoachcom. Follow me on Instagram at theCatholic sobriety coach. I look forward to speaking to you next time, and remember I am here for you. I am praying for you. You are not alone.