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Hello, darling heart, and welcome to the drink less live better podcast. This is the podcast that helps you to see that drinking
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less doesn't need to be stressful, lonely, or boring. I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I decided to have a year alcohol
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free as a little life experiment and haven't looked back. With my experience and training, I now help other women with their
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alcohol free or drink less adventures. You can find out more about me and sign up to my 5 day drink less challenge at drink
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less live better.com. I'm here to tell you that you can relax, connect, and have fun without alcohol in your life. Join me
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here each week to find out how. If you listened to episode 1, you'd have heard me talk about the reasons why I decided to
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go alcohol free for a while. And today, I'd like to tell you a story about how I committed to a time frame for my alcohol
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free experiment. As I have an interest in personal development and have spent many years as a coach and mentor, I know that
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there was something to be said for choosing a stretch goal or a length of time that was outside my natural comfort zone. I
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knew I could easily do a month alcohol free. I had the evidence for that. I'd done successful dry January's and sober October's
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in the past. Doubling or tripling it to 60 days or 90 days didn't seem challenging enough, and there was no way I was going
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to say I was never drinking again. I've had enough hideous hangovers and said that often enough to know that my brain hears
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blah blah blah when I say never again about anything. So what to do? I'm a sucker for a round number. So whilst a 100 days
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sounded good, it just didn't seem enough of a challenge. I wanted to be able to question whether I could really do it. In
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the same way, people know they can run 5 k or 10 k, but start marathon training not knowing whether the final race is really
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achievable. Well done to you if you've ever run a marathon, by the way. You are my hero. So 365 was the magic number I settled
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on. I decided a proper life experiment would be best if it involved all the big drinking activities in my annual social calendar.
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Christmas and all that that season entails, New Year's Eve, my birthday, family and friends' birthdays, a wedding, hectic
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times at work, holidays, the lot. That was it. 365. My decision was made. All this work on the inside of my head happened
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in 2019, and I was set to start my life experiment on the 1st January 2020. I told myself that my nice round goal of 1 year
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should start on New Year's Day. As summer rolled into autumn 2019, I started to do some research. I felt I needed a few tools
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to fall back on if my life experiment was to be successful. By October, I was committed to being alcohol free for the whole
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of 2020 about New Year's resolutions. If alcohol was making me feel rubbish, why didn't I stop now? If I could get through
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December 2019 then it would give me the evidence that the rest of 2020 was possible, surely. So I started before I was really
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ready. On 8th December 2019, I went with my family to a house party at some close friends. I had a few gin and tonics, and
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we ate, played board games, danced, and had a brilliant night. The next morning, I woke up and knew my life experiment had
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started. I wasn't going to drink for a whole year from now. Thank you for listening today, and please listen in again next
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time to find out why I was careful with my language around my life experiment. It would make me happier than a Buddhist monk
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if you would 5 star review my podcast on whatever platform you listen, please. Imagine it like tasting notes on the finest
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wine I'm never going to drink. Thank you, and, PS, I believe in you.
