At The Haynes Clinic, we welcome the Go Sober For October initiative. For all you ‘normal’ drinkers out there it is a great way to give your body a rest from the effects of alcohol and to raise money for charity. You may well feel better physically and mentally, having more energy. If you sometimes overindulge, you may well also have fewer regrets about any drunken and embarrassing antics. However, if you are someone who on occasions drinks far too much, be a little careful on November 1st – do not overdo it, putting yourself at risk and letting yourself down rather than letting yourself go!
Sober October is an offshoot of MacMillan Cancer Support.
Going Sober a Challenge?
For those of us who have a drink ‘issue’, trying to ‘go sober for October’ will be more of a challenge. It is likely that we will feel quite miserable without our ‘friend’ alcohol. It will take a mammoth act of willpower to get through it. However, contrary to popular belief, we are not weak people and most of us have enormous self-will. So, we may be able to do it. Or we may decide it is all a lot of nonsense and decide to give up trying at some point before the end of the month.
Willpower?
Whether we complete the 31 days or not, going sober for a month is not going to be the answer to our alcohol problem. Some of us have proved on many occasions we can stop drinking, but we do not stay stopped long term and that is what we need. If you think you have an alcohol problem why not try stopping not just for October but stopping for longer – say until sometime well into next year? You may find that you can do this too, but if you are living on willpower and longing for the day when you can drink again, then drinking may be more important in your life than it should be. It is no fun having to use willpower every day to avoid something. I found that I could stop drinking throughout the whole of my time pregnant (I have 4 children).
This was because I could use my will power, and it was more important to me to give birth to a healthy baby, and not to have to worry throughout the whole pregnancy about what alcohol was doing to my baby, than it was to drink. However, I thought about drinking most days of my pregnancy. I counted down the days till the baby was born and I could drink again and, once the baby was born, I celebrated with just about anyone who wanted to join me in a celebration. Drinking was still the focus of my life even when I was sober – and I now reflect quite sadly on that time, that I did not enjoy my pregnancies and the joy and wonder of growing a new life inside me, because I was so caught up in thinking about not drinking and when I could again.
Go Sober for more than October!
So, by all means ‘go sober for October’. If you are doing this to prove to others that you can and that you do not have an alcohol problem, ask yourself this: are you still thinking about drinking? Are you wishing the days away until you can drink again? Is alcohol – the lack of it or the thought of it – still dominating your life? If this is the case, you may need help to deal with the psychological obsession you have with alcohol and how it is affecting your life. If you feel you would like to address this and to free yourself from the hold alcohol has on your thoughts and your life, then please call us for advice or a free assessment. We can help you to escape from the prison that alcohol has put you in.