How to enjoy a sober night out

Remember why you’re taking a break

You might find it easier to stay sober if you focus on why you’re cutting back. There are many benefits to not drinking alcohol, including:

• better sleep
• having more energy
• saving money
• losing weight

Cutting out alcohol also means an end to hangovers or not feeling your best the next day.

Make one major lifestyle change at a time

It takes a lot of effort to change your habits and replace them with new ones. Trying to make lots of changes at the same time makes it hard to stick to any of them. So, if you’re giving up alcohol, just focus on that – don’t try and take anything else on. Then, once you’ve got used to the changes you’ve made, you can start to look at other areas of your life that you want to change.

Think about your existing habits

We all pick up certain habits throughout life. You might have got into the routine of having an alcoholic drink on social occasions. The trick to changing your routine is to figure out when you normally drink. By doing that, you can develop strategies for different occasions.

For example, you might like to go to the pub on Friday after work with colleagues. If you know you’re likely to drink with them, you could suggest alternative plans or tell them you’re not drinking in advance.

Deal with urges head on

Instead of avoiding the cause of cravings, you can try to face them head on. Urges will pass and ignoring an urge can make it harder to ignore in the long run.

So instead of trying to suppress one when it appears, why not explore it? This is called urge surfing. If you’re able to confront the urge and deal with it directly, you’re much less likely to give into temptation in future.

Continuing your normal social routines while changing your drinking habits is one way of doing this. Rather than avoiding social situations, if you go somewhere you’d normally drink and choose something non-alcoholic, you’re adapting your habits and surfing the urge.

Be consistent in what you say and do

Consistency is important. Stating what you’re going to do has a big influence on your behaviour, because it can be embarrassing to go back on your word.

So, if you decide not to drink alcohol during the week or on a night out, tell people your plan. By putting it out there you’re more likely to stick to your plan. Telling others about your plans can:

• help reduce peer pressure to drink
• provide some additional moral support

What to drink instead of alcohol

Have some non-alcoholic drinks in mind before you head to the bar.

Knowing what you’re going to order takes the pressure off having to make a quick decision or resorting to ordering ‘the usual’. And it doesn’t have to be a boring choice either – many venues have a range of alcohol-free options, making it easier to swap alcohol out. Why not order a mocktail or an alcohol-free beer? Sparkling water with lemon or fizzy kombuchas can also be good options.

Fun night out ideas

In the UK, alcohol is often a big part of socialising. But being sober doesn’t mean you have to give up your social life. There are lots of other activities you can do. Here are a few of my favourites.

• Take a trip to the cinema. Why not use the money you’ve saved from not buying alcohol and treat yourself to a film?
• Go bowling or roller skating. It can be easier to resist drinking when you’re too busy being competitive or trying not to fall over!
• Go out for dinner. Pick somewhere new and make that the focus. You’ll be too busy exploring new flavours to think about the wine list. Or you might find that the restaurant has an alcohol-free range of drinks to try.
• Try a new activity. Ever fancied taking an evening class? Now’s a great time to try it out. A bonus could be that you make new friends in the process.