No Drink November
No Drink November is a month of abstaining from alcohol.
Other months that have the same theme include Feb Fast, Dry July, Sober September and Sober October.
Like lots of dietary habits, intake of alcohol can become a routine, something we don’t give a second thought to.
For some people alcohol intake may have increased during lockdowns with the Covid19 pandemic.
This post discusses how a month of reducing alcohol can increase your awareness, and reflect if this is a habit or routine, and provide some strategies to assist during this time
Why do No Drink November?
● You may lose some weight. Each gram of alcohol provides 29kJ or 7 calories (energy), and we tend to eat more when consuming alcohol
● You may improve glucose control. Mixed drinks, beer, cider, sweet liquors can cause high blood sugar levels
● You might feel better, bounce out of bed in the morning without the ill effects of a hangover (and not feel the need to have high salt, high sugar “hangover foods” to soak up the previous night’s excesses)
● Feeling more energetic makes exercise more enticing, and improves consistency
● You may have other health benefits such as improved liver function
● You can save money. You may be surprised how much it can add up!
● It is a good opportunity to raise funds for a charity by donating the money spent on alcohol (or having friends/family sponsor a cause)
Do you have to do a whole month?
A month may seem like either a short or long time. You may want to start with a week, or 2 weeks.
Or you may just want to reduce your number of drinks, or number of days that you drink per week. These are great goals too!
As with all diabetes management, we are looking at making progress, not necessarily achieve “perfection”.
Staying on track.
· Have a calendar and mark off the days of not drinking– simple but rewarding to see the progress on a calendar.
· Participate with family or friends! Teamwork is easier than a solo journey (which can be tough). You can keep each other accountable and it definitely will be more fun
· Use an accountability app such as StickK
Guidelines for alcohol and diabetes.
The recommendations for alcohol consumption for people with diabetes are no different than that of the general population, at no more than 2 standard drinks per day.
As well as possibly raising glucose levels, if you are on insulin or some diabetes tablets, alcohol may also cause your blood sugar levels to drop. Your dietitian can advise you about how to manage this.
What do I replace alcohol with?
· Practise some form of stress management - exercise, other activities
· Calorie free drinks are the best choice. Mineral water, diet soft drink or plain water would be your better choices
· There is an increasing market for non etoh alternatives. If you are looking for some inspiration some alcohol alternatives may be found here
Navigating Social Situations
Volunteering to be a designated driver, or a mention of a big day ahead tomorrow can often be enough to deflect the conversation as why you don’t have a drink in your hand at a social function.
Remember, you don’t necessarily have to do the whole month of “No Drink November”, you can also plan ahead and do “Drink Less December”
If alcohol is a problem there’s help here, or speak to your local doctor.
Special thanks to dietitian Megan Ang who helped prepare content for this article.