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After the New Years Toast
The sun was shining bright on New Year's day at 7:00 AM; the weather was abnormally warm for January 1 in Colorado. I crawled out of bed, catching a glimpse of myself in the oversized mirror. I tried not to focus on the image that stared back. My eyes were red, and my body ached. The low-grade headache demanded my attention leading me to take an Advil while my coffee brewed.
As I sipped my coffee, I thought about last night. Due to COVID, we stayed home but decided to have a Karaoke Zoom party. The isolation throughout the year has taken a toll, and we desperately wanted to have fun! Though the turnout was less than hoped for, we had fun, and as the wine and champagne flowed, we all started to sing.
I drank more than usual and more than I wanted to, but it was New Year’s Eve, and that’s what most people do... Right?
Alcoholic Beverages: Rethinking The After Effects
As I sipped my coffee, hoping to feel better, I knew that I was not going to feel good today; the alcohol was still in my body, and no matter what, I felt lethargic and not productive. This was seriously affecting my plans for today. I had a long list of things I wanted to work on today. I didn’t like starting the new year feeling like crap!
The Dry January Challenge
As I scrolled on Facebook, an ad caught my eye “Dry January Challenge” apparently, there was a group of people who were committing to lay off “all” alcohol for one month. I have to say this sounded extreme and difficult at best, but I was intrigued, leading me to research the subject.
Some people attempted to quit drinking altogether some were taking a break. I have no interest in quitting altogether. I don’t drink any other alcohol but enjoy a glass of wine.
As the day ticked by and my unproductive, tired feeling continued, I became more interested in the idea. By the end of the day, I decided to try it! I was committed to 1 month of no alcohol and part of the Dry January movement! I was excited and felt great about this decision.
New Replacements for Drinking
Like a new diet, it’s easy at first, but then what? As the new week and new year started, I decided to set myself up for success by buying the things I needed to make mocktails. I even bought non-alcoholic wine. I thought of it as a “mind hack”. Maybe, I could trick my mind into thinking I was having my happy hour fix? This seemed like a great idea!
As the week went by, I had several mocktails in a wine glass, each time telling myself that I felt great and was not missing my everyday wine. I’ve heard that it takes thirty days to break a habit, so I planned to go thirty days without wine, and then slowly add it back, but on new terms. The terms would be no alcohol at all during the week. Then, 1 to 2 glasses on Friday and Saturday and None on Sunday. This would be a new pattern, and I would reduce my alcohol intake.
My husband said he would do it with me; this was great news and seemed the best way to succeed.
Stay Tuned for the results - I will let you know how it goes!
Do you want to try it with me?
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Paula Marie is a published author, successful realtor, and entrepreneur. Paula's mission is to empower others to manage their time and mindsets to live an extraordinary life! With Paula's eight powerful tools and life planning strategies, you can create the life you truly desire. |
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