Looking to cut down on alcohol in 2025.
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Looking to cut down (possibly out) on alcohol in 2025. Any advice or tips/tricks? I feel like there’s a lot out there now for the soberish
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I love this question! As someone who completely cut out alcohol in November 2023, I’ve spent alot of time thinking about this question… because quitting drinking wasn’t linear! I was sober curious well before I entirely cut it out.
I was numbing out with alcohol and it was fueling my anxiety. So 10/10 recommend quitting and the best things I did when quitting was:
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Books & podcasts really helped me, like the book “Not Drinking Tonight” // it’s wild to think I always thought I was the only one with an unhealthy relationship with alcohol… but so many of us do. Another resource is the IG account: @ASoberGirlsGuide
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Found accountability and told people. There’s a reason why formal programs like AA work, but to make a change that’s so big that society and culture normalizes, you need community! If you’re in Austin, some amazing community resources include: @SoberClairity and @SoberandFunky
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Set myself up for success with NA products. I bought NA wines and beers and spirits so I could BYOB to parties or have something on hand. The ritual of drinking is the biggest thing for me. And sometimes Topo Chico in a wine glass doesn’t cut it. If you’re in Austin, I recommend following these two sober bars and bottle shops for resources: @DearDryDrinkery and @Sans_Bar
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Be prepared to FEEL. When you aren’t numbing, you feel everything deeper. The highs and the lows. So give yourself grace and realize that a lot of quitting alcohol is actually setting up boundaries and that’s some hard work!
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Yes! The Sunnyside app. It's basically like a low key personalized accountability app that helps you set goals, track and keep them in a low pressure way. I sound like an advertisement but I swear I'm not LOL! For those of us that need a little help in this area it's been great. I have used the soberish plan but they also have a completely alcohol free plan too. Best of luck! I' so much happier when I feel in control of my beverage intake
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Hi! I love this question, too. As someone who has significaly limited alcohol, I'd love to offer a few recs!
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Book: Sober Curious
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Drinks: Find some mocktail recipes you love, and romanticize them. I make mine in wine glasses in the evening, but they're really my "sleepy mom" mocktails. My go to: Organic tart cherry juice, plain sparking water and fresh squeezed lime over ice. If you have magnesium in the powder form, that's a great supplement to add before bed.
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I also find that parenting "sober" is one million times better. I feel less irritable, I'm never hungover, I sleep better, and I don't feel frustrated if they wake up in the middle night, etc. I also work full time so to lose a day or hours at this point in my life with a hangover just isn't going to work for me.
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If you do go somewhere and choose to drink, consider opting for someting with low alcohol congtent. My favortie is a Pét-nat, short for pétillant naturel. It's a natural sparkling wine that is made with minimal intervention & usually very low alc content. You can find Pét-nats at Whole Foods. My favorite selection is at any Tom's Market or Meteor Coffee (they have a wall of great wine).
Happy to chat more
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Weed. Get a pen. Prob not the answer you’re looking for but it works and you feel so much better the next day compared to alcohol. Parenting is intense
Or edibles but they all put me to sleep. Even the “uppers”
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We saw amazing positive outcomes from cutting down on alcohol in 2024!! We did a lot of mocktails, and we also dabbled in hybrid weed gummies for any social events. A brand I really loved was the "social" and "balance" gummies from the "camino" brand. You can actually get them shipped to your house since they are made with "hemp". No hangover and zero anxiety with them - highly recommend.
I used to be TERRIBLE at eating weed gummies or smoking anything. I found that have a mix of CBD/THC works best.
Website here: https://shopkivaconfections.com/collections/frontpage/products/camino-sparkling-pear-social-gummies
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I typically like to start the year with a whole 30 in January that helps me kickstart my no drinking for January, and then I tend to cut back the next 6 months.
Mocktails are a “go to” at any dinner or social event. Also- as the above mom mentioned I like CBD drops, or CBD gummies. If you are local to Austin you can get them at people’s pharmacy!
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I love this question so much!
When I started my journey I started with "Mindfulness Drinking". I decided to figure out how many drinks was a good time and what amount of drinks was too much. Back in the day, my cut off was 3 drinks. I found that 3 drinks was a good time but nothing good usually happened after 3 drinks. So I started with that limit for myself.
Then I moved to setting boundaries around when I drank alcohol. My first boundary was no alcohol Sunday-Wednesday.
All of these boundaries really just helped my brain. I did not have to spend time thinking about all things surrounding drinking...Should I have a drink? How many? Have I drank too much? How will feel in the morning? Wait, what do I have to do in the morning? LOL
I LOVED not spending any energy on it. I stuck with my plan of only drinking certain days and only 3 drinks at a time.Then, one year I did dry January for the first time and that was a game-changer for me! I literally went through each grieving step over the course of that first dry January. It was very informative and I have done dry January every year after that. I feel like it is just a nice reset for my body and brain.
In 2024, I set the intention for it to be my year of "healing". I started with dry January and it just kept going. I ended up not having a drink until my birthday on June 16th. Now, I stick to one drink at a time and only drink at special events or holidays. I think I ended up drinking about 15 drinks total this year. My body and liver have healed and I have never felt better!
The cutting-back-on-drinking journey is individualistic. So, try to do what is best for you and do what your body is telling you. When I started listening to what my body needed/wanted my whole life changed. It's a process for sure, so one step at a time is best
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If you're in Austin and looking to cut down on alcohol, I highly recommend this upcoming event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-booze-fest-tickets-1069940363429
Great way to find community & encourgement!
