Give it up for good! Part 2 - Go Sober October

October has become the month for giving something up... or at least abstaining! Two weeks ago I wrote about quitting smoking (Stoptober) and today it's stopping drinking. The new MacMillan cancer campaign is Go Sober in October. So far two people have emailed me for sponsorship and I've been happy to donate to such a great cause. Happy too, to support a relative who is giving up drinking for 31 days. Already she has blogged that she is sleeping better and feeling more energetic and alert... and that was after only a few days!

Recently I worked with a client who has been drinking a bottle of wine every night for some years and after only two sessions of hypnosis with me is no longer drinking and is very much enjoying being in control of his alcohol intake. Now, that's not to say that all clients will experience such a swift change - stopping drinking can be very hard. For some people it's a social habit, or has become part of a switching off or relaxation routine at the end of the working day. Many people self-medicate with alcohol just as they do with drugs and food - using these substances to change their mood. For others, alcohol is an addiction. Interestingly, although many people contact me for help to stop or manage their drinking, they almost always say "I'm not an alcoholic". I guess no-one likes the idea of being addicted to anything, but seeing alcoholics only as those who start drinking alcohol on waking or can't hold down a job and sleep in the park is unhelpful, even though this stereotypical view of alcoholism seems pretty widespread.

Go Sober brings an opportunity for all of us to review our drinking habits and behaviour. So what prompts you to reach for a bottle of wine or a Scotch and how easy do you think you'd find it to give up drinking for a month? Having an incentive such as 'Go Sober' can often help people to 'stay on track' for a set period and it will be interesting to see how many participants modify their drinking patterns and relationship with drink in the longer term. But for now, a big thumbs up and huge cheer goes out to all the charity teetotallers! Well done!