As people cut back on the ale for dry January or even decide to turn over a new leaf, multi-award winning organisation Bee Sober have shared their top tips on staying alcohol-free.
The community was founded to provide a safe space, and help people living a sober or sober-curious lifestyle to connect and help them feel less alone.
Sobriety is a challenging and difficult choice, but according to a survey by trade body Portman Group and YouGov, more people are turning towards an alcohol-free lifestyle.
Bee Sober’s Liverpool ambassador Jennifer Dinnarr spoke about her sobriety as she celebrates five years of an alcohol-free life.
She said: “I was just sick of constantly feeling rubbish and I just thought there’s got to be a different way.
“I did the 30-day experiment, which isn’t like Dry January when you knuckle down for 30 days and celebrate with a bottle of wine, it’s about educating yourself.”
Bee Sober’s Liverpool ambassador shared her top tips to sobriety:
- Be open-minded to new opportunities.
Jennifer said: “Just go into it and give it a good go. Be open-minded and open to trying new things and find out what you enjoy.”
2. Have a hobby.
Learning new hobbies and skills not only spark joy and a sense of amusement, but helps occupy your mind and body in healthy ways. The most popular hobbies are the creative arts, physical activities, cooking, baking, reading, gardening and playing an instrument.
“You’ll discover yourself and you’ll find something you like,” added Jennifer.
3. Don’t think it’s over if you ‘slip up’ and have a drink.
She said: “If you slip up and have a drink, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed or it’s over. You can just pick it up again and carry on. It takes quite a while for the benefits of sobriety to kick in, but you start rediscovering yourself, finding different things that you enjoy, but stick with it because it is worth it.”
4. Surround yourself with supportive people.
Jennifers final top tip is to connect with supportive people. She suggests if you don’t have that in your home network to turn to communities, such as Bee Sober, which are set-up to support people in those situations.
If you’d like to know more about Bee Sober, you can visit their website here.
Featured image (c) Bee Sober
