39. How's Dry January going for you?

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Hello, darling heart, and welcome to the drink less, live better podcast. This is the podcast that helps you to see that drinking

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less doesn't need to be stressful, lonely, or boring. I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I decided to have a year alcohol

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free as a little life experiment and haven't looked back. With my experience in training, I now help other women with their

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alcohol free or drink less adventures. I'm here to tell you that you can be truly joyful without alcohol in your life. Join

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me here each week to find out how. So how's dry January going for you? Have you picked dry Jan as a reset month after a boozy

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December? Do you always do dry Jan? Is it one of your New Year's resolutions every year? We're 3 weeks into it now, but there's

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still another 2 weekends to go. That makes it sound like a long old month to me. I'd love to know how you're feeling right

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now. Do you have a calm sense of knowing that you will achieve what you set out to? I really hope you do. Are you feeling

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freedom and joy about your month without alcohol? A few weeks into a period of not drinking, our sleep becomes more settled.

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Oh, god. I love my sleep. So deep. So restorative now. I hope your month is feeling straight forward and undramatic, without

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the need to justify your choice to anyone else. Are you speaking to yourself with a supportive and helpful voice? Is this

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month, alcohol free, starting to bring you a clearer vision for the future? Are you starting to think this might be a choice

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to make for a bit longer than a month? In lots of the sober circles I hang out in, people start off doing an alcohol free

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month challenge and enjoy the benefits so much they want to upgrade to another challenge. What could be next for you? Does

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it feel good to talk about 60 days or 2 months next? How about a 90 day or a 100 day streak? If you began dry January on 1st

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Jan, 90 days would take you up to Friday 1st April. Doesn't that sound good, going right the way through to spring? How amazing

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could your emotional, physical and spiritual well-being be with that beautiful number of days alcohol free behind you? When

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I used to do dry January or sober October as a one off alcohol free month, I used to count down the last few days of the month

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until I could go back to my drinking ways. I used to think that if I used an alcohol free month as a reset, a good habit,

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a time to prove to myself that I wasn't physically addicted to alcohol. But, actually, let's look at the word reset. One of

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the definitions in the Cambridge Dictionary is to start again after a period of rest or change, so you feel better able to

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deal with your life or situation. Change doesn't involve going back to how you were before, as far as I can see. So, if you're

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planning to finish dry jam and go back to how you were, could I gently and lovingly suggest that you go forward instead? Use

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the reset to really reconsider your future and the place alcohol plays in it very carefully. Thank you for listening to this

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episode. Please listen in again next time. You can find out about working with me one to 1 at drink less, live better.com.

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Thank you, and PS, I believe in you.