What I learned from Dry July
It's August, which means that Dry July is over. I engaged in Dry July this year as support for my Playmate, as he is affectionately known (partner doesn't sound right for me, or him). Dry July is a Sydney based challenge to not drink any alcohol for the month of July.
Anyway, he asked me to join him last year and I wasn't that keen; this year I took up the challenge.
I don't drink all that much but I do enjoy a good wine with my meals.
The first week was quite uncomfortable and I found myself thinking often "hhmmm a glass of wine would be nice"
By week 2, thoughts of wine became less frequent and by week 3 all but gone. We were invited to a 40th birthday party so I thought "one glass to be convivial and celebratory"and I actually had a second glass.
Here is the interesting thing - the wine didn't taste that great (it was an OK wine) and I didn't feel that great the next morning, a sort of dull feeling in my head.
The outcome for me - in the future only the very best wine will pass my lips and one glass will probably be sufficient.
Oh, and the real reason I did the whole "dry July" thing ?? partly as support - but also everyone makes such a fuss about how much weight they lose when they stop drinking - got to tell you, not a miligram nor a milimetre difference!! I do feel better and am not really missing it at all.
How to stick to my action plan to reach my goal; what I learned from Dry July:
- It is important to have a really good reason for doing it as well as a really good back up reason for doing it - WIIFM - What's In It For Me.
My first reason was to be supportive to some one who is important to me (and especially when I refused last year), second to test myself if I could actually go all month without alcohol - surly not such a big deal, and third to see if this weight loss claim was true for me
- Your reason/s or WIIFM can be said in just a few words and can be said often - especially when thoughts like "maybe just this one (or once)" pop into my head.
I said to myself "it's just a few days and this is a choice to be a helpful Playmate and maybe lose weight as well"
- find a replacement for the old habit, especially in the first few days/ weeks; at the beginning
I drank tea at "cocktail hour" and water with meals.
- focus on what you can do toady, break the big piece into little pieces.
Recently I had heard a long distance runner speaking about how she runs 100 km; she stars off thinking about a 10 km run, then she runs the next 5km and then the next 5km. At20 km she says "another 5km and I will be a quarter done" She never really thinks of the full 100km - she breaks it into chuncks/ pieces.
I thought of July as days and weeks - not the whole month.
- Keeping it in positive terms and know how it fits into a larger plan or program.
It was interesting that when I went to lunch with a friend and didn't have wine and dinners with friends and didn't have wine and said "I am doing dry July" everyone just said"OK". Not once did anyone try to tempt me. I think it helps not to make a fuss and draw attention to what you are not having or not doing,rather put it in terms of what I am doing
How can you connect your goals and actions to a larger initiative?? whether for yourself or for the community?
Whatever your goal having an action plan will help you reach your goal and having tactics for staying with the plan is critical.
Happy goal planning and action implementing
Posted by Healthy Wealthy at 8/6/2010 2:57 PM 
Categories: Healthy Wealthy e-zine
Tags: focus on goals attain your goals goal achievement dry July lessons learned
Categories: Healthy Wealthy e-zine
Tags: focus on goals attain your goals goal achievement dry July lessons learned
Very interesting, your playmate is very lucky!
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