Today is Day 3 of a Sober October. On the third day of being alcohol-free (AF), things can get a bit tricky. Perhaps emotions are running high, maybe anxiety is through the roof, and perhaps physically the body feels like crap, everyone is different… but the goal is the same, staying AF for 31 days in a row. So, one might ask at this stage in the game…is this really worth it? What am I trying to prove here? Well, those questions can only be answered by you, but like anything in life, it’s one thing to think about doing something, another to plan it, talk about it and have it all figured out in our heads, but it’s a totally different thing to experience it!!
Well, that’s where Boom comes in!! There is a veritable fortune of information and support within this community. So many people from all walks of life are here doing Sober October together!! And that’s the key to success!! TOGETHER!! But it takes something to come here and participate, read, react, ingest, contemplate, rant, rave, cry and laugh…and sometimes all of that in one day!!
Just know, you are not alone!! There are many people out there and in here that have struggled to put 3 days AF together in a row, let alone 31 days, so if you’re on day 3, CONGRATS!!! Yet, for some, there may be no struggle at all, and that’s amazing, keep it going!! Any days without ingesting alcohol are beneficial to your body, mind and spirit.
That being said, getting curious about what alcohol does to the human as a whole can be very eye opening!! Two reads that came highly recommended when I first embarked upon my AF adventure were “Staying Sober Without AA” by Charles Deemer, and “Alcohol Explained” by William Porter. They are both easy reads with very matter-of-fact information. But again, it takes something to bring ourselves to be fully engaged in not drinking alcohol for a month…and if we are not, there’s a chance it won’t happen. Everyone is different, everyone’s experience is very personal, and everyone’s reason for taking a month off alcohol is different. But the commitment is the same, remaining AF for one month!!
So, what can one do if the day 3 alcohol-free is beginning to be challenging, and the mind is starting this chatter about how stupid it is to take a month off alcohol?
First, notice that chatter and understand THAT VOICE is not the YOU who decided it was a good idea to take a break from alcohol. That is what we refer to here as the “wine witch, beer bully, booze bully, alcohol voice, etc.” which helps to separate THAT VOICE from the rest of what’s really going on here. I highly recommend this article on HALT , it is packed full of information and ideas to help keep on track with our goal of a Sober October.
The other nugget that has been really helpful is making alcohol non-negotiable. Like removing alcohol from your life, like for real, for one month. Just as if when we don’t smoke, someone offers us a cigarette, and we say “no thanks, I don’t smoke”. Remember NO is a complete sentence.
This article is one of my favorites that expresses this very well.
There is no rationalization, there is no conversation, and there is no negotiation.
There is only, “No.”
I reject alcohol. I reject it the same way I rejected unwanted advances from the creepy dudes I met in the dive bars I loved so well.
“No.” End of story.
That is simple but it is not always easy. There is a bit of magic behind that “No”. The magic formula I used to make it 6 months without alcohol, here it is:
I will do whatever it takes to make sure I do not drink today.
I will go to bed early. I will sit in the shower until the water turns cold. I will eat an entire bag of candy, a pint of ice cream, and so many french fries I feel like I’m going to puke. I will lose myself for hours in video games. I will chain-smoke cigarettes, even though I quit smoking cigarettes in 2017. I will obsessively clean my house. I will read post after post on BOOM. I will read article after article on Boozemusings. I will scroll social media for far longer than is healthy. I will go for a walk as long as I know that my feet won’t take me to the liquor store. I will give my debit card to my aunt and tell her to lock it up until I’m not worried I will buy alcohol. I will smoosh my face into my cat’s fur until she starts grumbling. I will hug my son until he starts complaining. I will do yoga videos. I will do sit ups, push ups, and squats. I will fall down the YouTube rabbit hole. I will cry. I will scream. I will do anything and everything I can to distract myself, because I will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to make sure I do not drink today.
from 6 Months Sober – Flying Away from the Drinking Obsession
Furthermore, there are some catch phrases you may see here on Boom, like one day at a time (ODAAT) and be easy with yourself.These are the mantras many of us have used over the course of our AF journey that keeps us present to the goal at hand, no alcohol just for today, and sometimes it’s just for 15 minutes, then reevaluate, can we go another 15 minutes, can we have a sparkling beverage and a snack and make it one more hour? Can we eat dinner early and go for a walk during that “witching hour”?
Just know YES WE CAN!!!
Just when we think we can’t take another minute, we can hop on Boom and post it out, read an article, read some posts, have a laugh or a cry, feel the feels that we’ve been numbing with alcohol, good and bad. But YOU, the YOU that decided it was a good idea to take a month off alcohol for “insert reason…” has to remain in control!!
YOU get to choose!! YOU get to say!! But YOU have to do the work to make it a reality. And that work is not always easy, but it is always worth it!!
So please, join us here on BOOM for Sober October Day 3!! You are cordially invited to join us for day 4 as well. Let’s do this, ODAAT!!!
More by this author
The Journey to 3 Months Alcohol Free – A Sober Momentum Road Trip
How to Stay Sober and Happy Even on Your Birthday
From I NEED to I AM… Traveling Through my first months sober
Learning to Feel the Feels at 8 Months Sober
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