Embrace Sober Spring: Transform Your Life in Three Months
Sober Spring Challenge: Renew Yourself 🌺
Happy Sober Spring, everyone! 🤩🚫🍷🌻🌺🌸🌼
Sober Spring is kind of like taking a Spring Vacation – however, not from life,
but from alcohol! 🙌
It’s very similar to concepts such as Dry January, Sober October, Dry July, and No Drink November, except the difference is, of course, that instead of taking a break from alcohol for one month, it's a three-month challenge.
Like those other movements, I love that Sober Spring is a collective movement - there are people around the world participating together. Every year since Sober Spring launched, the number of people participating continues to grow, which is really exciting.
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The Birth of Sober Spring: A Personal Journey
Sober Spring, which runs from March 20 to June 20, was founded in 2018 by journalist and bestselling author Catherine Gray, who wrote “The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober,” and is now run by Alcohol Change UK, the charity behind Dry January.
Catherine says the idea of Sober Spring started with her own decision to ditch the drinks back in 2013. She likens those early days to the beginning of her running routine—tough, a bit tedious, and requiring a whole lot of determination and effort.
The Tough Start
For Catherine, that first month felt like an uphill battle. Imagine trying something new and feeling a mix of boredom and restlessness, all while mustering every ounce of your willpower to keep going. That was her, day in and day out.
Catching the Stride
Then came month two, when things started to shift. Catherine found her rhythm, much like catching her breath and finding her pace in a long run. She began to find joy in the journey, noticing the positive changes and feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Soaring High
By the third month, Catherine was on cloud nine, fully embracing and loving the alcohol-free life. It’s a vivid reminder that sticking through the challenging times can lead to genuinely rewarding experiences.
Why Three Months?
So, why does Catherine swear by the three-month mark? It turns out it's not just a random number. When writing her book, she dove into the science behind habit formation and learned from neuroscientists that breaking the old 'drinking' neural pathways and building new 'sober' ones isn't overnight work. Studies from neuroscientists show it takes about 66 days on average to cement a new habit and for it to become ‘second nature.’
Hence, the third month of Sober Spring is where the magic really happens, making sober living much more manageable and enjoyable.
Spring: A Time for New Beginnings
“Spring is the perfect month for this. It's the season of renewal, fresh starts, and hope. For those who want to swerve the bottle for a longer stint, it's the perfect opportunity.”
Catherine Gray, Author & Founder of Sober Spring
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Choosing Spring for this journey was no coincidence. It's the season of renewal, hope, and fresh starts.
Catherine selected this special time of year as the perfect opportunity to embark on a transformative path, leaving old habits behind and embracing a healthier lifestyle. It's like nature's doing its thing with blooms and blossoms, and you're doing yours by giving the bottle the boot. 🥾🍾🙌😃
Facing Social Pressures
One of the beauties of Sober Spring is how it offers a solid comeback to any social pressure or ‘sober shaming.’ It's a collective movement that gives strength in numbers.
Have you ever felt pressured to have a drink when you really didn't want to?
Well, "I'm doing Sober Spring" is your new go-to response. It works like a charm and gets people off your back, kind of like telling people you’re doing "Dry January" but with a spring twist.
A Moment of Reflection
At the end of Sober Spring, participants reach a crossroads where they can reflect on their experiences and choose the path that resonates most with them. It's a personal decision, but Catherine has seen that most people who participate in Sober Spring find the sober life too good to give up.
And that's something to toast to—with a mocktail, of course!
Sober Spring is an invitation to ponder the possibility of a life without alcohol. It's a friendly nudge to consider what lies on the other side of the sober door, with the promise of newfound joys and the incredible benefits waiting to be discovered.
“Sober Spring offers the chance to take the challenge further – which is why we can’t wait to help Catherine spread the message. Three weeks is long enough to break a cycle, but three months can be genuinely life-changing. Whether you go into Sober Spring wanting to go dry long-term, or just want to give it a go to see how it feels, I bet you’ll reap a whole lot of benefits – from extra energy to saved cash – and, more importantly, reset your relationship with alcohol.”
Dr Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK
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I love the idea of a 3-month break, and I agree that, as long as you’re actively rewiring your stress response and repairing your neurotransmitters along the way (as opposed to white-knuckling the experience), it absolutely gets easier as you go. 🙌
Once alcohol is out of the picture, your brain learns how to function without it and how to calm down naturally. All of this healing and rewiring takes time, so the more time you give yourself, the better you’ll feel. 😌❤️🩹🧠
It’s not too late to start Sober Spring!
Even though Sober Spring officially started on March 20 and will end on June 20, you can start at any time during Spring. 🌸
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of Sober Spring, I’m here to help support you through the journey with regular blog articles every month full of tips, ideas, and inspiration to help keep you on track.
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🌈 Join my mailing list, and to help you kick off Sober Spring 🎉, I’ll send you my FREE “6 Tips to Brighten Your Life Every Day.” Sign up HERE.
🌈 Plus, I have a very active free Facebook community you can join for more support in a safe environment.
Join the FREE Brighten Your Life Facebook Community HERE.
🌈 If you’d like more personalized support, my 1:1 coaching provides a deep level of care, support, and professional guidance to help you achieve lasting results and live a new life - alcohol-free.
Book Your FREE Consultation HERE.
Resources to Help You Through Sober Spring
🌸 BOOKS:
· Try Dry: The Official Guide to a Month Off Booze is a guide to a month or more without alcohol; it has tips to help you have the best ever break from booze.
· The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, by Catherine Gray, Sober Spring’s mastermind
· The Sober Girl Society Handbook: Why Drinking Less Means Living More, by Millie Gooch, Sober Spring's host
· This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, by Annie Grace
🌼 PODCASTS:
· Sober Powered Podcast with Gillian Tietz
o What to Expect Emotionally in the First 90 Days
· This Naked Mind Podcast, with Annie Grace
o Hope is the First Dose with Dr. Lee Warren, MD
🌺 BLOGS by Kristin Horstman:
· Experience Parasympathetic Calm with Nasal Breathing
· The Future is Bright! My Journey to An Alcohol-Free Life
· Discover the Joy of Alcohol-Free Living: Mocktails & Mindfulness
· Fun Ways to Brighten Your Life this Easter – No Alcohol Required!
🌿 HAVENING:
🍹 MOCKTAILS:
Natalie Battaglia of the Mindful Mocktail has so many healthy, delicious mocktail recipes for you to try that not only will you no longer miss alcohol, but you’ll also start feeling refreshed and energized every time you drink one!
Here are 3 Recipes from Natalie’s Spring Mocktail Collection:
Sunrise Mocktail
This easy Sunrise Mocktail recipe with grenadine takes less than 5 minutes and looks incredible! Perfect for kids, pregnancy, and your sobriety.
Ingredients
Alcohol-free sparkling wine
Orange juice
½ teaspoon Grenadine
Method
Add equal amounts of orange juice and non-alcoholic sparkling wine to a champagne flute.
Gently pour in the grenadine.
Garnish with your choice of fruit and serve.
Best Blue Lagoon Mocktail
Healthy blue spirulina creates that iconic blue color in this recipe. With low sugar lemonade and your choice of alcohol free spirit, this easy mocktail can be whipped up in minutes.
Ingredients
½ teaspoon blue spirulina : Available from health food shops, and it can also be purchased online.
1 cup sugar free/low sugar lemonade (If you don’t like the idea of using lemonade, any pale liquid will work. Think tonic water, pale kombucha, etc.)
1 shot of your favorite alcohol-free spirit
Garnish of your choice
Method
Place the blue spirulina in your glass then add the lemonade.
Stir gently.
You might find the drink foams up a bit as the 2 ingredients react with each other, so just scoop the foam out.
Add your favorite alcohol-free spirit if using, and stir again.
Add ice, garnish, and serve.
Guava Mocktail With Lemon
This recipe has a delicious combination of guava nectar, cleansing lemon juice, fresh mint and hydrating club soda or kombucha, making it both delicious and healthy.
Ingredients
2 oz guava nectar
1 oz lemon juice
6-8 mint leaves
1 cup non-alcoholic rosè or sparkling wine (or soda water or kombucha)
Method
Place guava nectar and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker or mason jar.
Clap mint together in your hands and add to the mixture. Press gently a couple of times with a muddler.
Add some ice and shake ingredients together until combined.
Fill a glass with ice and pour the guava mixture in.
Top with your choice of soda water or kombucha.
Garnish and serve!
If you love these mocktail recipes, you’ll adore Natalie’s new recipe book, which is coming out in the Fall! You can get on the list to pre-order her book HERE.
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I hope you have a great Sober Spring experience, and in the meantime, please let me know how I can support you.
As a Gray Area Drinking Coach, I work holistically, focusing on your gut health, neurotransmitters, 🧠 and dysregulated nervous system to calm, soothe, and get everything back in balance. You'll learn coping mechanisms to deal with cravings, and you'll have all the tools you need to live an alcohol-free life that you don't want to escape from.
There are open slots on my calendar 🗓️ if you’d like to chat 1:1 with me. I’m happy to share resources, be a listening ear, or talk about my favorite topic - healing cravings with neuroscience. ❤️🩹🧠
Either way, there’s no charge for the call.😌🫶
Remember, sunsets 🌅 are the new happy hour, and I’m rooting for you!
Kristin 🫶
#imrootingforyou #nervoussystemcoaching #healthenervoussystem #healthecravings #formergrayareadrinker #brightenyourlife #noalcoholrequired #sobercurious #breakingalcoholsspell
How I Can Help You 🌅
If you want to explore an alcohol-free life or would like to improve your health, it would be my greatest pleasure to help you on your journey.
I have two different coaching options:
Health Coaching Program
Are you experiencing sickness, fatigue, depression, pain or weight issues?
If so, then your body isn’t working as it should.
There are many reasons for these health issues, and sometimes working with a Health Coach can help.
As your Health Coach, I support you through diet and lifestyle changes to help you feel the best you can and live a brighter, happier life.
Gray Area Drinking (GAD) Program
It’s challenging to change your drinking habits - especially when they’ve crept up and have been happening for a long time.
That’s where I can help you. I work holistically, focusing on your gut health, neurotransmitters, and dysregulated nervous system to calm, soothe, and get everything back in balance. I teach you coping mechanisms to deal with cravings and give you all the tools you need to live an alcohol-free life.
Take the first step to brighten your life!
Book your FREE consultation to learn more about my Health Coaching and Gray Area Drinking Coaching programs and how I can help you.
Remember…
EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO BE ALCOHOL-FREE, and SUNSETS ARE THE NEW HAPPY HOUR! 🌅
Kristin ❤️ x
