I don’t know about you but I’m holiday’d out. Christmas parties, cookie baking, family celebrations, dinners. And that ‘s not even counting New Year’s Eve with free flowing champagne. I’m not complaining, I had a wonderful time. But now in the harsh light of January, I feel toxic and bloated. I need a break.
Which is why I’ve decided to go a month without wine and have a Dry January.
A mom without wine for a month? Scary!
I LOVE my glass (or two) of wine. It signals that the day is over; relaxation time has begun. It’s the ritual of uncorking the wine, seeing the beautiful golden color, the chilled glass in hand. The smell of a really nice Sauvingon Blanc. It’s my time. Which is why this whole no wine for a month thing will be a challenge. What’s the signal that it’s OK to relax? That I’m officially off duty?
But all this winey wonderfulness has drawbacks. Here’s some reasons why I’m going a month without wine.
My sleep sucks.
I fall asleep easily but then it’s 3am and I’m awake worrying. Alcohol screws with your REM sleep patterns, so you get less of the important restful REM portion of sleep each night. I want to be that person that springs out of bed in the morning, rested and refreshed. Maybe 30 days of no wine would help me get a good night’s rest.
Wine Belly.
A friend of mine stopped drinking wine and dropped 15 pounds. 15 pounds! This woman stopped drinking and dropped 10 pounds in six weeks. That’s a big, no huge, motivation to put down my glass of wine. It’s not just the wine, but after a glass or two of wine, I suddenly crave carbs. I cannot count the times that a late night glass of wine sends me foraging in the cupboard for chips, crackers or popcorn. Maybe if I stop drinking for a month, I can cut those nighttime cupboard raids and drop a few pounds. Research back up this fact. After a shot of liquor, participants in one study consumed 20% more calories than people who didn’t drink. Not to mention the fact that after a few drinks, your judgement isn’t quite on, so dessert and cheese doodles suddenly sound like an awesome idea.
Better Mood?
Seems strange to me because I feel better AFTER I’ve had my evening glass of wine, but alcohol is a depressant on our central nervous system and affects the neurotransmitters in your brain.
Better Skin?
Alcohol dehydrates your body which dries your skin out. My skin needs all the love and moisture it can get right about now, so if a month without drinking can keep some wrinkles at bay, count me in.
Dry January is an entire movement in the UK. Millions of people sign up and take the pledge to not drink for the month of January. You can even donate the money you’d normally spend on drinking to the charity of your choice. Here’s the link to the Dry January website so that you can sign up to take part. You can also follow along on twitter with the hashtag #dryjanuary and #dryuary
How do you change a long standing behavior? You need some plans to make it work.
Here are some tips from a guy who’s managed a Dry January for eight years.
Some pointers:
Enlist A Friend. It’s more difficult to undertake this on your own. Grab a friend, your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend and get them to play along. (I’ve reluctantly gotten my boyfriend to agree to doing this with me. Key word reluctantly.)
Alter Your Social Calendar. Meeting friends at a bar, or attending a wine tasting this month? Probably not the best idea. Meet friends for a movie, coffee, a hike or to walk the dogs. Getting yourself into a new social situation without all the same temptations will make success easier.
I’m also going to shake up my routine to make a month without drinking easier.
Substitute. I’m going to have sparking Pellegrino and limes on hand. I’ll still use the nice wine glasses so it feels like a “special” drink.
Change the Routine. I’m going to change where I sit so the “cue” of my normal routine won’t make my mind automatically expect a glass of wine. I’m going to sit in a new spot at the dinner table and in the living room where I normally curl up with a glass of wine.
Take Away Visual Reminders. I usually wash my wine glass and let it dry on a dish towel near the sink. This month, I’m going to wash, dry and put the glass away so there is not the visual reminder of the wine so close at hand.
Try Something New. I’m off to the grocery store to get some new teas to sample. Maybe a cup of tea could become my new nightly wind down ritual.
I’m looking forward to the challenge!
Who am I kidding? I’m terrified I’ll be a testy, grumpy mess who wants to go to bed at 8pm since I can’t have my glass of chardonnay.
I’ll be tweeting #dryjanuary #dryuary on Twitter. You can follow me on Twitter here.
And I’ll be adding some pics and updates on the Round and Round Rosie Facebook page too.
If you are going to do Dry January, send me a message. We can help each other try out a new healthy habit together.
Here’s to a healthy, happy, alcohol free January! (A toast to you with a cup of tea.)
xoxo-Rosie