I’m addicted! How about you?
You see- we are all addicts of one form or another.
Maybe not addicted to alcohol or drugs, but any number of other substances, material things, belief systems. Even other people!
That certainly covers a lot of ground doesn’t it? While I don’t see myself as addicted to booze, let’s focus on alcohol for now.
I regularly enjoyed a glass of single malt scotch or some red wine.
But felt that I was maybe enjoying it too much, too often.
So, when I found out that one of my daughters had done a Dry January challenge a year ago, I decided to try it myself this year.
I got started late, so it ended up being part dry January, part dry February, including the day of a big birthday party for me, celebrating a milestone year.
I took on two 30 day Alcohol-Free Challenges at the same time.
The first was “The 30 Day Sobriety Solution” by Dave Andrews and Jack Canfield [bestselling co-creator of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series]
The second was “The Alcohol Experiment – A 30-day Alcohol- Free Challenge” by Annie Grace, author of “This Naked Mind”.
Both of these programs would appeal to those who may have tried a 12 step program [Alcoholics Anonymous for example] and did not find it to be a good fit for them.
Here’s a bit more information about each of them.
First, The Alcohol Experiment: A 30-day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits and Help You Take Control. “Annie’s advice offers judgement- free empowerment…”. It’s an “…action plan for anyone who’s ever wondered what life without alcohol is like.”
You can do the Alcohol Experiment without getting the book. It’s all on-line and it’s free [there is also an inexpensive advanced live version that Annie offers from time to time and includes additional features]. I bought the paperback version of the book out of curiosity and for future reference. The website has great content and you are walked through the challenge day by day. It also has an excellent social support network.
I found the Alcohol Experiment to be well research based. It discussed the specific ways habits are formed and shared strategies for reducing or removing alcohol from your life. I really liked the fact that it was promoted as an experiment to “…abstain from drinking for 30 days and just see how you feel”.
Now about The 30-Day Sobriety Solution: How to Cut Back or Quit Drinking in the Privacy of Your Own Home. “It will lead you step by step through the process of overcoming excessive drinking, and give you the tools to stop for good, even if you have tried before and failed.”
The 30 Day Sobriety Solution requires the purchase of the book, but it’s inexpensive if you buy a used copy. Once you have the book you can go online and get free access to the website which has neat multimedia content. Regretfully, a number of the resources are out of date and the site has not been refreshed in quite a while. While the 30 solutions covered in this book are primarily for alcohol consumption reduction, they can easily be applied to other “addictions”. I really liked the “celebrate your thriving in sobriety” focus of the program.
I found that Annie’s program was more gut based while Jack and Dave’s book was more cerebral. Dare I suggest that hers was more feminine while the other was more masculine? Doing both programs at the same time worked very well for me, since one supported the other and ultimately appealed to dual aspects of myself. Yin/yang. Male and female. I recommend them both if you are looking at cutting back or curtailing your alcohol consumption.
The results of this experiment? – I lost a few pounds even though I ate more. [It wasn’t really a big deal for me since I tend to run on the lean side anyway]. I slept better, had no hangovers or sluggish mornings, and saved a nice bit of money. The negative side? – It took self discipline and willpower! Did I miss out on any fun by not drinking? – Nope.
Shortly after completing the programs my wife and I went on a vacation to an all-inclusive Mexican resort. I certainly enjoyed the all-inclusive alcohol aspect of the holiday but then significantly cut back on alcohol consumption on my return home. While I am by no means a teetotaller, you could say that alcohol is now a take it or leave it thing for me, and I am thriving. Check these programs out if you want to know more about alcohol or are interested in going alcohol free for a bit.
That’s all for now. Feel free to share this blog with a friend or relative who might find it beneficial.
Keep manifesting only good things 🙂
Tony
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