Does Dry January Make a Difference?
When I was drinking I had a friend as me if I would do Dry January with her and I was horrified! “No way!”, I thought. “I need to practice moderating. Not drinking isn’t going to help me!”
That’s really how my mind worked back then. I believed taking time off drinking wasn’t going to help me in any way. I needed to practice starting and stopping so I could do it naturally. There are many reasons why we lose our off-switch, but it has nothing to do with choice or personal strength.
Why Does 1 Month Matter?
We all have reasons why we drink. I used to tell myself I just drank to have fun, but really I drank for any reason. My main reason though, was to cope with negative emotions and use alcohol to control my the way I felt. I would never have been able to identify this without a break from drinking alcohol.
During the month, you’re going to encounter the reasons why you drank. Work is going to suck, your kids or family are going to stress you out, you’re going to feel bored, and however you’re feeling you will have to find a way to handle it without alcohol. You’re going to have to find things to do on the weekend and after work, besides sitting around drinking.
That experience is valuable and when you go back to drinking you can’t forget what you learned in your month off.
