66 Days - Sober Challenge

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 66

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

What to drink when you don't drink

As you progress through your alcohol free journey hopefully you are experimenting and discovering your “go to” drinks.
 
Whether you are at home or out on the town you need to have some choice.  Drinking at home is easier as at least you can scour the supermarkets and stock up on delicious juices, cordials and tonic waters.  Lautus de-alcoholised wine and Duchess virgin G & T will deliver to your door. Make sure your fridge is always full of lovely AF choices so you won’t feel you are missing out.
 
When you are out and about you need to avoid the “panic at the bar” syndrome – it can hit the moment you walk into a bar and are asked what you would like to drink.  If you are not prepared, your mind goes blank, your throat goes dry – and the pressure builds as everyone waits for you to decide. 
 
Always have your “go-to” drink in mind when you go out.
Even if it’s just an AF beer or a tonic water with ice that’s fine and will get you through. 
 
Your objective is to avoid drinking alcohol. 
 
If the bar does cocktails then ask for a mocktail – there are plenty of lovely bar staff that are delighted to do something different rather than produce endless glasses of wine and beer! 
 
If you know where you are going then check out the drinks online – you might even discover something interesting that will make your boozy pals jealous!

 

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by Drink Nil, South Africa's first store to  specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 
Browse their huge selection of non-alcoholic wines, bubblies, spirits, beers and mocktails online, at drinknil.co.za.
Delivery is available throughout South Africa.

 

 

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 65

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because thats how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

 

Lets Get Motivated! I first came across the various theories of motivation during my studies and often had an opportunity to put them into practice during my career as an HR executive.    There are two kinds of motivators: internal (also called intrinsic) and external (or extrinsic). Internal means being motivated to do things for their own sake - you’ve decided that you want to take a break from alcohol, and you strongly want to achieve your goal.   External motivators include rewards and potential punishments or other pressures outside of yourself.   The thinking is that “intrinsic” motivators are more powerful than “extrinsic” – the HR example would be that an employee will feel more motivated if she finds the nature of her work interesting than if she is paid a high salary  (although its nice to have both of course ;-)   The moral of this HR lecture is that you should be using both kinds of motivators to keep you on track…for example:-   You may have decided to ditch the drink (for a while at least) because you hit  “rock bottom” – this kind of experience can be a powerful intrinsic motivator.  Write down the story of what happened and how you felt about it – and read it often as you progress through your alcohol free time.   The extrinsic motivators are all about the treats, the rewards, the tracking Apps, the weight loss, the clear skin, bright eyes and better sleep!    The prospect of having to confess to your WhatsApp buddies that you fell off the wagon also counts as an extrinsic motivator!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by Drink Nil, South Africa's first store to  specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 
Browse their huge selection of non-alcoholic wines, bubblies, spirits, beers and mocktails online, at drinknil.co.za.
Delivery is available throughout South Africa.

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 64

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

What Will People Say?

This worry keeps so many of us trapped for years…

Alcohol really is the “only drug we have to justify not taking” isn’t it?

Telling people we have stopped drinking (even if only for a while) is not easy – we are peeling off from the “herd” and making ourselves vulnerable.

People love to zone in on, look you in the eyes and ask you if you have stopped because you have a “problem”…

The ones who will give you the hardest time are the ones that are aware that they are drinking too much themselves - and are worried that if you are sober you might just notice!

That’s where this Sober Challenge can help – you have a ready answer to the inevitable “what do you mean you’re not drinking?

You are “doing a WWW Sober challenge” – (along with a lot of other cool people ;-) Some of us drank quite heavily when we were young because it felt a bit “edgy and rebellious” – well alcohol has become so “normalized” in society these days that its far from rebellious to drink – in fact it’s more like becoming “one of the sheep”…

So make a stand – be a rebel – ditch the drink! (even if only for 66
days!)

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by Drink Nil, South Africa's first store to  specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 
Browse their huge selection of non-alcoholic wines, bubblies, spirits, beers and mocktails online, at drinknil.co.za.
Delivery is available throughout South Africa.

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 63

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

Being Social I hope the Daily Mails are providing some practical tips and tools together with a dash of motivation. However I am pretty sure that if I was to ask you which part of Sober Spring Challenge was most helpful you would say the WhatsApp group. Connection is the opposite of addiction (so says Johan Hari in his awesome TED talk Many of us begin drinking in an effort to socialize with others but eventually it can escalate to the point where we are turning down social invitations because we would rather stay at home alone with our bottle of wine – which is fast becoming our “best friend”! That’s why this journey brings many people out of self imposed “isolation” towards deep and meaningful connections with a completely new crowd of people. We begin our workshops with “shares’ and I am always humbled by how people open their hearts to a bunch of strangers about just how unhappy alcohol is making them. This Sober Challenge has been a bit like a mini on-line workshop as you have all been so open about your own struggles and supportive of each other.  In the “old days” you either had a drink problem and sat in a church basement saying “I am an alcoholic” every week – or you were fine. These days alcoholism has finally been recognized as a “spectrum” – with millions of us residing somewhere between being “fine” or being a serious “alcoholic” There are now a myriad of choices to change your relationship with alcohol and World Without Wine is just one of them –thank you for choosing to do this Sober Challenge with us!

 

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by Drink Nil, South Africa's first store to  specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 
Browse their huge selection of non-alcoholic wines, bubblies, spirits, beers and mocktails online, at drinknil.co.za.
Delivery is available throughout South Africa.

 

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 62

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

Alcohol and Adrenal Fatigue

We hear a lot about “adrenal fatigue” these days and there are plenty of medics out there who will diagnose this and provide you with medication/supplements.

However it could be worth reflecting on the role alcohol could be playing - some adrenal fatigue sufferers are under the misguided illusion that alcohol is a relaxant, and for that reason it’s okay to drink it.

Let’s consider why that’s not such a good idea.

Firstly, alcohol depresses the function of the adrenal glands, meaning that cortisol production is lowered.

On the surface, this may not initially seem like such a bad thing, but over time, impaired or lowered cortisol production can lead to poor immunity, increased inflammation and disturbed sleep.

Another problem lies in the fact that whenever you consume alcohol, the liver has to take a step back from its other jobs to prioritize metabolising it out of your system. This means that it has a harder time working on ridding the body of excess circulating hormones such as adrenaline.

Furthermore, regular consumption of alcohol (particularly if this is combined with sugary mixers) causes your blood sugar to rise. This is very bad news if it’s happening on a regular basis and will lead to weight gain. Weight gain is common in people with adrenal exhaustion, placing this extra, unnecessary burden on the body only compounds the problem.

So avoiding alcohol is the most sensible approach for anyone with adrenal fatigue. If you’re having difficulty winding down or managing your stress levels, there are far healthier ways to deal with it. 

 

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by Drink Nil, South Africa's first store to  specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 
Browse their huge selection of non-alcoholic wines, bubblies, spirits, beers and mocktails online, at drinknil.co.za.
Delivery is available throughout South Africa.

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 61

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66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 60

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

Alcohol is a false friend It's so easy for a few glasses of wine to become our "go to" remedy if we are feeling anxious.   Do that for long enough and you will build a neural pathway in your brain which is a precursor for addiction. In spite of that initial glow alcohol increases anxiety and depression to the point where even small problems can seem unsurmountable. Before you drank alcohol you would just deal with whatever came your way. Alcohol is chemically designed to make you rely on it and believe that you cannot function without it. You need it to get through that business lunch, then to de-stress when you get home and finally as an elixir to sleep. Well the good news is that neural pathways can be changed - and just by taking time off alcohol you are changing your habits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by Drink Nil, South Africa's first store to  specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 
Browse their huge selection of non-alcoholic wines, bubblies, spirits, beers and mocktails online, at drinknil.co.za.
Delivery is available throughout South Africa.

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 59

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

 

7 Tips to help you socialise 

One of the  biggest concerns we hear from people who come to our  workshops is around socialising without alcohol.You don't want to become a recluse during your alcohol free time so check out these tips..


1.  Remember. alcohol does not provide the fun - we've been brainwashed into thinking alcohol has magic properties, when it's you that provides the fun, not the contents of your glass.  Alcohol numbs your brain but that's about all it does.


2.  Fake it till you make it - slap a smile on your face and commit to an hour of making a real effort.  Act like you're going to have a fabulous time and who
     knows - it might just happen!


3.  Prepare an explanation - frankly, its nobody else's business, but people are very nosy.  It's up to you whether you answer honestly or not, but when you're
     having a shouty conversation in a noisy bar, its just easier to lie ;-)
  
   

4.  Always have an escape plan. Make sure you can go home when you want to.  This means that if you are giving people a lift to the party, they should be prepared to make their own way back.  You can leave whenever you like - it's not a big deal.  You came - and now you are going.


5.  Remember it's just one night.  A good night out depends on so many things;  the mood you are in, the venue, the music, the people you are with - not just the contents of your glass.
   
    
6.  Plan ahead - arrange something nice for you to do the next day as a sober treat.  You deserve it.

     
7.  Finally - look on the bright side - when you are sober, the chances of you making a fool of yourself (or crashing your car) are greatly reduced.

     That is a very good thing.  Trust me on that one.

 

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by Drink Nil, South Africa's first store to  specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 
Browse their huge selection of non-alcoholic wines, bubblies, spirits, beers and mocktails online, at drinknil.co.za.
Delivery is available throughout South Africa.

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 58

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

Magic of music

Music is so powerful for lifting our spirits.

You can download some great "work out" music to motivate you to exercise.

You can sing along to “I will survive” at the top of your voice whilst you’re stuck in commuter traffic.

Or you might find some calmer, chill out tunes help you transition from work mode to home mode. 

Create a playlist to listen to and help you de-stress at the end of the day. 

Experiment and find what works for you.

Find the right soundtrack for your awesome alcohol free life!

 

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by Drink Nil, South Africa's first store to  specialize in alcohol-free drinks. 
Browse their huge selection of non-alcoholic wines, bubblies, spirits, beers and mocktails online, at drinknil.co.za.
Delivery is available throughout South Africa.

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 57

This is a series of 66 mini podcasts - to support you through a 66 day alcohol free challenge.

The challenge lasts for 66 days because that's how long it takes to change a habit.  

We have published an e-book called "66 days to sobriety" (available on our website https://www.tribesober.com) - this book contains 66 pages of tips, tools and motivation so I will read a page a day for these mini podcasts.

I will also update you on the healing taking place in your body and mind as you progress through the 66 days.

About Willpower   When it comes to "willpower" we tend to see it as a personality trait.   "If only I had more willpower I would exercise more and eat less!"   Well the latest research has come up with a rather different view...   "Every day, in one form or another, you exert willpower. You resist the urge to surf the Web instead of finishing your expense report. You reach for a salad when you’re craving a burger. You bite your tongue when you’d like to make a snide remark. Yet a growing body of research shows that resisting repeated temptations takes a mental toll. Some experts liken willpower to a muscle that can get fatigued from overuse."    The implications of this are quite interesting - say you've had a really tough day at work - an endless meeting which demanded all your willpower just to stay focussed - then you get home and remember its a "no alcohol day" - could just be the last straw for that worn out "willpowermuscle"!   So should we be relying on willpower if we want to quit or moderate our drinking? - a better way would be to change our belief system which has built up over many years of conditioning, social pressure and advertising.    Follow the process:-   1.  discover your "limiting beliefs" around alcohol   (eg "I need a glass of wine to relax at the end of the day") 2.  convert them into "empowering beliefs" (eg. "there are plenty of ways to relax at the end of the day without alcohol") 3.  "do the work" (experiment with other ways of relaxing until they become natural)   Using this process brings about a deep "mindshift" in your subconscious and will actually diminish your desire to drink...

 

If you're enjoying the challenge and would like to change your relationship with alcohol then please think about joining our community HERE
Monthly membership is just R85 (£4/$5) 

 

Or just check out our website - https://www.tribesober.com

Any questions? - drop us a mail at membership@tribesober.com

 

The Sober Spring Challenge is sponsored by The Duchess Alcohol-Free Drinks Studio. 
The Duchess is available in three refreshing alcohol-free gin & tonic variants and their brand new alcohol-free wine spritzers: Elderflower White and Berry Rose