Was Your Alcohol-Free Weekend All You Wanted It To Be? No?

Then Listen Up!

When we go alcohol-free our lives potentially EXPLODE – in an amazing way. Unexpectedly, we feel alive, alert, and we have time and motivation to do more. We are interested in life again. Alcohol-free weekends are not about laying in bed as long as possible, or carb binges to ease out of the hangover.

Alcohol-Free weekends are for doing things – for feeling ALIVE.

And yet…

For some of us, the change to alcohol-free leaves us hanging in a different way. We don’t know ourselves, or know what to do with our time…

This is called the ‘LIMINAL’ space — the spot between what you once were, and who you might be.

The word “liminal” comes from the Latin word limins, meaning “threshold.” If you are at the threshold of this change you may feel a bit lost or overwhelmed. It’s perfectly normal and will soon pass.

To make it pass faster, do something memorable.

Reframe this unfamiliar time with an amazing memory of something. Something interesting, exhilarating, cultural. DO ANYTHING, rather than nothing! Make this time new — make this time amazing. Don’t dawdle and dwindle it away.

At first, alcohol-free weekends feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable. But don’t class it as a ‘mental-health’ issue – everything today is a ‘mental health issue.’ Maybe it’s a rite of passage? Maybe this is simply growing stronger?

Both are OK. Fragile mental health is OK. Growing and getting stronger is OK.

So – why do we wait until an annual holiday to do things?

We should be doing these things once a month minimum on our alcohol-free weekends.

Hell yeah! Let’s live more!

HOW ABOUT THIS COOL IDEA?

Create a list of things to do, write them on paper. Cut each idea into a strip and fold it up. Put them all into a container. Come Thursday night — do a lucky dip. Pull out ideas for your alcohol-free weekend and get excited planning what to do!

Here are the ideas (use them, Google local options, make it happen):

• Horse riding – pony-treks are everywhere, no experience needed

• Watch swans – find a quiet river spot, bring a picnic, relax into the moment

• Beehives – many towns have bee-keepers who love to teach

• Riverwalk – free, peaceful, full of people, wildlife and views

• Take a boat out – canal boat, rowing boat, small engine boat

• Woodland walk – solo, with friends, pets — wonderful & free

• 5K or 10K challenge – test your training and stamina

• Butcher a pig day – yes, really; great learning experience

• Sports massage – you deserve it

• Driving experience – go on, you want it

• Zip wire experience – grab a gang and go! Loads of options in Wales

• Volunteer with wildlife societies – meaningful and rewarding

• Come Dine competition – monthly dinner party challenge

• Pottery class – they’re everywhere

• Bake day – bread, cake, tart — try something new

• Shop & cook for a recipe – pick a dish, buy ingredients, have fun

• Snowdome – fake ski slopes = mega fun

• Wall climbing – then maybe try outdoors later

• And so much more… life AF is exciting as hell!

PROMISE US THIS…

If you do any of these — send photos.

Hell yeah!