66 Days - Sober Challenge

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Audio support every day to get you through 66 alcohol free days - that's long enough to build new and healthy habits! Tips, tools and motivation as well as regular updates on the healing taking place in your body and brain as you move through the challenge.

Episodes

Wednesday Sep 16, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 16

Wednesday Sep 16, 2020

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

Why Daily Drinking Makes You Feel Anxious

Did you realise that if you have a couple of glasses of wine every evening then you spend your days in a state of mild “withdrawal”.

This “withdrawal” feels a bit like mild anxiety and explains why that first drink in the evening tastes so good – and seems to alleviate your stress.

That’s why it makes so much sense to have at least 3 or 4 alcohol free days in your week – it gives your liver time to recover.

By the time you are halfway through your alcohol free challenge all traces of alcohol will be eliminated from your body and you should be free of that craving for a 6pm glass of wine.

Of course you may still miss “the ritual” so make sure you stock up on some alcohol free drinks to use as a replacement.

If you're enjoying the challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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.

Tuesday Sep 15, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 15

Tuesday Sep 15, 2020

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.

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

Get outside !

Many of us work from home, or move from air-conditioned office to the car and back again - or if we do manage to exercise we find ourselves at the gym on the treadmill looking at a lovely view through a sheet of glass!

I believe there is a direct correlation between spending too much time indoors and drinking. Surrounded by concrete, computer screens and artificial lighting is draining.

Whatever the season it's so important to just get outside and go for a walk or a run - every day.

In addition to the massive health benefits spending time in nature will give you a mental boost.

Rely on exercise to make you feel good rather than alcohol.

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

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

Monday Sep 14, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 14

Monday Sep 14, 2020

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.

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

Managing Emotions

Are you feeling a bit more emotional than usual during your break from alcohol?

One of the things I had to learn as an “ex drinker” was that when I have uncomfortable emotions I need to “sit with them” rather than chase them away with a glass (or three) of Sauvignon Blanc.

This took a bit of getting used to but now I realize that if I feel depressed then it’s not the end of the world and the chances are that in a day or two I will feel absolutely fine again.

I also find it helps to focus on one of my favourite quotes which never fails to bring me perspective:-

Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning. The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her own life

Viktor Frankl

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

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

Sunday Sep 13, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 13

Sunday Sep 13, 2020

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.

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

Time to rewire your neural pathways

We are "conditioned" from a very early age to perceive alcohol consumption as a fun and

social activity. As children we see the adults drinking and laughing, as students we come across the peer pressure to drink - and as we develop our careers there it is again!

How many times have we heard "come on let's go for a drink" or "after the day I've had I need a drink" or "moms need wine!" by the time we get to our thirties...

The brain absorbs these often repeated phrases and codes them into neural pathways - which are shortcuts for the brain to use to reduce the amount of conscious thought it requires to carry out these habits. Your brain is facilitating a habit.

Here's the thing:-

If you don't change your neural pathways, if you don't examine all that social conditioning, peer pressure and marketing then you will not be able to change your habit - maybe not even for a month!

So spend half an hour writing down some of your current "beliefs" around alcohol (eg I need alcohol to socialise, I need alcohol to relax, I deserve a drink at the end of the day.. etc etc)

Then try to "reframe them" so they become "mantras" (eg. I can enjoy being with my friends/family when drinking alcohol free drinks)

That is how you get to "rewire your brain" and diminish your desire to drink alcohol.

Create 3 or 4 mantras as often as you can and you will literally reshape the brain - it works - try it!

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

Saturday Sep 12, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 12

Saturday Sep 12, 2020

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.

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

6 Signs there could be a "problem"

I was aware that I drank a lot but was determined that it would never become such a "problem" that I would have to give up altogether (heaven forbid!)

Even though I drank every day, I was drinking "good" wine, I was going to the gym, I was eating "organic" and holding down a high powered job!

Check out these 6 signs that you may have a "problem"

1. The Sober Spring Challenge is already turning into a struggle and you can't wait for it to be over

2. You love the idea of one or two glasses of wine - but often finish the bottle.

3. You are quite happy to drink alone - sometimes you actually prefer it.

4. You have tried to set limits on how much you drink - but rarely keep to them

5. You drink to manage your emotions - especially when you feel stressed or sad.

6. You find it difficult to socialise without alcohol.

More than a couple of yes's would indicate that you may have an issue

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

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

Friday Sep 11, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 11

Friday Sep 11, 2020

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.

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

The frog parable

When I was consulting in corporates I would often tell the “parable of the frogs” when I was trying

to convince an organisation that it had to change...

The story goes like this:-

Throw a frog into a pan of boiling water and he will use those strong back legs to leap out PDQ!

Place a frog in cold water in a pan which is heating gently on a stove and he will get comfy and just sit there - and carry on sitting there until the water heats up and he gets boiled alive!

(don't test this at home!)

Recently I realised that this parable can apply to drinking alcohol.

Many of us drink for many years without any dramas - but gradually some of us will "ever so slowly" get hooked

We will one day realise that we rarely have an "alcohol free day", we are quite happy to knock back a bottle of wine during an evening "home alone" - and that most of our socialising revolves around alcohol.

The joy of having a "trial separation" is that you get to see just how dependent you may have become - you can reflect on your usual relationship with alcohol and decide whether or not you need to make some changes.

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

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

Thursday Sep 10, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 10

Thursday Sep 10, 2020

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.

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

Does alcohol enhance the taste of our food?

If you are used to always drinking a glass (or two) of wine with your dinner you may be missing it during your alcohol free time.

“How can I enjoy a steak without a glass of red wine?” said a lady at one of our workshops recently “it enhances the flavour of the meat!”

Well here’s the thing..

Alcohol is actually an anaesthetic

Which means that it numbs our ability to taste!

Unless you are eating really nasty food why would you need an anaesthetic to take away the taste?!

Some of the top restaurants in the world offer “wine pairing” – top chefs slaving away in the kitchen to produce the most exquisite food.

Then each course is accompanied by a glass of wine to numb the taste of the food…

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

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

Wednesday Sep 09, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 9

Wednesday Sep 09, 2020

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.

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

Alcohol and stress

There are so many myths around the "magic properties" of alcohol and one of them is that it will relieve your stress.

Well yes, it may numb you so that you don't think about what is stressing you for a few hours.

Then you wake up the next morning with a hangover - and - surprise - the problem is still there!

There was a study in 2012 which proved that alcohol actually makes you less capable of dealing with stress and anxiety.

Researchers gave mice doses of alcohol for a month, then ran tests to compare the mice who had been drinking to normal mice.

Both sets of mice were put in stressful situations to measure their reactions.

The mice who had been drinking were less able to deal with anxiety and stress - the alcohol had rewired their brains to make them less resilient.

The only way to relieve stress is to deal with the source of it.

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

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

Tuesday Sep 08, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 8

Tuesday Sep 08, 2020

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.

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

The gift of time

One thing you may discover during your alcohol-free period is that you have more time on your hands...

When you are a drinker you don't have to make too many decisions about how to spend your time - it just kind of glides by – and it’s going to involve wine, beer, cocktails..

You are either planning the drinking, doing the drinking - or recovering from the drinking.

So there could just be a chance that you have lost track of what fun actually is - besides drinking!

When you stop drinking for a month, you suddenly get a third-ish of your day back. That's because your days don't fizzle out at 6pm and instead of floating through your weekends in a dream you're there for all of it..

Time is not something we ever get back so why not use that extra time to complete an overdue project, take up a new sport or even discover some new alcohol free activities.

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

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

Monday Sep 07, 2020

66 Days Sober Challenge - Day 7

Monday Sep 07, 2020

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.

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

About Moderation

If you are one of those people who is always trying to "moderate" their alcohol intake to "safe" levels (ie one and a half bottles of wine a week) then the Sober Challenge may provide you with a very pleasant surprise!

I spent an entire decade of my life trying (and failing) to "moderate" - I had so many "rules" in place as to when I could and couldn't drink it was exhausting.

Then when I finally surrendered to the fact that I would never be able to moderate and would have to stop drinking completely everything changed. I felt an enormous sense of relief, I felt calm and was so pleased to get the headspace to think about more interesting subjects than how many "units" I had left to drink that week.

With the benefit of hindsight I can see that I was never going to be able to "moderate" a mind altering drug - a substance that has been chemically designed to be addictive. After all we don't hear about people trying to "moderate" their heroin intake!

So for anyone who struggles to keep their alcohol consumption within the recommended limits take some joy from your time of "freedom" and you might just find you want to make your alcohol-free life permanent.

If you're enjoying this challenge then please think about joining our community HERE

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

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