What I discovered when I gave up drinking for a month

No alcohol graphic featuring drinks with the letter N

Two failed attempts at Dry January

Prior to this October, I had already attempted Dry January twice – both with little success. Both this year and last, I started the first day of the new year with the kind of optimism (and hangover) that prompts many people to set themselves drastically unrealistic goals and ambitions for the year ahead, only to fail at them long before the month is out. Both times, my strategy was to go full hermit-mode, shutting myself off from temptation entirely by declining all social engagements – which lasted all of 13 days before I decided I couldn't survive the dark depths of winter without human social interaction.

This autumn, I knew that this strategy would not get me very far. About mid-September, I decided my new goal was an alcohol-free October. It had been a busy summer of festivals and fun, including plenty of drinking, and I knew the run-up to Christmas was looking similar. When making plans for October with my new teetotal hat on, I politely declined anything that might derail my ambitions – especially at the start of the month when I knew I would be more easily swayed.

At the same time, though I knew I could pass on the opportunity to simply sit around in the same old pub with friends, I didn't want to completely cut myself off from social situations in the same way as I had before. I wanted to set myself the challenge to keep doing the things I love, such as going to gigs – but this time, completely sober.

The boom of alcohol-free drinks

Gone are the days of orange juice and lemonade being the sole recourse for teetotalers. The mocktail and non-alcoholic market is booming, and there are more options than ever available to non-drinkers. On my first evening out during Sober October, however, I stuck to what I knew: sipping on three half-pints of Diet Coke over the course of the night. Although my love for this addictive soft drink knows no bounds, this was perhaps too much caffeine for anyone in the evening.

I decided on my next outing to be a little more adventurous – I would branch out into alcohol-free beer. I bought myself tickets for a gig after work and sidled up to the bar, smugly asking what alcohol-free beers they had on offer. Although slightly disappointed by the lack of options (spoiler: there was only one), I found that drinking booze-free beers made me almost forget I wasn't drinking at all. As someone who does enjoy a beer in social settings, I was pleasantly surprised by how non-alcoholic beers make you feel as though you're still part of the fun – and I didn't miss the alcohol.

Every pub or bar I went to had at least one alcohol-free beer – and sometimes two, what luxury! – as well as various mocktails. With such a variety available on the market, I happily opted for whatever was on offer, and there was only one restaurant that had no option other than sparkling water. I started to realise that I treated drinking alcohol as the norm during any evening social situation. Having never even touched an alcohol-free beer before the month of October, I started to question why this was, and looked into how many units I may have been consuming before my month of sobriety.

The NHS recommends drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, which equates to roughly six medium glasses of wine or six pints of 4% ABV beer. That may seem well and good until you read its second stipulation: this quantity should be spread over at least three days. Consuming two drinks, three times a week, sounds like a pretty standard week for many people, if not conservative – not to mention that many craft beers on the market come with a much heftier ABV than 4%.

More than six units in one drinking session is counted as binge drinking for women, while men can have up to eight before tipping over into the danger zone. New evidence has emerged in recent years on the dangerous impact of binge drinking on your health over an extended period of time, including various cancers, stroke, heart disease, liver disease and brain damage, with the NHS now saying there is no "safe" drinking level.

Reflecting on my own pub trips with friends, this potentially dangerous level of alcohol consumption could easily happen on a weekday evening, and I wouldn't necessarily consider it a night of heavy drinking. Just three or so pints of my favourite hazy IPA (typically around 5%) would be considered binge drinking, and I didn't even realise it.

From Sober October to Dry January and beyond

It goes without saying that waking up clear-headed every weekend and weekday was a huge bonus. I felt more productive on the weekends, as drinking alcohol often has a negative impact on my sleep. This is without mentioning the long-term health benefits of abstaining from alcohol over a more extended period of time, such as improved mood, behaviour and your body's ability to fight infectious diseases.

Having completed my first Sober October, I now feel more optimistic about taking on the next Dry January – hopefully third time lucky! Giving up alcohol for a month, especially when my bank balance will be depleted from seasonal festivities, now feels like a fun challenge as opposed to a time to shut myself off from the world. I didn't feel like I missed out, and was pleased to know that I could happily enjoy social activities without relying on alcohol. I have to admit that I fell off the wagon on one day, roughly midway through the month, but I actually woke up the next day with a renewed sense of determination.

I did notice a slight financial advantage during my month of sobriety, but this was mostly attributed to having avoided the domino-effect of drinking alcohol – one pint often leads to more, then sometimes a takeaway later that night or the following day during your hangover. It's a shame that non-alcoholic beers are fairly price comparable to their alcoholic counterparts, and the same can be said with mocktails.

As our society does shift towards a more sober-curious mentality, it would be good to see more encouragement of this in bars, with financial incentives for lower- or zero-alcohol options. Undoubtedly, giving up drinking is better for our health, but it needs to be a more financially appealing choice, too.

Tips for surviving Sober October

1. Plan ahead: if you can, start planning the month before you intend to give up drinking. That way, when you make social arrangements, you won't agree to anything that might set you off your course. Sandwiched between summer and the onslaught of Christmas festivities, you might appreciate the opportunity to have a slower, quieter month in October – make plans that align with this.

2. Keep yourself accountable: everyone has different ways of holding themselves accountable, so find what works for you. For me, the more people I told, the more I felt I had to stick to it. The NHS Drink-Free Days app was also a great way to track and feel good about my progress – plus, it sends you little reminders to check-in.

3. Do things you enjoy: don't shut yourself off from the world; do activities that you'd normally enjoy or take the opportunity to try a new hobby or activity using some of the money you're saving.

4. Make the most of non-alcoholic options: enjoy the variety of mocktails and alcohol-free options on offer. If you normally enjoy drinking beer, try the alcohol-free ones, or branch out to something new. It can be helpful to have mocktail recipes up your sleeve, as many bars and pubs will have the ingredients on hand, even if they don't explicitly mention these non-alcoholic cocktails on their menu. A personal favourite is the shirley temple – ginger ale, lime juice and grenadine, garnished with a maraschino cherry.

5. Remind yourself why you're doing it: if you feel yourself getting tempted, try to remind yourself of your reasoning for starting in the first place, whether it's health, financial or both. Although the month might feel like a marathon, it's only 31 days out of the whole year, and you'll feel a great sense of achievement at the end. If you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up – 30 days (or however many) of complete sobriety is still an impressive feat.