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Sober October, whether you’re an alcoholic or not, going a month without alcohol is a challenge for most people. Today, we’re going to talk about how to prepare for Sober October. But first, if you care about your own sobriety journey as much as we do, we have hundreds of videos on the topics of sobriety and self-improvement, so make sure that you’re subscribed to this channel.
What they find with the Sober October challenge is that people who do it feel way more productive and rested. It’s tapped into a reevaluation of alcohol consumption, especially among younger demographics. This is something I’m particularly interested in as well. I’ll be talking about Sober Curious a lot on my platform. It’s attractive because of the mental clarity, the health effects, and the overall mental well-being. Alcohol is a depressant, and we have an epidemic of depression. Can’t scientists just make a booze that doesn’t kill you? We have an epidemic of insomnia and sleep issues, and positively, it impacts that.
Grab a couple of friends, or just do it with your best friend, sister, or brother. There are a few things I would do to game this out, to make it fun and interesting.
First and foremost, create a reward. So anyone who’s participating—even if it’s just you—create a reward at the end of it. If you complete all 30 days (or actually 31 days, since October has 31 days) without drinking a drop, treat yourself. Buy yourself a sick outfit, go to a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, or take a fun little weekend trip.
One of my favorite tips for any challenge is Post-it notes. Think of three places in your house where you’ll visually see them, like the mirror in your bathroom or someplace in your bedroom that you always wake up to. Find three places in your daily life where you can put reminder Post-it notes. They can just say “Sober October,” or include a motivational quote, or even list the reward, like “Three-day trip to Sedona.”
Another tip: remove all the alcohol from your home. I know this might sound drastic, but if you want your best chances at making this happen, get friends involved. The more people who join in, the more support you have, and the more fun and interesting it gets.
If you’re a Joe Rogan fan, you’ve probably seen the fun he and his friends have with Sober October. It might be worth checking out an episode to see how they do it. They make it pretty funny. You have to want to do it. By November 1st, you’ll find Sober October an interesting experiment. One way to think about this is to treat it as a cleanse—an alcohol cleanse. Or, maybe you want to pair alcohol with sugar and try going a whole month with no alcohol and no sugar. You can spice up the challenge and hit two birds with one stone.
Pre-plan for social situations. If you know you’re going to be in a party or social setting where there will be drinking, have a plan. Grab a Perrier or a ginger beer—something that looks like a drink. To be honest, if people ask, “Hey, why aren’t you drinking?” you can just say, “I’m doing Sober October.” No one’s going to give you trouble for that. I think they’ll actually find it interesting and cool, especially in today’s society where things are different.
Another helpful tip is to watch motivational video clips. You’ve got YouTube, so you can watch a few minutes of motivational content. I do this regardless and call it my “daily mental diet.” I watch motivational clips to jazz me up, get me feeling good. Make it part of a ritual. You wake up, see your Post-it note, remember you’re going on that cool trip once you complete Sober October, and watch a motivational clip you’ve already got queued up.
I’d recommend recording your experience. You could do a daily check-in, or weekly, and write down the effects you feel, how your life is going, and if it’s having a positive impact. I think you’d be surprised how much this changes the game. Removing alcohol from your life really does change the game.
Sober October originally started as a challenge encouraging individuals, whether alcoholic or not, to go a month without alcohol. It has a dual purpose: the health benefits and also fundraising for charities. Where did Sober October come from? This actually started out as Dry January in 2013 in the UK for cancer awareness. Joe Rogan made it famous. Rogan’s approach wasn’t just about sobriety for health, but as an experiment in lifestyle change. I believe the Sober Curious trend was influenced, at least in part, by Joe Rogan’s Sober October. They made sobriety cool and fun.
There’s a growing trend of Sober Curious, where individuals explore life without alcohol, not because they’re alcoholics or have drinking problems, but out of curiosity about the impact on their health. They notice how much better they feel without hangovers. What are your strategies for preparing for Sober October? Do you have any fun activities planned? Maybe you’ll visit an apple orchard, a pumpkin patch, or tackle projects you’ve been putting off. If this is your first Sober October, comment down below.
