You may need a Sober October more than you think

CNN
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Sober October, Dry January and Dry July: For a quarter of a year, these actions motivate people to band together and challenge themselves to give up alcohol.

It’s no surprise to Annie Grace that these alcohol-cutting periods are growing in popularity. The author of This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol said she sees more and more people evaluating the relationship that alcohol plays in their lives.

how much is too much The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies moderate drinking as two drinks or fewer in a day for men and one drink or fewer for women. However, according to the CDC, two-thirds of adult drinkers report drinking more than these levels at least once a month.

And the pandemic hasn’t helped. A December 2020 study found that 60% of respondents drank more alcohol over the year and more than a third said they engaged in binge drinking, which is defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion for men and four for women.

Studies show that alcohol is not good for a healthy life. According to the World Heart Federation, there is no safe amount when it comes to heart health. And even moderate drinking reserved for the weekend can have social, emotional, and psychological effects, according to a 2022 study.

Sober October might, but doesn’t have to, be a step toward giving up alcohol completely, said biological psychologist Aaron White, senior scientific adviser to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Regardless of your drinking, a month-long sobriety challenge could help you become more mindful about your drinking, White added.

You may think you don’t need a break from drinking because you don’t have any signs of a substance use disorder: your drinking is causing you serious impairment, health problems, disabilities, or trouble fulfilling responsibilities.

But problem drinking is a spectrum — not just a binary between addictive and good, Grace said. You may drink a little but are not comfortable with why or how you drink. You may drink heavily, but feel like it’s working well in your life.

Even people who don’t drink much may have less control over when and how much they drink than they would like, Grace said.

She was one of those people. Grace didn’t feel like she needed treatment programs, but she found that reducing her drinking was a struggle, which for her was a sign something needed to change.

Accepting a sobriety challenge doesn’t mean you have to quit forever, but it can help you be more thoughtful about your drinking decisions, rather than because you normally do, White said.

“It gives someone the opportunity to cultivate alternatives,” he added.

After just one month there is evidence that reduced alcohol consumption can be good for your physical health.

“Most people who drink excessively have fatty livers,” White said. “Even a month off is enough to lower your liver enzymes and keep your liver looking healthier.”

Some people might find that they sleep better and make better food choices for themselves with less or no alcohol, White said.

And for emotional health, a short-term challenge can highlight feelings and routines that could be improved, Grace added.

Many of the people she works with — even moderate drinkers — describe their relationship with alcohol as something they don’t fully control, she said.

She encourages people using a sobriety challenge to pay attention to when they feel the urge to drink and what purpose it serves. Do you feel part of a community when you have a drink at a party? Is that glass of wine a reliable comfort after a long day?

Perhaps the drink is an easy way — but not the best — to meet those needs, Grace said. Noticing and trying to find those things without a drink might open up new ways for you to fulfill those feelings, White added.

There are a few stumbling blocks to plan for in a sober month, Grace said.

One overcomes the craving to drink, and experts have had various approaches to solving this problem.

Cutting down on alcohol can have an effect similar to dieting — the more you tell yourself you can’t have it, the more you want it, said Natalie Mokari, a registered dietitian in Charlotte, North Carolina.

She recommends starting with one drink less than you would normally have at each occasion, or breaking a daily habit by limiting drinking to specific days. You can also sip a soda in between meals or make weaker cocktails than usual to cut down on your alcohol intake, she said.

White said it’s important not to feel embarrassed about drinking during your sobriety challenge. Don’t throw away the whole experience by brawling over a glass of wine, he added.

Grace recommended going ahead with curiosity and information. Learning more about the psychology and biology of alcohol really helped reduce her cravings for drinking, she said, and approaching her urges with curiosity rather than judgment allowed her to learn more about the role who played alcohol in her life.

There is also social pressure to drink. How not to drink when everyone else is doing it? Especially when friends are uncomfortable not seeing you with that beer you always have?

The first thing is to remember that people can make you feel bad about being uncomfortable in their own relationship with drinking, Grace said.

White says it often helps to have a non-alcoholic beverage in hand at social gatherings, so the offer to drink doesn’t even come up.

If you’re hoping to curb your habit or improve your health, it’s important not to see crossing the finish line as a time for overindulgence, Mokari said.

Drastically reducing your consumption during this time can lower your tolerance, and what was enough for a high today could result in a much higher level of intoxication than you expect 30 days later, White said.

You could also undo the changes in habit you’ve built up over the month by backing off even harder when it’s over, Grace added.

“In fact, in our society, it’s very brave to say, ‘I want to take a break,'” she said. “If you don’t change your mind about it, but white-knuckle all month, it becomes like this forbidden fruit syndrome.”