Sober October Survival Tips

The pint. The shot. The whole bottle of wine followed by more wine and more wine and even more wine. Yes, a good drink can be hard to resist but like with most things now, there is probably a calendar month to help you out in the way of curbing your consumption… and that is where Sober October comes in to play. Yes, you’re being challenged to give up any form of alcohol for an entire month. So no more pints after work, no beer with Match of the Day and certainly no scotch on your cereal… is it possible? It certainly is, but if your thirst for a beer is at Homer Simpson levels, you might just need some help – so before you peel back that ring-pull, read our survival tips and put that can/glass/bottle/shoe down.

Get Rid of It

You know what is going to make you want a drink? Seeing one when you open the fridge. So remove the temptation and get it out of your eyeline… This doesn’t mean throwing it out though, as you’ll no doubt need it for the celebrations come Saturday 1st November, so stash it in the shed, bury it in the garden, chuck a crate on the roof… just do anything to keep it away from you. Out of sight, out of mind and all that…

Avoid the Pub

Saying that then, it would also make sense to steer clear of the pub throughout October. Your friends or colleagues might not be trying to go sober, so a little trip to the home away from home is an inevitability – and with everyone enjoying their first sip of a cold pint after a long week, it is even more tempting than opening the fridge and having one stare you in the face. You know how when you’re nervous before doing a speech you’re told to imagine everyone naked? Well here whenever you see a pub, imagine it's burning to the ground, or is a vasectomy clinic from 1830 and you’ll avoid it. *Little note: If you do have strong willpower though, go in and have a soft drink, because we imagine Sober October isn’t going to be fantastic for the bank balances of our beloved pubs.

Replace It

All the time you might have spent drinking can now be spent doing something else, instead of moping about and thinking that you could be drinking. So see the time like you have as a month’s long holiday to exercise or take up another hobby. You could go running, you could play some football, read a book, finally complete Grand Theft Auto 5 or do something different with your friends, family or other half. Go to the cinema, eat a nice meal, cook something for her, see a show… released from the shackles of the pub, you might be surprised with what’s out there!

Think of the Money

Saying that, just think of the money you’ll save too… The cost of alcohol now means that nights out are like an asteroid smashing a huge dent into your bank balance, so Sober October doesn’t even need to be seen as a health drive or simply a big bloody annoyance – it should be seen as a month of saving money to do something smart with – or as life goes today, a chance to pay off some debt. However if you’re a ‘live for the weekend’ kind of guy, you might end up saving enough to go on a little holiday… or if you’re fed up with your wardrobe, invest in a whole new closest. Money makes the world go round and Sober October might just start it spinning!

Hibernation

Desperate times call for desperate measures and if all of the above is failing, Sober October might call for a maverick approach – something so maverick we don’t even know if it’s possible. But if a hedgehog can do it, surely you can too! Spend a whole day eating and then try your hand at hibernation for the entire month… just let work know you're doing it.

OR YOU COULD...

Fuhggedaboutit and get the drinks in!