Colin (00:00:08):
Hi, welcome to Sober Banter.
Rachel (00:00:10):
My name is Rachel and I'm one of your hosts.
Colin (00:00:12):
And I am Colin.
Colin (00:00:13):
I am the other host.
Rachel (00:00:14):
We are Sober Banter.
Rachel (00:00:16):
We are a new sobriety podcast and we are gearing up for the Sober October.
Rachel (00:00:23):
So if you're listening to this and you're interested in doing Sober October,
Rachel (00:00:27):
we have good news because we plan to put out a daily episode to help those who are
Rachel (00:00:33):
navigating Sober October.
Rachel (00:00:35):
What advice do you have for someone who's about to do Sober October for the first time?
Colin (00:00:40):
I would tell you not to take it too seriously because you don't want to set higher
Colin (00:00:47):
expectations or put so much pressure on yourself that you're completely miserable
Colin (00:00:54):
or if you do slip up,
Colin (00:00:56):
you feel like it's the end of the world.
Colin (00:00:58):
It's okay.
Rachel (00:00:59):
I would even say when people have, at least it works for me,
Rachel (00:01:05):
If you saw someone post that they were doing Sober October,
Rachel (00:01:09):
even for you saw the example I told my parents and they came over on the 5th and I
Rachel (00:01:13):
was drinking.
Rachel (00:01:14):
Did they like scold me?
Colin (00:01:15):
No, but they probably talk shit afterward.
Rachel (00:01:18):
Thank you.
Rachel (00:01:19):
No,
Rachel (00:01:19):
I'm saying think about what you would say to a friend if you saw them post on
Rachel (00:01:24):
Facebook and then five days later,
Rachel (00:01:26):
the weekend comes and they're drinking.
Rachel (00:01:28):
Are you sitting there judging them and thinking that person's like an alcoholic?
Rachel (00:01:33):
They probably have a problem.
Rachel (00:01:34):
No.
Rachel (00:01:35):
And the fear of what people are going to think about you,
Rachel (00:01:38):
you're probably thinking it 10 times worse than what it actually is.
Rachel (00:01:41):
And if it's blowing up to that big of a problem in your head, it might be a problem.
Colin (00:01:46):
Yeah, I think what we as individuals don't understand is that other people don't care.
Colin (00:01:54):
Don't care at all.
Colin (00:01:55):
No.
Rachel (00:01:56):
And the cool thing,
Rachel (00:01:58):
and I'm not encouraging necessarily anyone to go on social media,
Rachel (00:02:02):
but at least like an accountability buddy.
Rachel (00:02:04):
I was shocked when I put that I was getting sober on Facebook, Instagram.
Rachel (00:02:11):
The amount of other people that were also getting sober,
Rachel (00:02:15):
newly sober,
Rachel (00:02:16):
had been sober,
Rachel (00:02:17):
I was shocked.
Rachel (00:02:19):
There is so much more support.
Colin (00:02:21):
There's a big group out there, yeah.
Rachel (00:02:23):
And you might not know who that they were or are,
Rachel (00:02:27):
but I got reached out by a lot of people that,
Rachel (00:02:31):
oh,
Rachel (00:02:31):
yeah,
Rachel (00:02:31):
I've been sober now for a couple months or,
Rachel (00:02:34):
oh,
Rachel (00:02:34):
I've been sober for years.
Rachel (00:02:35):
I was like, and we used to drink together.
Rachel (00:02:37):
And I never thought that I'd hear them say they were sober.
Rachel (00:02:41):
And it was really cool.
Rachel (00:02:43):
And it sparks this... It's cool to have connections with other people that are sober.
Rachel (00:02:49):
Doing it alone is not...
Colin (00:02:51):
If you are doing it alone,
Colin (00:02:53):
though,
Colin (00:02:53):
I would suggest,
Colin (00:02:54):
say,
Colin (00:02:55):
for me...
Rachel (00:02:56):
Maybe journaling,
Rachel (00:02:57):
at least,
Rachel (00:02:57):
to get it out.
Colin (00:02:57):
You could journal it,
Colin (00:02:58):
or if you like to work out,
Colin (00:03:00):
or if you play a sport,
Colin (00:03:01):
like I played tennis,
Colin (00:03:03):
it was fun the months that we did do the 30-30 health thing,
Colin (00:03:07):
or...
Colin (00:03:08):
Full 30,
Colin (00:03:08):
yeah.
Colin (00:03:09):
Full 30, or the other Sober Octobers.
Colin (00:03:11):
I could see progress...
Colin (00:03:13):
And like me working out or playing tennis that I wasn't dripping with sweat all the time.
Colin (00:03:19):
I could actually last longer.
Colin (00:03:21):
I could last longer just playing, rallying, hitting.
Colin (00:03:25):
And I wasn't getting as tired as fast.
Colin (00:03:27):
I wasn't getting exhausted as fast.
Colin (00:03:29):
I didn't feel like crap afterwards.
Colin (00:03:31):
You leave your workout and you're ready to go for the day.
Colin (00:03:34):
And you're like, all right, what else?
Colin (00:03:35):
What else are we doing?
Rachel (00:03:37):
You don't realize how much alcohol can just drain.
Rachel (00:03:41):
It's this misconception that it fuels you.
Rachel (00:03:43):
It makes you dehydrated.
Rachel (00:03:47):
It's literally alcohol.
Rachel (00:03:51):
I still cannot believe that there is a movement to combat.
Colin (00:03:56):
It's not people.
Colin (00:03:57):
It's one Karen.
Colin (00:03:58):
And we all know what Karen's due to the world.
Rachel (00:04:01):
Stop saying that.
Rachel (00:04:02):
And I don't associate the name Karen with... Bitches.
Rachel (00:04:07):
Stop it.
Rachel (00:04:08):
And overall, there are going to be ups and downs in any part of your life.
Rachel (00:04:14):
It's not just October.
Rachel (00:04:16):
It's not just dry January.
Rachel (00:04:17):
You can start whenever.
Rachel (00:04:18):
You can quit whenever.
Rachel (00:04:19):
I always have the,
Rachel (00:04:21):
for when I went back to school,
Rachel (00:04:23):
which I thought I was just never going to get a college degree.
Rachel (00:04:26):
I didn't think it was in the cards for me.
Rachel (00:04:27):
I didn't think I was smart enough.
Rachel (00:04:28):
I thought I threw my life away in the service industry and I didn't want to be that
Rachel (00:04:33):
old person in college.
Rachel (00:04:36):
And now I have that F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Rachel (00:04:39):
You can start whenever.
Rachel (00:04:41):
And that's true for evaluating your relationship with drinking.
Rachel (00:04:46):
If you see this post or you hear this episode on October 5th, start on October 5th.
Rachel (00:04:51):
It's not a big deal.
Rachel (00:04:52):
No one's going to judge you.
Rachel (00:04:54):
No one's going to be like,
Colin (00:04:55):
You have to wait till next year.
Rachel (00:04:59):
I think that the takeaway for our focus of Sober October on this Sober Banter
Rachel (00:05:06):
podcast is to reevaluate the relationship you have in a life without alcohol.
Rachel (00:05:12):
And it is so much more fun.
Rachel (00:05:15):
At first, it might be hard, especially if you're going through detox.
Rachel (00:05:17):
Do not hesitate to go to a hospital if you start having, if you are a super heavy drinker.
Rachel (00:05:23):
Do not try to do so for October alone, please.
Rachel (00:05:26):
Like more people die from alcohol withdrawals than you would imagine.
Rachel (00:05:30):
And if you're a heavy drinker, you'll know.
Colin (00:05:33):
One of those commercials for medicine that says,
Colin (00:05:36):
please consult a doctor before trying,
Colin (00:05:38):
blah,
Colin (00:05:38):
blah,
Colin (00:05:38):
blah,
Colin (00:05:39):
blah.
Colin (00:05:39):
So maybe consult your doctor.
Rachel (00:05:41):
So Colin also brought up a really good point,
Rachel (00:05:44):
too,
Rachel (00:05:44):
is if you are as heavy of a drinker as I was,
Rachel (00:05:47):
like where you're drinking like handles a day,
Rachel (00:05:50):
I mean over 10 drinks in a day,
Rachel (00:05:52):
finding a substitution is a great idea because I didn't realize how much time I got
Rachel (00:05:59):
back when I stopped drinking for
Rachel (00:06:01):
And it's very easy to substitute addictions.
Rachel (00:06:04):
So switching to weed,
Rachel (00:06:07):
it's probably not a good idea if you're like,
Rachel (00:06:09):
oh,
Rachel (00:06:09):
I'm just going to give alcohol and I'm just going to because then you will just go
Rachel (00:06:11):
full time.
Colin (00:06:12):
You're going to be addicted to some exercise,
Rachel (00:06:15):
but that can get something,
Rachel (00:06:18):
some sort of hobby that you can put the seven hours you'll probably gain back.
Colin (00:06:24):
Yeah.
Colin (00:06:24):
Start a Pinterest account.
Rachel (00:06:25):
Start a Pinterest account.
Rachel (00:06:28):
I'll do something.
Rachel (00:06:29):
Anyways.
Rachel (00:06:30):
Yeah.
Rachel (00:06:30):
And then they're also saying is.
Colin (00:06:32):
Is not drinking really healthy.
Rachel (00:06:35):
Is Sober October the new dry January?
Rachel (00:06:38):
And no, I think that they're both great.
Colin (00:06:41):
I said bake.
Colin (00:06:41):
That's a dyslexia.
Colin (00:06:42):
It's clickbait.
Rachel (00:06:43):
So Sober October, what it is and how to partake.
Rachel (00:06:47):
It's a challenge.
Rachel (00:06:49):
And what year it began?
Colin (00:06:50):
What year?
Colin (00:06:51):
Yeah.
Rachel (00:06:51):
Yeah, it's 2014.
Rachel (00:06:53):
So this is the 10th anniversary of Sober October that was started in the UK.
Rachel (00:06:57):
So 10 years ago.
Rachel (00:06:58):
Yes.
Rachel (00:06:59):
And some of the health benefits that they clued in this article,
Rachel (00:07:02):
which is in Country Yard Townhouse.
Colin (00:07:05):
My favorite magazine.
Rachel (00:07:07):
Stop it.
Rachel (00:07:08):
Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it dehydrates us.
Rachel (00:07:11):
So overall, you'll get healthier skin.
Rachel (00:07:13):
Even just one week off of booze,
Rachel (00:07:15):
you can expect to have more hydrated skin and it will reduce the redness in your
Rachel (00:07:19):
face.
Rachel (00:07:20):
In a month,
Rachel (00:07:21):
you can expect even more improvement with a brighter complexion and bloating will
Rachel (00:07:26):
be reduced.
Rachel (00:07:27):
Cool.
Rachel (00:07:27):
Better sleep.
Rachel (00:07:28):
Drinking alcohol might help some to get sleep, but it does not give you a restful sleep.
Rachel (00:07:34):
You spend less time in a deep sleep when you have alcohol in your body.
Rachel (00:07:38):
And that was according to the CEO of Alcohol Change.
Rachel (00:07:42):
The other month,
Rachel (00:07:44):
it can bring a lot of mental health benefits to people feel a reduction in anxiety,
Rachel (00:07:49):
stress and depression overall.
Colin (00:07:52):
Yeah.
Rachel (00:07:53):
So it said tips stock up on alternative drinks.
Rachel (00:07:57):
So like sodas, sparkling waters, Topo Chico.
Colin (00:08:00):
Yeah.
Colin (00:08:01):
I thought I heard somewhere that root beer,
Colin (00:08:03):
one of the reasons that exists was to help people get off actual beer,
Colin (00:08:07):
hence the name root beer.
Colin (00:08:09):
And even though it doesn't have any caffeine,
Colin (00:08:11):
it has tons of sugar,
Colin (00:08:12):
which is what a lot of people who stop drinking alcohol,
Colin (00:08:15):
they move to things with lots of sugar because alcohol turns into sugar,
Colin (00:08:20):
right?
Colin (00:08:20):
So you end up craving sugar.
Colin (00:08:21):
But apparently root beer, one of the reasons for it was for getting off alcohol.
Rachel (00:08:26):
I wonder how many brands of root beers there are.
Colin (00:08:28):
This could just be me just shooting out like complete nonsense that I picked up
Colin (00:08:33):
over the radio that has no truth to it at all.
Rachel (00:08:37):
Well, why don't you look it up and you'll bring it to the next episode?
Colin (00:08:39):
Yeah, but it sounded somewhat interesting and factual.
Rachel (00:08:43):
Yeah.
Colin (00:08:44):
Stock up on IBC root beer.
Rachel (00:08:45):
I was going to say we should try like different kinds of root beer.
Rachel (00:08:47):
But also small chocolates are a good one.
Rachel (00:08:50):
I had chocolates in my drawer during the first couple months of getting sober,
Rachel (00:08:55):
especially at night.
Rachel (00:08:59):
There's something about chocolate, like pure, like either milk or dark chocolate.
Rachel (00:09:02):
It can help satisfy a craving.
Rachel (00:09:05):
It says on day one, which maybe we can do this on a live, this October 1st.
Colin (00:09:10):
Yeah, that's this Tuesday, right?
Rachel (00:09:12):
Write down our reasons.
Rachel (00:09:14):
We're going to write down reasons for personal motivations of why we want to do the
Rachel (00:09:20):
Sober October.
Rachel (00:09:21):
And because we're already sober, we will say it's to help the next person who's getting sober.
Rachel (00:09:25):
And I will probably we can reflect on what we had reasons for when we did get sober
Rachel (00:09:32):
in the first place.
Rachel (00:09:33):
But starting to think of what is your list going to look like?
Rachel (00:09:36):
What having a reminder of your why is very helpful, especially when emergencies happen.
Colin (00:09:43):
Yeah, it might be something you put on the mirror in your bathroom so you see it every day.
Rachel (00:09:47):
Maybe.
Rachel (00:09:48):
Or just if you have a stressful work event,
Rachel (00:09:53):
going and looking at that,
Rachel (00:09:54):
reminding yourself of your why can be very powerful.
Rachel (00:09:57):
Also doing maybe a treat yourself at the end.
Colin (00:09:59):
Treat yourself.
Rachel (00:10:00):
It says you've made it through the entire month.
Rachel (00:10:03):
You've now saved money.
Rachel (00:10:04):
Maybe having a book of massage or go do your spa day.
Colin (00:10:08):
Treat yourself.
Rachel (00:10:09):
Whatever you want to do.
Rachel (00:10:10):
Or go on, it says, go on a trip.
Rachel (00:10:13):
Go out of town at the end of the month.
Rachel (00:10:15):
And you can enjoy some of the things that won't pressure your drinking because you
Rachel (00:10:20):
now have this new relationship with alcohol.
Rachel (00:10:22):
And maybe that means no relationship.
Rachel (00:10:24):
Maybe that means a better relationship.
Rachel (00:10:26):
I mean, there's either way.
Rachel (00:10:28):
This is a great way to just, again, not judge.
Rachel (00:10:33):
It's just to identify the pros or cons.
Rachel (00:10:37):
Yeah.
Rachel (00:10:37):
And maybe we can like if people are interested and they comment, I wish people commented more.
Rachel (00:10:43):
Maybe we could do a non-alcoholic drink of the day for each day of Sober October.
Colin (00:10:48):
Maybe people aren't commenting because they want to be anonymous.
Rachel (00:10:53):
Probably.
Rachel (00:10:53):
They probably do.
Colin (00:10:55):
Can you send in a comment anonymously?
Rachel (00:10:58):
Yes.
Colin (00:10:59):
Oh, OK.
Rachel (00:11:00):
Yeah.
Rachel (00:11:00):
Remember in my first meeting, I said my name was Cinderella.
Colin (00:11:03):
I can't remember.
Rachel (00:11:04):
I thought you chickened out and you... I said I was going to lie, but the topic was honesty.
Rachel (00:11:09):
And I was like,
Rachel (00:11:09):
I told you in the car as we were walking,
Rachel (00:11:11):
I'm like,
Rachel (00:11:12):
I'm not going to say my name.
Colin (00:11:12):
Yeah, but in meeting room, they do the names before the topic.
Rachel (00:11:16):
But we didn't do names.
Rachel (00:11:17):
It was too big of a meeting that they didn't do the introduce your names.
Rachel (00:11:21):
No, we didn't.
Rachel (00:11:22):
I promise.
Rachel (00:11:22):
I remember that very strongly.
Rachel (00:11:24):
Yeah.
Colin (00:11:24):
I mean,
Colin (00:11:25):
technically,
Colin (00:11:25):
you were a couple hours more sober than I was,
Colin (00:11:28):
so I guess I'd have to take your word for it.
Rachel (00:11:30):
Because Teddy chaired the meeting.
Colin (00:11:31):
Yeah.
Rachel (00:11:32):
Do you remember that?
Rachel (00:11:33):
Yeah.
Rachel (00:11:34):
Okay.
Rachel (00:11:34):
Sorry.
Rachel (00:11:35):
His name's Teddy Bear, so.
Colin (00:11:37):
Anonymous.
Rachel (00:11:38):
That's what I said.
Rachel (00:11:39):
It's not even his real name.
Rachel (00:11:40):
God, I could just imagine what he would act like if I tell him, we're doing a podcast.
Rachel (00:11:43):
Like, I can just hear, like, he'd be like, oh, my God.
Rachel (00:11:48):
He would be the best person to have on the show.
Colin (00:11:50):
First, you don't like it because you're like, get him away from me.
Rachel (00:11:55):
This person cannot be sober if they're that happy.
Colin (00:11:57):
And then he becomes your best friend.
Colin (00:11:59):
Yeah, that's true.
Colin (00:12:01):
That was great.
Colin (00:12:03):
Thank you for bringing that to the forefront.
Rachel (00:12:05):
Yeah, and soberbanter.com if you want to check us out for some more.
Rachel (00:12:10):
Any Venmo donations or any tips, whatever, is appreciated.
Rachel (00:12:14):
I know my husband is going to roll his eyes.
Colin (00:12:16):
Just panhandling.
Rachel (00:12:18):
It's not panhandling.
Rachel (00:12:19):
This is a lot of work.
Rachel (00:12:20):
This equipment's very expensive.
Rachel (00:12:21):
And to be able to produce episodes every day is going to just take a little more effort.
Colin (00:12:27):
See, when you don't pay money for alcohol, this is all the stuff you can buy.
Rachel (00:12:31):
Thank you for listening to Sober Banter.
Colin (00:12:33):
My name is Colin Casey.
Rachel (00:12:36):
My name is Rachel.
Colin (00:12:37):
And this was Sober Banter.
Rachel (00:12:39):
Thank you for listening, and we hope you have a great rest of your day.
Colin (00:12:42):
Goodbye.
Rachel (00:12:43):
Please follow, subscribe for more.
Colin (00:12:46):
Goodbye.
Rachel (00:12:47):
Goodbye.
Rachel (00:12:47):
How many?
