By Becky McBoom

Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step in gifting yourself a 30 day break from alcohol. Early on it may seem more like a punishment than a gift, but this will change as you start to see the benefits of adding consecutive dry days into your life. Thank yourself!

I’ll be straight with you–Things may be unpleasant at first. Common complaints from folks in their first few days or weeks of abstinence include trouble sleeping, sugar cravings, and irritability. However, these same people also tend to report an increase in self esteem, less “hang-xiety” (anxiety felt the day after drinking), and more money left over at the end of the week. Persevering through the initial hardships reaps incredible rewards.

This course is designed to be completed in 30 days. Each day of this course includes a lesson designed to help you during your break from alcohol. Many lessons contain information and skills that can be applied to your relationship with alcohol moving forward as well. Each day also includes an activity related to the lesson that will allow you to either practice a skill or reflect on the lesson. Many activities will encourage you to write a written reflection. We suggest that you get a notebook or journal to keep these reflections in. You can also use a journaling app/software, a Word document on your computer, or share your reflections in the private Kickstart Facebook group.

Through this course, we will discuss the importance of community. Moderation Management has around 130 Zoom meetings per month that focus on moderating alcohol and can be accessed on the Events tab at moderation.org. While completing this course, you might find it helpful to attend one of our abstinence-focused (Abs) meetings. Some meetings are geared more towards folks pursuing long term abstinence and others are geared more towards folks abstaining for any length of time – you are welcome at both! In addition to the private Kickstart Facebook group that we mentioned above, we have several other moderation and abstinence-based online communities that you can explore on our website.

The content for this course comes from a number of different authors. All of us have taken an extended break from drinking at some point in our journey. Some have chosen to return to moderating at the end of their break, and some have chosen to remain abstinent. I came to my first 30 day break from alcohol in the midst of a season of grief. I had been moderating successfully for four months, but found that I was still using alcohol to cope with grief instead of “feeling the feelings” and leaning harder on healthier coping mechanisms. I personally felt so much better in so many ways during the time off from drinking that I chose to enter an indefinite period of abstinence after my 30 days were up. I intend to stay alcohol free for the rest of my life, but I know that returning to moderation is always an option for me.

Because alcohol affects our mind and bodies in such profound ways, it is important to keep track of any changes you’re feeling during this 30 day period and consult a doctor if you find any to be alarming. Once a week, we will being doing the “Systems Check” below, but we encourage you to write it down somewhere safe and do your own check on daily basis.

Systems Check:

It’s time to check in with your body and mind! Try to do this as a compassionate observer instead of a critic.

Physical

Head:

Eyes:

Complexion:

Heart (If it is concerning you, please contact your medical provider.):

Stomach:

Skeleto-Muscular System: Any muscle aches or injuries?

Mental/Emotional

Energy:

Anxiety:

Outlook:

In conclusion, not everyone continues on the abstinence path after their 30 days. Many use it as a reset and return to moderating with a renewed passion. Please know that you don’t have to make any decisions about what life will look like for you after these 30 days now. Just focus on absorbing the lessons and learning about yourself from the activities. Whether you choose to continue abstaining or return to moderating, please know that Moderation Management will be here to support you either way.