We've entered the month of Sober October where a lot of people are trying to go for 31 days without drinking a drop of alcohol.
It's like Dry January, but you get Halloween at the end of the month and then the weather gets worse for the next few months rather than entering spring.
According to research from Lloyd's Pharmacy, around a quarter of Brits (24 percent) will be giving Sober October a go, though not all of them will make it to the end of the month.
There's all sorts of health benefits to ditching alcohol for a while and generally turning down the dial on your consumption, but for some people this is easier said than done.
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Dr Max Pemberton told the Daily Mail that functioning alcoholics can often 'white knuckle' a month off from drink, and is concerned that people could convince themselves they don't have a problem with it when they do.
He's laid out what he believes to be the six signs that you could be a functioning alcoholic, and how you could use Sober October to help spot this.
Always on your mind
The doctor said he'd come round to thinking events like Sober October were a good idea, less for the health benefits and more for how they can shed some light on your relationship with alcohol.
If you want to know how dependent you are on something, then try going without it for a while and see what happens, and Dr Pemberton said if you find yourself 'constantly aware of the absence of alcohol' throughout the month then you might have a problem.
He said: "For people without a problematic relationship with alcohol, not drinking for a month is generally no big deal. They might miss a glass of wine with dinner occasionally, but they’re not preoccupied by it.
"If alcohol is taking up a lot of mental space during this month, it suggests it might have a bigger role in your life than you’ve acknowledged."
Counting down to the end of Sober October
If alcohol is on your mind during a month you're going without it, then another sign might be your thoughts settling on that first drink you'll have after it.
Skip ahead to 1 November, your Halloween party is done and dusted, and you're already back on the sauce.
The doctor suggested that if you're counting the days until you can drink again, that ought to be a red flag when you could be enjoying October as much as the weather permits.
Avoiding social gatherings
This is one that several people who've spoken about their negative experiences with alcohol have talked about as an issue.
Speaking to LADbible for Dry January, Jay Motty said it was the 'biggest myth' that you couldn't socialise without a drink, but there are people who will be ducking out of social gatherings because alcohol will be there.
The doc said you should think about why you're not going, and if it's because you think you'll be boring without the booze or you're worried you'll be the only sober person there, then that's another warning sign.
Jay's advice for Dry January, which also applies to Sober October, is to tell your friends you're not drinking ahead of time so they're on the same page as you.
He added that they might even be relieved if they've spotted your alcohol problem before you've cottoned on, since they won't have to babysit you and can focus on having a good time.
A foul mood
If you're addicted to something and not getting it then your mind is going to be in a terrible state as you suffer through withdrawal symptoms.
Doc Pemberton said that a functioning alcoholic might use booze to manage stress and wind down after a busy day, and without that routine, you might be in a bad mood for the month.
Cutting down on the alcohol will eventually get you in a much better mood, but the first days and weeks are among the most difficult.
Breaking the rules
The rules of Sober October are pretty clear: you don't drink a drop of alcohol all month.
However, the doctor suggested that if you're breaking those rules, it's a bad sign.
He said getting around the alcohol restrictions by telling yourself one drink is fine or that you're at an event where others are drinking so you have to as well, like a wedding, wasn't going to cut the mustard.
You can tell yourself there's a justified reason, but the medical opinion is that it's 'just your brain trying to convince you that you need alcohol'.
The desire for a drink
If you are an alcoholic and you get through those first hellish days of withdrawal symptoms, then you'll start to see the benefits in body and mind.
That might sound great, but Dr Pemberton warns that if you start seeing the benefits of going sober but you're still desiring a drink then you ought to dig down into why and think about what it is about alcohol that you want so much.
All in all, taking a break for a month is a good way of evaluating your relationship with alcohol, and there are people you can turn to for help if you're having trouble navigating it.
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, Mental Health, Health
Joe Harker