Back in my drinking days, I was great at telling myself it wasn’t the ‘right time’ to stop.
I would’ve dismissed the idea of taking a break from booze at this time of year. After all, you don’t turn over a new leaf in November. That’s what January is for, right?
But you might be a bit smarter than I was… and you might realise that there are some big benefits to quitting drinking right now.
(Especially this November, with everything else that’s going on.)
If you’re looking for a dose of motivation to stick to your alcohol free goals, check this out:
Key points
This isn’t a ‘normal’ November
Our lives are still disrupted by coronavirus at the moment, so a lot of the usual temptations have been taken away. The holiday season is going to look pretty different this year too – there won’t be one party after another, so you could quit without anyone even realising!
Taking care of yourself has never been more important
The days are getting shorter, it’s dark, cold and life feels uncertain. It’s very easy to get down about things. Alcohol – a depressant – magnifies those feelings. Drinking increases your anxiety and makes it harder to take care of your overall health and wellbeing.
January will be a lot like November
When the New Year arrives, our lives will still be fairly uncertain. We’ll still have social distancing and restrictions in place. So let’s not romanticise New Year as the only time for starting new things.
Success happens when you take action
I was always great at thinking about my drinking but not very good at doing anything about it. Unfortunately, it turns out that you don’t learn much that way! Waiting until you have all the information before you begin is a sure fire way to never take action.
You’ll be in good company
Ignore the posts on Facebook – as articles like this one show, lots of people are quitting drinking and choosing something different for themselves right now. There’s no such thing as the perfect time to stop – it’s just your mindset and perspective that matters.
58 Responses
Thanks Kate, I needed this today. I’m worried about the second lockdown coming here and I don’t want to drink through it again. Determined to stay on track this time and look after myself.
Hello, Today is my 2nd day sober and I’m really struggling. Alcohol is such a big co.fort in my life but always has negative effects and I can already feel myself getting agitated and not being able to relax. This post is really helpful and seeing the comments from other people helps alot too. I thought I was alone in this prison. Thanks all
You are definitely not alone! Quitting drinking on your own can be tough sometimes, so if you need any more help and support, I wanted to make sure you knew about my online course? Here are some details: https://thesoberschool.com/course/
Happy 2nd day! I’ve had such a hard time debating w myself ea day between drinking or not. I think I’m stubborn and actually like the hardship it sometimes creates. Ugh. I think reading thru the pros and cons of overdrinking is the most helpful thing I can do.
Hang tough, KB! There is nothing better than waking up in the morning, feeling great and knowing that you’re stronger than alcohol, that you didn’t succumb to the temptation. You will get past the craving and it will all become so much easier. Best of luck to you!
Thank you, on day 17 now and feeling good. I’ve lost weight as well which just shows how much the wine for holding me back from my diet plans. Wishing you all the best. Amazing bunch of ladies. Xxx
I quit drinking last year on Nov 1st. With LOTS of motivation and information from the Sober School. Good Luck ladies. Life is so much sweeter without lies, hangovers, fear and morning after regrets. Not to mention better skin, and dropping 2 sizes. Give yourself this gift for the Holidays!
I decided last month that November would be my change month. I’m on day 2 of no alcohol after goodness knows how many days of consecutive drinking or only a day or two with the alcohol.
I’ve done dry January’s before which have gone well into February but I really want to just knock alcohol on the head.
It’s gonna be a challenge to make new habits, which is what my drinking had become x
Go for it Ella. There’s no hug in alcohol – it’s not self care. You are very wise not to drink this time round. Keep going! 🙂
This is so true! When I decided to stop drinking at the end of last November (but decided to go for Dec. 1 as an easier way to keep track), everyone said, “NOW??? With the holidays coming up?” Just like during the pandemic, everyone says, “NOW??? This is when I NEED to drink.” You can be ready any time; there will always be obstacles to negotiate. And you don’t even have to wait until the first of a month!
Such a good point. There will always be a reason why now isn’t the right time (especially if you look hard enough!) I’m glad you put all that to one side and made it happen Dove!
Today is the start of my 6th week alcohol free & I feel great…I have lost 7lbs without really trying & no hangovers, also tummy problems have totally gone why didn’t I stop sooner!
Nice, well done! It sounds like AF living suits you! 🙂
Hi Kate this is my 3rd day of not drinking wine, I really want to win this awful fight
Hi Liz – today is day 3 for me too! I’m trying to change the way I think about wine but it’s hard. Maybe we can support each other! 🙂
H it’s just day 2 for me just taking it a day at a time, I’ve been worried about my love of wine for to long I need to make a change, hard living on ur own when wine has always been my comfort blanket. Gud luck to all trying each day
Today is going to be my first day of not having alcohol. It has become a huge part of my life and I hate it. I don’t want to drink it’s just become a very bad habit and having come out the other side of having breast cancer this year I probably shouldn’t be drinking anyway. I need to look after myself more. I feel lucky that my BC was caught early so really want to embrace life and my kids.
Hi Kate thank you for keeping in touch . I am now 2 days off being 6 weeks sober the list is endless of all the positives and I have addressed in a completely different way this time, though education rather than willpower. I am reading many books and your emails and book have Verna lifeline xx I have no intention to drink before Christmas that is my new goal but to be honest I don’t see myself going back even then xx lots of love to you and keep safe xx
Well done Liz! If you need any more help and support, click the ‘blog’ tab to explore lots more tips to keep you going 🙂
Thank you
Yes kathy that would be great
My 2nd day not drinking wine and I really want to stop for good it’s not doing me of anyone around me any favors
I’ve been sober(ish) since May 2020. I estimate I’ve drank 15 beers and/or glasses of wine since that time. Each time I wake up feeling groggy and just flat. I drank three beers this past Friday and had a hangover for 2! days. I’m done. Can’t wait to have a sober November and probably the first sober Thanksgiving of my adult life!
It sounds like your body is trying to tell you something Tina. Bring on a sober November – it will be a massive lifestyle upgrade 🙂
This is my second day of the reset. I’m excited for tomorrow!
Keep going Bonnie!
Thank you for the motivation to keep going. I started out trying for a 7 day alcohol cleanse, and then was exposed to a positive Covid case and am self isolating for another 10 days. I decided to try for a 14 day cleanse (something I haven’t done in 10 years) since I will be home and won’t have the pressure to drink from friends or being out at a restaurant. I’m excited to make it 14 days AF and to evaluate how I feel at the end.
Well done for getting started. Once you’ve got to 14 days, see if you’re ready to do a bit longer – the real benefits of sobriety show up the longer you stick with this 🙂
Just started going AlFree and stumbled onto you. If I can keep going, this will probably be my first sober Thanksgiving. When you make a statement like that about yourself, it makes you really think. Good luck everyone. Let’s be strong and continue on – a drink is not necessary to enjoy the occasion!
I loved this blog. I have been thinking so much about sobriety for over a year now, because I ebb and flow with drinking and I am currently in a flow where I drink every night. I am hung over today, I’m depressed and I absolutely hate feeling this way. My goal is to take this month off. I always feel AMAZING when after I get passed the first two grumpy days. I’m tired of floundering through life, I’m ready to take charge!
Life’s too short to waste feeling hungover, right? You deserve better Celeste. Wishing you all the best on your alcohol free journey 🙂
I am a graduate of Kate’s July course, and life AF is a total game changer. I feel so much better, accomplish more and life has a whole new meaning. Looking back, I see just how destructive alcohol was to my life and how much control it had. I don’t watch the clock anymore to see if 5:00 pm has hit. It’s the best decision you will ever make!
Thanks Katy – I’m so pleased to hear this! Congratulations on your sobriety… alcohol free living clearly suits you! ❤️
I am an April 2020 graduate. I did quite well during course and then joined the Sober School. I have had a few slips here and there where I felt I could have a couple of strong beers. Each time I was horribly hung over and felt depressed and frustrated with myself. Well today I have made it to day 26. I just feel like something is finally clicking here. My body just doesn’t want the poison anymore. Life is looking brighter and every day is better than the day before. Thanks so much Kate.
Wow. You said something profoundly moving for me right there.
MY BODY JUST DOESN’T WANT THE POISON ANYMORE!!!!
I’m a January 2020 graduate. I can say with my hand on my heart my life is better alcohol free. I’m over 300 says now. I had an experiment on a girly holiday but felt so terrible after 2 wines that I could barely lift my head the next day. It was a shame as I’d already done 1 sober holiday in Crete. I’m carrying on as I am now and I don’t want booze in my life. I’m happier and healthier without it. My latest hobbie is wild swimming. Boozy Lucy would never have done that x
Thanks Kate. Just what I needed today. If we’ve got to lockdown for 30 days then it seems an ideal time to stop drinking and boy do I need to. Starting tonight! Fingers crossed!
Absolutely – this is as good a time as any! Go for it Chris 🙂
Day 2 sober and listened to both recordings.
Have tried and failed miserably in the past to stay off the alcohol lasting maybe 2 to 3 weeks and then slow steady decline to weekend drinking then escalating to few nights during week too.
Feeling the anxiety building and know it is related to the alcohol. Makes me depressed the next day too.
Looking forward to completing November and maybe even Keeping going!
Am all in and looking forward to support.
Starting Week 5 with Kate! November with Corona virus is the perfect time!
Keep up the good work everyone! I’m feeling better, stronger, happier and feel the nasty grip loosening… I’m thankful for this course!!!!
Thanks Madison! It’s great to see you doing so well. Keep up the great work! 🙂
Hi Kate I am such a drinker it’s crazy. Need to stop I have been diagnosed with begging of cirrhosis. It’s just so hard
Hi Jeannette, you can do it. There are plenty of resources here to support you. Also, if you’d like to work with me directly, here’s some more information about about my next class: https://thesoberschool.com/course/
I agree Kate, I think November is a perfect time to be alcohol free. That is my intention & the more I learn about this drug the more I realise it really is a poison to the body.
Wishing you a very happy, hangover-free November Maureen!
Today, November 2nd, marks my 7th day of Happiness or Alcohol Free. Being in lockdown has increased my drinking exponentially. After an alcohol binge on 10/27, blacking out and falling I decided that it was time to get this demon under control. My two adult children and my sibling are all behind me and want to support me in any way they can. I feel blessed that I have these amazing people to help me along my journey. I’m glad I found your blog. I totally agree I could find numerous reasons why quitting right at the onset of the Holidays wouldn’t be the best time to start. However, there will never be a better time than right now to reclaim my Happiness and my Health.
Congratulations on your 7 days Valerie – keep going! Well done for getting started, this is a great time to do it 🙂
Hi Kate…. I decided not to join the last course and go it alone…. I have significantly cut down and feel good about that. However, when I now do share a bottle, I feel terrible physically and mentally, the physical part really makes me aware of how used to alcohol my body had become…. it really poison me and I feel terrible when I do have a drink. I do often think it would be easier not drink at all rather than this rollercoaster.
You are right…. November is a good time…. what you say makes sense.
Wished I had more willpower and strength to just get on with it.
Thanks
It sounds like you could do with some support Sarah – it’s hard to do this journey alone. And I can guarantee that quitting completely would be so much easier. If moderation was the way forward, you wouldn’t even be here. I’ve written quite a few posts about this… including this one: https://thesoberschool.com/trying-to-moderate-10-things-youll-need-to-be-ok-with-first/
I tried for years to quit drinking. I did the Sober School course in July and have never had a craving since I stopped (on 29th June). I am not finding it hard, triggers that would of started a craving for alcohol before…don’t.
I have as much desire now for an alcoholic drink as I would have for say, a glass of petrol! I don’t understand how this has worked for me when everything else failed before but it has and I am so grateful. The Sober School course in July was my last resort and fate must of saved the best till last, because it is the only thing that has ever worked for me.
The course is literally a life saver.
It’s lovely to hear from you Chrissie – and I’m delighted things are going so well for you. I’m proud to have helped you on this journey, because alcohol free living clearly suits you!
So true Kate, there really never is a right time to stop drinking. I have tried many times and failed but on Thursday 24 September 2020 with a massive hangover and feeling like absolute crap, I said to myself – it is now or never. The little voice inside my (who I now know to be the wine witch) screamed – oh but Christmas is around the corner. My reply to the witch – if I don’t stop now I could be dead by Christmas. That’s how worried I was about how much I was drinking. I stayed sober for two weeks and then felt I was loosing my resolve. Then I found you Kate and your Getting Unstuck Course. I am now 41 days sober and I feel great. I am in the middle of week five of your six week course. I love your course Kate and all the supportive and non judgmental participants. I have learned so much so far and I continue to learn not only about alcohol and the myths that surround it but I am also learning about myself. I am not sure who I am yet but I am very much looking forward to finding out. For anyone reading my post here, there really is no right time so make it now. You will love sobriety. I know I do. x
What an inspiring post. I’m so glad you listened to that part of you that wanted to change now and knew it needed to happen sooner rather than later. You took action… and look what happened! Congratulations on your sobriety Sue 🙂
Thank you, Kate for you’re inspiring message. You are so right. I have never been big on New Year’s resolutions and have always thought of them as a kind of procrastination. “I’ll do that in January.” I have done Sober September but have had wine 3 times in October. My plan for NOvember is to have NOalcohol and I am hoping to continue into December.
Go for it Sandy! You’ll be so pleased you did 🙂
I signed up for the April 2020 covid lockdown group! And here I am nearly 8months later squeaky clean, bright eyes and bushy tailed!
Not a drop has passed my lips….After so many attempts, hopefully I have nailed it….thankyou Kate. I still have many temptation moments, particularly spontaneous social outings, but I have my alcohol free “pretend” wine and enjoy that just as much. Am getting more confident daily.
My mental and physical health hasn’t been better. Hang in there everyone. Has taken me 40 years to get here, so there’s hope for everyone!
I am so pleased to hear this Donna – congratulations! What a fantastic thing to have achieved this year, during this strange time. Well done – so much to proud of 🙂
Think it’s time for me to stop. I’ve made some bad choices & embarrassed myself in front of people I love. My mind always has a reason / season for drinking ie. cooking, celebrations, cold winter days hot summer nights. It’s time to retrain this brain of mine- I lost my mom to this … I don’t want my kids to loose me