Warning: This article contains discussion of alcoholism which some readers may find distressing.
What began as a 30-day Dry January experiment became three years of sobriety for Corrina Dunne.
The former Meta employee would live for the '5pm happy hour' and would go on 'three-day benders' in California. But following mass layoffs, she found herself questioning her identity and her relationship with alcohol.
What started as social drinking in high school became 'everything I needed to be liked, to be valued and to be accepted'.
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“I truly think I lost myself and didn’t know how to act or function without somewhat of a buzz in some way,” Corrina (@corrina.dunne), now 32 and thriving as a wellness coach, told LADbible.
“Being able to build my own career on the pilates side, like getting out of the corporate bubble and finding a dream with building my own brand, it all stemmed from having so much more time in the day.
"Everything good that has happened the last few years in my life has been because of letting alcohol go.”
With the help of a therapist and a seven-step plan, Corrina found the courage to try Dry January in 2023 and has managed to stay sober ever since.
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"I personally have not relapsed. Thankfully, I’ve had a really steady few years. I did have an accident at a girlfriend’s bachelorette party, and I took a sip of the wrong drink. And the shock that went through my system, I can’t even explain it. It was one of the scariest feelings I’ve had because it’s been so long," she said.
"In that moment, of course, a wave of fear crushed over. I did have a panic, and I did get quite emotional."
After talking to her therapist, she realised that 'it's not happens in that moment, it matters about what you do next'.
"If it wasn’t intentional, if the intent is there, continue on. You are still one hundred percent committed to this journey of sobriety," Corrina added.
1) Choose accountability people
"It’s just telling one to two trusted people, and we create accountability without the pressure. So it’s not about announcing it to everyone, but just knowing that someone sees you, and they can remind you of your why when your own motivation dips," Corrina said.
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She mentioned her Dry January plan only to her partner and parents, keeping everyone else 'out of the loop'.
2) Start a new hobby
Rather than focusing on what she was giving up, Corrina decided to turn her yoga hobby into a business.
"It’s something I had always wanted to do, and I never had the bandwidth because my priorities were just 5pm happy hours and three-day benders," she said.
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"So if there’s any specific passion project you’ve had, whether it’s pilates or walking or breathwork or pottery or cold plunging, it doesn’t have to be major. It just has to be intentional."
3) Use a big calendar and gold stars
"It’s not silly. It’s evidence. Every time you doubt yourself, you can look back and see visual proof," she insisted.
"Our nervous system responds to it more than we realize. I had a jumbo huge calendar, big flashy gold stars, and waking up every morning without a hangover and putting that gold star on the calendar with your coffee, it’s magical. It’s a really powerful thing."
4) Educate yourself
Corrina says 'reading other people's journeys and perspective makes you feel less alone', especially if you don't have a big support system.
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She recommends reading The Snake in the Mind, Quit Like a Woman and The Untethered Soul.
"And honestly, if there’s one thing that’s going to kick start the journey, it’s understanding what alcohol is really doing to us," the fitness pro added.
5) Use alcohol-free alternatives
While some might not want to dabble with nonalcoholic options due to triggering, Corrina says that it can be a 'fantastic route' to fulfilling that craving.
"Having one mocktail actually pulls me out of my craving and gives me the satisfaction of realising I don’t need another. We don’t need to feel deprived to be alcohol free," she said.
Corrina turned her fitness hobby into a job (Instagram/@corrina.dunne)
6) Drop the social fear
One of the biggest hurdles is worrying about how your friends and family might react.
"We’re so absorbed in ourselves and how other people are judging us that we think all eyes are on us when we don’t have a drink in our hand, but nobody gives a s**t," she said.
7) Focus on winning the day - not forever
And finally, Corrina says that if you 'commit to forever', you are destined to fail.
"But we can win the day. If you know your triggers are coming at 5pm, you plan for that thirty minutes," she said.
"You have a podcast ready, a workout planned, your fridge stocked. If we focus on the thirty-minute fight, we stack the days. We build trust with ourselves.
"That’s where the magic happens. One day at a time, one urge at a time."
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Alcohol, Health, Dry January
Anish Vij