PATHWAYS PROFILE
great non-alcoholic beers, wines, distilled spirits, and ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails. Finding the one you enjoy may, in fact, be part of the fun. Every year in January we hold the Mindful Drinking Fest in Washington, D.C., where we sample hundreds of non-alcoholic prod - ucts, have parties, and wellness classes and workshops. Join us or throw a party at home with friends and have each person bring a bot- tle. Either way, you’re sure to find something you love. Avoid Sometimes it helps if you avoid events or activities that might trigger you and lead to automatic drinking, such as going to a bar on a date. Instead, try rock climbing or go to a movie theater without alcohol. You may even sit some events out through JOMO, the joy of missing out, by creating envy-worthy experiences for yourself, such as cooking your favorite meal or having a bubble bath and a glass of non-alcoholic bubbly. This can be the ultimate act of self-care. Temper Temper doesn’t mean anger in this case — it means be careful with what you consume. Try switching to lower-alcohol beverages like wine spritzers, sake cocktails, or vermouth on the rocks, or “zebra strip - ing,” which involves drinking a mix of drinks with and without alcohol to pace yourself. This can be tricky because low-alcohol is somewhat vague. But if you set a goal of one glass of wine or a single beer, you are well within reason and can switch to non-alcoholic drinks if you are vibing. You can also split non-alcoholic spirits with alcohol in your favorite cocktails, lowering the overall alcohol content.
From Hangovers to Hope... ...continued from page 9
drinking (or not drinking) alcohol in relation to your values and goals, health or otherwise. It doesn’t mean you have to give up alcohol, but it does mean you have to drink (or not drink) with intention. In many cases, it also means you can remain social, spending time with friends and loved ones, rather than feeling as though you have to sip soda wa- ter at home by yourself. Social wellness is a critical part of our health. If you fall in the category of people who want to change your rela- tionship to alcohol, this could be as easy as taking a pause and con- sidering how you’ve engaged with drinking in the past and what your ideal relationship with alcohol would be. Some people use journaling; others do collages. There are also temporary abstinence months like Dry January. Ultimately, how you approach this moment is up to you, ● What do I like when I drink alcohol? ● What do I not like when I drink alcohol? ● What would an ideal night of drinking (or not drinking) en - tail? From here, you can apply the RATE method, an acronym I created to help explain strategies you can use: Replace, Avoid, Temper, and Elicit Help. but it does require some time and thought. Some very simple journal prompts include: Replace You don’t necessarily have to give anything up. You can replace alco - holic beverages with non-alcoholic ones. There’s now a huge array of
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PATHWAYS—Winter 24-25—51
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