It’s that time of the year again where everybody tones down on the partying and vows to commit to one whole month of Dry January, meaning no alcohol for the entirety of Jan! Now, alcohol may be the last thing on your mind right now after all of December’s indulgences but as the month goes on it usually gets that little bit harder to stick to the no alcohol rule. Feeling it already or anticipating the wobble? Here are my top ways to make sure that Dry Jan actually happens.

1. Find another drink.

I personally love to have a drink. Cocktails are my preference, followed by an nice ice cold G&T. Rum and coke also ranks up top. But these are all out of limits during Dry Jan so an easy way to beat the alcohol is to replace it. Take to the kitchen to experiment with new blends. Try adding frozen fruit to tonic, lime juice to cola or head to google for some super fun mocktail recipes. With a delicious non-alcoholic drink in your hand you might just forget that there’s something missing!

2. Make use of your days.

One of the only months of the year where you’ll wake up every Sunday morning without a hangover… interesting! Make the most of your hangover-free days by getting out of the house and doing something that you wouldn’t usually get a chance to do when nursing a hangover. Your weekends might just feel that little longer too. It’s a win-win situation.

3. Plan early morning activities.

Let’s not pretend Dry Jan is easy. We all have the one friend who is always up for a night out, no matter what time of year it is or what challenge you’re trying to commit to! Instead of planning nights out, why not arrange day time activities such as brunch, morning fitness classes or even a shopping trip to the sales. If you have plans the next day you’re less likely to end up on a spontaneous night out.

4. Get your friends involved.

It’s not too late to join the Dry Jan challenge! Recruit your friends and family to give it a go. The more the merrier and you can all support one and other. They do say there’s strength in numbers…

5. Host a girl’s night in.

Whether friends are doing Dry Jan or not, that doesn’t mean that you can’t arrange a girly sleepover. Replace cocktails with mocktails, reach for the face masks, latest chick flicks and popcorn and relax. Now this is what Jan is all about.

6. Organise the big night out for Feb 1st.

Feb 1st (the first official day that you can have a drink) falls on a Friday this year. Woohoo. Get planning how your going to welcome alcohol back into your life and it might just distract you from the lack of it right now. We all need something to look forward to and I’d say that this is a pretty valid reason to celebrate. Go go go!

7. Hide the alcohol!

Store your alcohol somewhere where you cannot see it. The bottles may look pretty on the side but they will save quite nicely in the cupboard! Out of sight is out of mind.

8. Take note of the health benefits.

Does your skin feel like it’s glowing more? Perhaps you have more energy or that nasty cold is clearing up quite nicely now. Whatever it may be, you are sure to see some health results when you ditch the drink (and by drink I mean alcohol not water)! Notice the changes and use them to keep you motivated throughout the rest of the month.

To anybody taking part in this year’s Dry Jan, well done & good luck! Any more tips? Send them my way! xx