Dealing with 'thirst' during a break

If your social appointments before your alcohol break were still accompanied by a (generous) sip of alcohol, you will face this challenge at every drink, birthday or other social event with a non-alcoholic drink in your hand. Does this thought spontaneously make you want a glass of alcohol? Read here how to deal with trigger moments and still have a pleasant month!

Although you started your break period with conviction, you now see the month filling up with lunch dates, birthdays and other social events. Spontaneously the courage sinks into your shoes. After all, how do you resist the temptation to drink alcohol between all this fun? 

Say "yes" (and sometimes "no") to things

Of course, you can still have a great social life without alcohol. Plus, wiping out your social calendar isn't the way to spend your alcohol break. After all, you want to discover the impact of temporarily not drinking on your normal daily life. And that daily life often includes social matters. What you can do to protect yourself a little is to think carefully about the social events you say "yes" to. For example, is it a night out with good friends, nice music and do you know in advance that you can dance? Then focus on those positive aspects and go for it! There is a good chance that you will have a nice evening and that you can experience what a night out without alcohol looks like.

However, if you receive an invitation to a social event where you know in advance that the chance that you will succumb to a glass of alcohol is very high, it is better to protect yourself against this and politely decline. Are you unable or unwilling to perform the social activity (or obligation) in question? skip? Then make one in advance mental video. This way you give yourself an extra helping hand.

Non-alcoholic seasonings

A trigger moment can be when you are at a party, gathering, or other social event and everyone around you is standing with a nice alcoholic drink in his or her hands. To resist the temptation, a glass of tea, water or cola is sometimes just not enough. In that case, ask if there is perhaps another non-alcoholic drink available? Especially in catering establishments, there is plenty to choose from in terms of drinks or cocktails. Take the opportunity to discover a new non-alcoholic condiment!

Talk about your break period

If you have a party, birthday, or night out coming up in the next few weeks, you may feel like you have to fight the social pressure to drink alcohol. Especially when you would normally drink on such an occasion. Friends, relatives or other acquaintances may have to get used to the idea of you skipping this time. In that case it is good to tell immediately upon arrival that you are not drinking alcohol for a while. Also explain why you pause and what it does to you. Not everyone will respond enthusiastically, but remember that this may say more about the drinking behavior of the person in question than about your non-drinking. Others will encourage you and strengthen you in your resolution. That's how one changes triggermoment in an extra boost to keep it up.