Sober October or Sober-ish?

Wow, this year has had more than its fair share of challenges hasn't it?! But there are some amazing things going on and Sober October for Macmillan Cancer is one of them!

Alcohol Change have said that 1 in 5 of us were drinking more in lockdown but the good news is 1 in 14 current or former drinkers have stopped drinking completely in lockdown and 1 in 3 of us are taking active steps to manage our drinking. Wahooo! High five right there!!

As things continue to change on a daily basis it's hard to keep track of what's going on, but one thing we can do to take back some control is join in with Sober October for MacMillan Cancer. 

Macmillan Cancer Support are asking you to get involved in Sober October by going alcohol-free in October to raise money for people with cancer.

As 2020 has already been quite the challenge, this year, they've introduced some new options for taking part. You can choose to have a Sober(ish) October by taking on the challenge for 21 or 14 days, or go old school and challenge yourself to take on the full 31 days.

No matter how long you choose to go sober for, by signing up to the challenge, you’ll be doing something amazing for people with cancer. All money raised will help to make sure Macmillan can continue being there for the millions of people living with cancer in the UK.

And you’re not just helping others, you’re helping yourself too. Having a break from alcohol has great health benefits, such as having more energy, a clearer head and sleeping better, plus no hangovers!

It's not too late to take part and do the Sober-ish October Challenge or if you've been doing it already you can still register and raise funds for this fantastic cause.

Here are our 5 top tips for making it a success.

• Just get going, it doesn't matter if you didn't start on the 1st of October, the health benefits for joining in, even for only 7 days, are fantastic and you will feel the difference!
• Use it as a good excuse to find a new favourite tipple.  There are lots of lovely alcohol free prosecco's out there to enjoy.  Head over to our community and ask for recommendations.
• Share it with a friend.  We are much more likely to succeed if we having fun with a pal along the way. Put time aside to celebrate your achievements.
• Write down how you're feeling before you start, what aches and pains do you have, how are you sleeping, how much money do you think you spend? As you go through the month write down your thoughts, maybe a couple of minutes a day if you enjoy journaling or once a week if that's all you have time for.  
• Take a moment to reflect on how far you have come, make a special mocktail and sit down to really pause and enjoy it's tastes and smells.

If you're worried about what you'll drink instead you can head over to our DRINKS page for some inspiration.  If you need a bit of help keeping on track we have some booklets with lots of handy hints and tips that can help keep you. Head over here for some inspiration and encouragement! 

Good Luck! We know you can do it!

Claire xo