The end of my Sober February Challenge has arrived and I couldn’t be happier. OK, I know your thinking that’s because I’m free to enjoy the occasional libation once again, and you wouldn’t be totally wrong there…but it goes way deeper!

I am also so totally stoked because for one; I love to crush a great goal, and two; this is literally the first time I think I have gone a whole month without one drink since I was likely 15 years old!!! As I write those words out it seems a little extreme … however, I would wager in this “wine’ O clock” and “Miller Time” generation, that’s not all that uncommon ;p

There was certainly a time in my life when I was drinking and partying far too regularly, and quite rowdily, and I make no bones about how grateful I am I found the worth in my health and quit that dead end game.

Nowadays, its more of a wine while I cook dinner or the odd weekend night over at a friends house cheersing and chatting with appys and great company until a bedtime of just after midnight if we’re feeling really wild ;p That being said though…I rarely went 5 days in a row without a alcoholic beverage and times like summer and the holidays find those off days fewer and farther between…

Enter this January when I was full speed ahead after Christmas.I was taking even more on my plate than ever, and had started putting on some extra weight, was feeling sluggish and  overwhelmed from dealing with some very tough family stuff ..and all of a sudden I realized that the holiday bevvy schedule didn’t seem to be slowing down like usual.

That’s when the Universe (in my belief.. as it often does), presented the right resource at precisely the right time!

I was looking around at the latest in personal development social media posts ( I do that a lot..totally addicted lol), and I stumbled upon James Swannick. He is a boisterous and highly motivating Aussie who has Youtubes, podcasts and posts about a number of things health and wealth related. The first thing that caught my eye was his blue-light blocking glasses aptly called Swannies …I was totally excited about these because I have done lots of researching about your circadian rhythm ( our natural sleep clock to over simplify) and how the blue light in the screens we look at all the time disrupt that.. I digress!! The next thing I spotted was that he is alcohol free, and he has tons of tips and information about living a fun filled and healthy life sans booze. As well, he runs a 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge!

What is that you say? Well, its actually a lot like what I do in my fitness and wellness biz. He runs a private group through Facebook where for a small but worthwhile investment, you can get support, be kept accountable and be privy to his top tips and info for staying alcohol free for 30 days…and beyond should you desire.

I loved the idea and jumped right in for the next round, which just perfectly coincided with with the newly trendy Sober February, as well as my next fitness group in which I adopted this sober theme also.

You see, I happen to know from experience in my business that we all know most of what we SHOULD do in order to reach our goals, (minus maybe a few helpful coach insights 😉 but putting it into practice consistently can feel down right impossible sometimes.. especially when it feels like life is running you ragged, throwing curve balls and perhaps giving you lemons! You may keep ending up back at square one, eating a bag of something “naughty” and taking those lemons and making lemonade with a shot of vodka in it (sound familiar?).

Accountability and support is the KEY to this! Being accountable to the group I was running plus James’s, really helped me navigate the times of attending events where I was the only one not drinking, or sitting with my emotions and exhaustion at the end of a long day or week.

I love to challenge myself to constantly evolve and be healthier and more in tune, so digging deeper and getting resourceful on what I really needed instead of this liquid band aid was just the soulwork I was looking for. Getting mindful about the relationship with that “evening wine to unwind”, or the “social-buffer beer” is a priceless piece of the self- work puzzle. Also noteworthy is taking a look at the other self soothing crutches, such as food or smoking! Many clients I have worked with who may not drink, mimic this behavior with things like simple carbs and cheesy “comfort foods” which release the same chemical responses in the brain as alcohol and drugs. We could all use to take a look at our vices 😉

Now by no means am I standing on a soapbox becoming a preacher on this topic, nor do I plan to quit alcohol entirely at this time (who knows how Ill feel in the future), but I wanted to put it out there how much this experience has opened my eyes and taught me so much about myself. I will be much more mindful about when I choose to have alcohol and how much, and strongly encourage everyone who has toyed with the idea of cutting back on liquor or substance to give this or any other format of abstaining for a period of time a try….guaranteed to be a very interesting and worthwhile self-realization and social investigation <3

I hope this peak into my experience with the 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge/Sober February has piqued your curiosity and maybe inspired you. Below I have compiled a small list of things I enjoyed soberly (and still do) and that aided me in reaching this goal

• Meditating
• Yoga morning and night
• Fitness
• Reading
• Crafting
• Playing games with friends/family
• Being outdoors
• Healthy snacks like grapes and cleansing green juice
• Surrounding yourself with people on the same path (this works for fitness too..ask about my groups;)
• Watching uplifting and motivational videos like James’s and being in his group
• Being in tune with your spiritual/religious practice

Dalyce Clark- Your Holistic Lifestylist XO