Dry June: Alcohol-Free for 30 Days


For about the past five years I have been doing a Dry January, which is a month without alcohol. Dry January is super popular in Great Britain as is Sober October and Dry July is a thing in Australia. This year I didn't do it in January because I went to Mexico so I did it in June instead. It was fairly easy,  I like to do this once a year as it gives me that "oil change" I need to reboot. Now I'm back to only drinking on the weekends. The reason I did it was to reboot my health goals on June 1 to help jump start my weight loss. I've been exercising consistently throughout quarantine, but have been eating a lot too. And when I drink, I get hungrier. 

I have no dramatic before and after transformation and wouldn't even say I slept better. But I did get up early every weekend and had more energy to get so many more things done. I lost 7 lbs in June, the scale easily went down as no weekend food binges ruined by progress. Challenging yourself to make better choices isn't necessarily about getting  immediate results but rather feeling like a better version of yourself. Not drinking made it easier to eat better on the weekends. While I'm not going to ever be a sober sister (got that phrase from Eden Sassoon on the RHBH), doing a drink free month resets my drinking habits for more moderation. The first drink after the dry month was kind of hard. lol Because at that point my craving was gone and I felt so strong and accomplished that it was hard to break my streak. 

One of the goals I set for myself when the quarantine started is that I would only drink on Fridays and Saturdays because I just felt that would be the key to feeling my best. And I use the TryDry app to keep track of my drink free days. Honestly with no social events, parties or huge Fourth of July celebration to go to it was easy to achieve.

So what did I drink during this month?  I kept my habit of a half bottle of Kombucha every morning. If you say you don't like Kombucha, I have to ask if you've tried every flavor because there are a lot of them! I keep a notes file in my phone to keep track of what I like and what I don't. I also have flavors I only drink seasonally. I love GTS Kombucha's seasonal flavors so I always stock up on those.  Right now I'm drinking their summer flavor which is a mix of  tart cherry, coconut, and  lemongrass. GTS also makes a flavor that tastes like Rosé wine.

Last time I did a Dry January I drank alcohol free wine but I couldn't find any in stores this time. Instead I tried alcohol removed spirits. I bought a bottle of Seedlip, which I'm actually starting to see on menus in bars in my city. When I went to London last summer, it was very common to see it on bar menus. Last month I purchased a bottle of the Seedlip Grove flavor, first time trying it, and thought it tasted like a flat sprite. And the worst part is they charge $30 for a small bottle of it! It's not a liquor, it shouldn't be priced like it. I also bought Ritual Tequila Alternative which it smells like tequila and burns your throat.  So I was able to enjoy margaritas and palomas! I highly recommend this brand, you can buy it direct from their website with free shipping or from amazon.


Right now I'm really enjoying recipes from What's Gaby Cooking. She has a cookbook, podcast and does live recipes on instagram. I made her Strawberry Margaritas with ritual tequila and it was delicious!


I also found this low cal version of Starbucks pink drink



Alcohol Free Series:

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