Tips for Dry January (or any month!)

Cutting back, cutting down or cutting out the juice can be a bit overwhelming without a plan, especially if wine o'clock has come to your house many nights during quarantine. The best defence to staying the course is a battle plan and yes, things could get ugly if you don't have one in place!

First up let’s try the strategy of 'replacing' the booze with something else. Using the same strategy, I have used on my teenage son to get him off video games one does not focus on the 'subject' meaning your glass of wine or screen time but having something else instead to do/drink. This can be amazingly effective and while you may not cut all the calories by doing this, you will give your liver a nice break.

Replacements come in various types. First up if you’re a wine lover like myself, may I suggest lower alcohol wine? Some wines are naturally made this way such as Muscadet from the Loire Valley in France, Riesling Kabinett from the Mosel in Germany or wines from Portugal's Vinho Verde Region. There is also a growing wine trend to intentionally produce lower alcohol wines, and while truthfully some of these are not the best, there are great examples coming out of New Zealand with Sauvignon Blanc grapes and Rose wines. If you want to cut down the alcohol further, make these low alcohol wines into spritzers and add ice.

Mocktails are such a hot trend now and while buying alcohol free spirits is not much cheaper than the real thing, they taste amazing and really do add something to that cocktail. Check out Sheep Dip for a variety of trendy booze free styles. For those of you who enjoy Bourbon or Whiskey, try Ritual Zero Proof, a great alternative. Almost any cocktail can me made alcohol-free - just use the same ingredients minus the booze in a pinch and add some extra simple syrup. Low-alcohol Gin or Vodka coolers can also be great and by drinking them by the can, you can really regulate the calories your taking in.

Great reads to help for inspiration are 'The Dry Challenge' and 'The Sober Diaries', and of course, don't forget to indulge in lots of self care. If you normally pour a drink at a certain time, have your mocktail ready to roll instead and enjoy!