Sober Sessions takeover event of Krafty Js

Did you start the new year by making the resolution to drink less?

January always brings the opportunity to start again. It feels like everyone is detoxing and wiping the slate clean, so there is no added judgment and societal pressure to navigate.

Perhaps you completed Dry January as the kick start to the ‘new, improved’ version of yourself? We are nearly at the end of the month, so if you have taken a break you might be feeling great after abstaining from alcohol – starting to feel the benefits.

Jo has been supporting Yvonne Corbin, CEO Caring Cooks and her Sober Charity Challenge Group, and people are starting to see and feel the benefits. These have included better skin, aches and pains subsiding, brain fog lifting, better sleep, feeling more productive, and fewer mood swings, and those that have shared in the group have said they feel happier as a result. It’s not been easy, but it’s been worth it; some are even looking to extend their one-month challenge.

The group have been experimenting with alcohol-free drinks and enjoying the experience. Once you manage to silence the wine witch and replace toxic habits with new healthier ones that serve you, it’s hard to ignore the positive impact that has on you, realising how much time was wasted to thinking about drinking, drinking and recovering from drinking before.

As the month draws to an end, the pressure to go back to ‘normal’ could be there again. You may have already started romanticising your relationship with alcohol, convincing yourself that it will be different this time. You could be looking forward to a glass of red with your meal, hopeful that you can then call it a night, just like your friend, colleague or partner might be able to.

The sobering truth is that if you are someone who can’t moderate and you know this deep down, you will probably find yourself in this place again and again. It can be a vicious cycle and exhausting. I know this because I used to be trapped in this automatic loop myself.

But who defines normal? Why can’t you leave what no longer serves you and move forward with this more positive lifestyle that you have started to develop for yourself? Why don’t we rewrite the narrative and change the story’s ending to one where you feel happier as a result?

It may feel too scary to make a longer-term commitment, but focusing on what you are gaining rather than missing out on can help.

If you know that you need to stop drinking to become the best version of yourself, it has to start with you. To succeed, it has to be a conscious decision to have self-awareness. You must know what’s best for you and not change that decision for outside influences. You can choose to stop drinking without having a problem. You do not need to label yourself anything or hit rock bottom to improve your life. Accepting yourself and that others can have a different relationship and choosing what is right for you is empowering.

You don’t need to decide to stop drinking to come to a Sober Session event. Whether you are sober, curious, just done Dry January and tempted to carry on, or a mindful drinker or supporting someone, you are welcome; next Thursday, we have a Sober Session Takeover at Krafty J’s on Bath Street.

here will be a fabulous selection of alcohol-free drinks to try, good tunes and great people all having fun and connecting, minus the alcohol. Plus no hangover, no beer fear, just memories and connections the morning after the night before. During these nights, no alcohol is served, removing the pressure from the ‘booze bullies’ to ‘just have one’. You also don’t have to endure the same conversation on repeat! A DJ will also play in the background to create the perfect atmosphere.

Club AF are sponsoring the first drink – an Alcohol-free Espresso Martini!