About keeping up with new habits

We are now three weeks on the road in Dry January. Hats off to you for making it this far. Very well! Have you thought about how you will continue after this month? Are you going to focus on staying dry longer or are you going to adjust your alcohol consumption? And how do you make sure that your new habit doesn't feel like a concession, but like your new normal?

Super tip: replace your bad habit with a right habit. Do you walk every day at 5 o'clock in the afternoon to chop your teeth for a glass of wine? Don't let it get that far and make sure you have a large cup of tea in front of you at a quarter to five. Due to the stimulating substance in the tea, you will fully recover and you will have less need for a glass of wine. It works for me!

Focus on one adjustment at a time and make it specific. So do not reach your goals in quitting smoking, losing 5 kilos and also want to drink less alcohol in one go. Make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it. In my case: I am going to extend the alcohol-free period until the end of April (with the exception of Valentine's Day), after which I expect some fun in the form of weekends away and a short vacation.

From April to mid-July I moderate my alcohol consumption to 2 glasses a day on the weekend. And then only if I can drink the wine mindfully. A little thoughtless slurping wine on the couch is not allowed! During the summer holidays I give myself more space for special moments with a nice glass of wine. Then I go back to 2 glasses a week on the weekend. I will keep that up until Sint-Nicolaas is out of the country again and then I give myself more space until the holidays. On January 1, 12 o'clock in the afternoon it's that time again; dry january starts.

What also helps to perpetuate your new habits is to write them down. Hang them on the fridge or put it in your diary so that you are reminded of the new normal every day. And wear your blue IkPas wristband!

Remember that changing a "bad" habit into a "good" habit takes a long time. If you want to adjust your alcohol consumption, it is not a matter of not drinking alcohol for 1 month and then falling back into your old behavior. You achieve nothing with that. Make your plans for the long term and make sure that you consciously pre-sort so that the chance is as high as possible that you will achieve your goal.