Five tips for a successful alcohol-free month in 2020

On the occasion of the first campaign of January sober, led by associations, some advice to put the odds on its side

Illustration of a glass with fruits. In January 2020, some associations launched the first alcohol-free month in France. - Pixabay

After some risks, the Dry January French version was launched in January 2020 by associations.
A month without a drop, or by limiting consumption, which invites everyone to question their relationship with alcohol.
How not to succumb to temptation? Here are five tips for staying 31 days, and not one less.

What if we raised our glasses to a 2020 year with less alcohol? This month of January sees for the first time, in France, the launch of a campaign to live a month without alcohol. Dry January , Dry January , January Challenge, Sober January… Whatever its name, the basic idea is similar: to question one's relationship to alcohol.

Not obvious, especially this year, where many holidays and end-of-year meetings were postponed to January because of the strikes? 20 Minutes has collected a few tips to help you keep this good resolution version 2020.

Each person at his own pace

"The sine qua non condition is to want to, to make this choice in a free and informed manner", introduces Laurence Cottet, former alcoholic, who publishes on January 8 a Small guide to make a successful month sober *. We may not feel ready, prefer February, shorter and with fewer alcoholic evenings ... "There is no point in stopping completely in a violent or forced manner, better to bet on the fun, warns Amine Benyamina, addictologist and president of the French Federation of Addictology. The other countries that have done it have shown us that people sleep better, save money, lose weight… ”Arguments that can convince some to get started.

The first step is to define your challenge. Dry diet? An alcohol-free month with three jokers? One glass instead of three? One evening instead of three? The French have very varied consumption and obviously not all of them have a problem with alcohol. This is why Laurence Cottet, also president of the association France Janvier sobre, preferred a flexible proposal to invite everyone to define their own challenge.

This patient-expert therefore advises in her guide to start by evaluating her consumption, to “look back and to answer questions about her consumption with sincerity”. A small test called Audit-C helps to know if one is in a recreational consumption, in a misuse or an addiction. And if there is a relapse, don't blame yourself. Analyze the reasons that prompted you to give in to temptation, to bounce back better, advises Laurence Cottet.

inquire

To make an informed choice, you still need to have the information. "We have public health benchmarks which are: maximum two drinks per day and not every day," recalls for the 3.852nd time Laurence Cottet, who runs addictology workshops at the Grenoble University Hospital. Unfortunately, they are overlooked. "As for the risks, if we think easily of the liver, we sometimes forget other alcohol-related pathologies: cancers, cardiovascular and mental illnesses ..." A drink a day increases the risk of breast cancer by 10%, she recalls. In general, I compare to the sun. I love sunbathing, but I understood that you should not expose yourself from such an hour to such an hour, not without cream…. It's the same for alcohol. "

Doing housework (in closets and in one's life)

Once you've made the right diagnosis, it's important to anticipate, by bringing your non-alcoholic cocktail to a party… or by avoiding the party. "The goal is to think about taking a break for all of us who party, sometimes on a prescribed basis," adds Amine Benyamina. We are sometimes aware of the many requests, either by advertisements, on the shelves, by colleagues. "During this month of efforts, it is better to limit the evenings with those who are embarrassed or laugh at your challenge ..." The best way to live this month is to announce clearly: "Friends, I decided to do Thank you for playing the game with me ", continues the psychiatrist. We are not in a patient-therapist relationship, but we are alone with our will. The objective is therefore not to follow an imposed program, but to prove that we are able to limit ourselves.

But cleaning also applies to your home. We can start by making an inventory of closets. "The most difficult is the ritual," warns Laurence Cottet. You know, the after-dinner digestif or the beer after work. "It was vodka for me," she says. You can ask your companion to hide the bottle and not drink in front of you. She even goes so far as to recommend modifying the furniture in the living room to avoid taking the usual route to a drink…

A collective challenge

So that this test does not become a stroke of the sword in the water, it is better to be supported. By a doctor for those who know that the month without alcohol will not be done without suffering or withdrawal symptoms. For others, by relatives, companions, colleagues ready to take up the challenge. And for those who run it alone, social networks can serve as support in Facebook groups, on Twitter (#fr_dry) or Instagram (dry_januaryfr). "Take up the challenge with several people, make a small WhatsApp group to regularly take stock of weight and sleep, this can help," says the addictologist. This is called the imitation enhancement effect. "

New pleasures, new habits

To avoid frustration, our experts advise replacing moments of avoidance with new pleasure reflexes. Walk in a park, test the mandala, play sports to skip the aperitif hour or even make a fruity cocktail without alcohol ...

Like the kit for the tobacco-free month, Laurence Cottet's guide proposes to calculate the savings made, to check each day without alcohol, to write down his impressions ... "Some make the advent calendar (sometimes with beer ), others the calendar of the after! “Amine Benyamina laughs. And the bravest can surf on this good resolution to choose a healthier lifestyle: eat a balanced diet, get into meditation ... "It's up to you to work your imagination to know what you want to do", insists Laurence Cottet. For this month of January, but also for the rest of the year. Because often, those who try the experience further limit or reflect on their long-term consumption. And this patient-expert concluded: “I would have liked to have this information and that we do not demonize alcohol. These two elements made me dive. "

* Small guide for a successful sober month , Interéditions, January 2, 2020, € 12.90.

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