Why Sober October is actually not the worst idea

Photo by SKYLAKE STUDIO on Unsplash

I’ve been down on concepts like Sober October and Dry January in the past. I used to think people should learn to manage their behaviour year-round, rather than need a special scheduled month in which to control their drinking. Some of the healthiest people alive drink alcohol, I reasoned. In the Blue Zones - parts of the world where people are healthiest and live longest - a small glass of red wine is very common with dinner.

It was only really when I began researching for my 2017 book Mindful Drinking that I realised what an utter moron I’d been.

If managing your behaviour was that simple, then we wouldn’t have addiction, or so many chronic conditions linked to a sedentary, sleep-deprived, over-stressed lifestyle, heavily reliant on ultraprocessed convenience foods. And, let’s face it, most of us who drink don’t just have ‘a small glass of red wine with dinne…