Thriving through Febfast

Thriving through Febfast..

In this blog, Lucy explains the importance of doing more than just hitting pause this Febfast, plus what to expect and how to prepare for your 28-day break.

If you’re doing Febfast, then you’re most likely sober-curious 

Febfast is arguably one of the most popular health challenges in Australia throughout the year, with thousands of people jumping on the sober-curious bandwagon. After an overindulgent holiday season, many people find that their alcohol consumption levels have dramatically increased, going from weekend drinkers to almost daily drinkers. And with over-drinking often comes poor food choices, less exercise leaving us feeling pretty unhealthy. So February is the perfect time to hit the reset button, break the over-drinking cycle and start feeling healthier. 

But what a lot of people don’t realize is that by just pressing pause on their drinking and not doing any of the deeper work throughout that period, they set themselves up to go straight back to where they started at the beginning of the month. And if you’re needing a break this February, it’s likely that you’re sober curious, meaning you’re questioning your relationship with alcohol already. So rather than only abstaining from drinking for a month, why not see this Feb Fast as an opportunity to do some of the deeper work, so that if or when you decide to start drinking again, you have made longer-term changes to your drinking behaviour which will super-charge your life! 

What you have to look forward to after taking a 28 day break from booze

Your eyes will be more sparkly and your skin will glow 

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it dehydrates your skin and reduces elasticity. The process of alcohol metabolism in the body also results in facial redness caused by broken capillaries. After stopping, skin becomes more hydrated, collagen levels are slowly restored and facial redness improves so don’t be surprised when people start telling you how youthful and dewey your skin looks.  Excessive drinking also swells the tiny blood vessels in the eye, enlarging their appearance and making the eyeball look red and can also cause a build-up of red blood cells in the liver, which causes the whites of the eyes to yellow. So your eyes will start to really sparkle after this break from booze. To help speed up the process of alcohol detoxification, drink plenty of water and get lots of rest. 

You will gain hours of your life back

You may not realize it however you most likely spend at least 6+ hours every week drinking, drunk or hung over. I know when I was drinking, I would waste hours and hours every week in a fog, doing nothing with my life. How incredible that you have just gifted yourself back these precious hours! Now is the time to pick up that hobby you have been fantasizing about! Join a choir, a tennis club – or even start that side hustle.  

You’ll feel so much better and have much more energy 

Now that you’re not drinking, you’re feeling better and more energetic, and you’re never hungover, you’ll find yourself able to get a lot more done. In fact, it’s likely that your productivity will go through the roof. You’ll actually be amazed at how much you’re now able to achieve. So, bring on that passion project! Put this high vibe energy and extra productivity to use by starting that passion project or even that side hustle you have always dreamt of. 

You’ll have saved a bucket load of cash 

It blows my mind that if I didn’t quit drinking and smoking in 2018, by now I would have wasted a further $34K on alcohol and cigarettes. Take a moment now to calculate your savings here for the Febfast period and also for the next 12 months.  A great motivational tool is to find something to put that money towards as a reward. That weekend away with your partner perhaps? Or the designer handbag you thought you could never afford (turns out you can afford it after all).

You’ll feel healthier and lighter

Considering the amount of calories in an alcoholic drink plus the dehydrating and bloating  effects of alcohol, it’s no wonder we feel heavy and sluggish when we over-drink. Taking a break from booze also gives you more energy and drive to really focus on your fitness goals, feeling fitter, healthier and lighter.

How to prepare and support yourself this FebFast 

1. Arm yourself with craving tools 

Alcohol is an addictive substance that you’ll need to physically detox from. The equilibrium your body created to adjust to alcohol being in your system will no longer exist, which means you’re likely going to have some form of cravings.

Using the Thrivalist Tools, you’ll be able to move through the craving without drinking.  Every time you have a craving and don’t drink, you are retraining your subconscious mind to no longer associate alcohol with relieving triggering feelings. It gets easier and easier each time.

2. You can’t be over-prepared for social occasions

It’s so important to protect your sobriety (even if it’s just for a challenge) as much as possible especially in the early days and as such, always being prepared when heading out is essential. From knowing ahead of time what you’ll be drinking, to getting your mindset sorted, take some time to sit down and read this blog I wrote about sober socializing last year and how you can be prepared and enjoy sober socializing. 

3. Join a community / challenge 

Did you know that one in four Australian women struggle with their drinking? If you’re sober curious, you are not alone! And by joining a community and challenge like the Thrivalist Sober Curious Challenge, you are going to be far more likely to succeed and enjoy getting through the month without alcohol. Something magical happens when you open up with other women and realise you’re not alone – support  makes behaviour change so much easier. The Thrivalist community is an extremely powerful, motivating and supportive place to land when you’re wanting to change your relationship with alcohol. 

4. If you slip up before the month is over, it’s OK! 

If you drink before Febfast is over you’re not a failure. And please don’t indulge in black and white thinking that justifies throwing in the towel and drinking for the rest of the month just because you drank on one occasion.

Instead, take this drinking occasion as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and your drinking habit. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What led up to the drinking? 

2. What happened? 

3. What permission-giving thoughts did I buy into? 

4. How could I have supported myself differently to achieve a different outcome?

Get compassionately curious about what happened rather than beating yourself up. It will go a lot further in the long run. And know that past ‘failure’ is by no means an indicator of future failure. In fact, it’s often an indicator of future success.

If you get to the end of Febfast and have found that you enjoyed it and you are feeling great, why go back to drinking right away? Why not set yourself another month as a goal to see how much better you feel by the end of two months? One of our Thrivalist Members Corrie started her journey by doing Febfast and has now just celebrated her 2 year sober birthday! She has never felt better. 

Don’t forget to join us for the Thrivalist Sober Curious Challenge kicking off on 1 Feb, 2022. It will be so much fun!