SOBER OCTOBER STARTS TODAY: 6 THINGS TO DO ON DAY ONE

Alcohol Change UK Community Champion Nigel Jones shares six simple ways to make the first 31 alcohol-free days easier.

Sober October starts today, with thousands of people preparing to take a 31-day break from alcohol.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make on 1 October is spending too much time worrying about 31 October. This is my sixth Sober October, having stopped drinking in December 2020, and my simple advice is this: don’t try to do 31 days today. Do Day One.

Here are six things I’d suggest doing today.

1. PUT THE 31 DAYS SOMEWHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM

Print out a 31-Day Sober October Calendar, put it somewhere you’ll see it every day and tick off each alcohol-free day as you complete it. There is something satisfying about watching those ticks accumulate and seeing visible evidence of your progress.

But don’t stare at 31 empty boxes on Day One. Your job today is box number one.

I’ve created a free printable 31-Day Sober October Calendar which you can download from the 9KM BY 9AM website www.9kmby9am.com/coaching/soberoctober

2. CHANGE THE ROUTINE AROUND YOUR USUAL DRINKING TIME

If 6pm normally means pouring a glass of wine, don’t simply sit there at 6pm trying not to pour one. Change what happens at 6pm.

Go for a walk, go to the gym, cook something different, have a bath, phone somebody, read, listen to a podcast or audiobook, take the dog out or start a new series.

The important thing is that you’re not simply taking alcohol away. You’re beginning to build a different pattern. So think about your day now: when is your normal drinking time, what usually happens around it, and what are you going to do differently today?

Later this month I’ll be exploring this in more detail when I make the complete audiobook chapter The Habit Loop available to listen to free.

3. GIVE YOURSELF SOME MILESTONES

Thirty-one days can feel a long way away on Day One, so don’t make 31 October your only success point. Think Day 1, Day 3, one week, two weeks, three weeks and then 31 days.

Decide now how you’re going to acknowledge those milestones. It doesn’t need to be extravagant – a meal out, buying yourself something, going somewhere you enjoy or simply taking a moment to recognise what you’ve achieved.

Make your progress visible and acknowledge it.

4. TELL SOMEONE YOU’RE DOING IT

Make it real. Tell your partner, a friend or your family. Post it online. Ask someone else to do Sober October with you.

Saying “I’m doing this” creates accountability, but it also creates support. If you’d like to be part of something bigger, I’ve created a Walking Back to Happiness Sober October team raising money for Alcohol Change UK.

You can join the team, raise some money yourself or simply support the people taking part. It gives the month another purpose beyond simply not drinking. https://www.soberoctober.org.uk/teams/walking-back-to-happiness

5. START A JOURNAL

Write something down at the end of each day.

It doesn’t need to be pages and pages. A few lines are enough: what went well, what felt difficult, what surprised you, when you thought about drinking, what helped, how you slept, how you felt the next morning and any small wins you noticed.

Over 31 days you begin to build a record of what is actually changing. You can look back, recognise patterns, see how far you’ve come and learn from the days that were harder.

There may be moments later in the month when reading what you wrote during those first few days is exactly the reminder you need to keep going.

6. STOCK THE FRIDGE

Don’t wait until your normal drinking time to discover there is nothing appealing in the house to drink instead. Get prepared and find some alcohol-free alternatives you genuinely enjoy.

That might be alcohol-free beers, wines or spirits, kombucha, sparkling water, tonic, juices or something completely different.

The important thing is to remove the “What am I going to have instead?” decision before your usual drinking time arrives. A little preparation is much easier than creating an unnecessary test of willpower later in the day.

ONE MORE THING BEFORE YOU START

Take a moment and picture yourself on 31 October having completed Sober October.

Really see yourself. What do you look like? What does your skin look like? How are you sleeping? How much energy do you have? Have you lost weight? How do your clothes feel? What does your face look like? Can you see the smile? How proud do you feel?

What have you learned about yourself?

Make that picture as clear as you can.

That image gives you something to move towards. It is a picture of the person you are beginning to create over the next month.

But you don’t have to create that person all at once.

Today, you only have one job. Do Day One.

FREE SOBER OCTOBER RESOURCES

Throughout October, I’ll be sharing practical alcohol-free ideas and resources to help people through the month. I have created a dedicated Sober October Resources section on the 9KM BY 9AM website, bringing everything together in one place throughout the month.

It will include:

• Free 31-Day Sober October Calendar
• Practical alcohol-free support throughout October
• Free audiobook chapters from Walking Back to Happiness
• Downloadable exercises and workbook resources
• Walking Back to Happiness Sober October fundraising team
• Further resources added as the month progresses

Sober October Resources:
www.9kmby9am.com/coaching/soberoctober

Free Audio Chapters:
https://www.9kmby9am.com/books/free-audio-chapters/

Join the Walking Back to Happiness Sober October team or donate:
https://www.soberoctober.org.uk/teams/walking-back-to-happiness

Walking Back to Happiness audiobook:
https://www.9kmby9am.com/books/audiobooks/

Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0ZexsLV4yWY6hMwhCiDN1E

Alcohol-Free Coaching:
https://www.9kmby9am.com/coaching/alcohol-free-coaching/

ABOUT NIGEL JONES

Nigel Jones is the author and narrator of the best-selling ‘Quit Lit’ book Walking Back to Happiness – The Secret to Alcohol-Free Living & Well-Being.

He stopped drinking on 8 December 2020 after a 35-year relationship with alcohol. His first year alcohol-free became the basis of Walking Back to Happiness, which explores habits, beliefs, cravings, willpower, mindfulness, exercise, purpose and what can happen when alcohol stops playing such an important part in life.

Nigel is a Community Champion for Alcohol Change UK and works as a coach and hypnotherapist through 9KM BY 9AM.

The unabridged audiobook of Walking Back to Happiness is available on Audible, Spotify and major audiobook retail and library platforms.

IMPORTANT

If you think you may be physically dependent on alcohol, suddenly stopping can be dangerous. Speak to your GP or an appropriate alcohol service for advice about reducing or stopping safely.

ALCOHOL-FREE COACHING

Alongside Walking Back to Happiness, Nigel Jones works one-to-one with people who want to change their relationship with alcohol and become alcohol-free. His coaching combines life coaching, NLP, hypnotherapy and practical behaviour-change techniques, focusing on the habits, beliefs and patterns that can keep alcohol in place.

Nigel offers a structured 28-day Alcohol-Free Coaching Programme, with four one-to-one sessions designed to help people understand what is driving their drinking, manage cravings and triggers, change their thinking around alcohol and build a sustainable alcohol-free future. Coaching is available online and face-to-face.

Find out more about Alcohol-Free Coaching:
https://www.9kmby9am.com/coaching/alcohol-free-coaching/