Damp Lifestyle

I’m All About That Damp Life.

Alcohol is everywhere in Chicago. It’s at movie theaters, sporting events (probably even at your kids t-ball games), and even available during your daily strolls on the riverwalk between meetings. It is hard to escape it, and even when you plan on abstaining, the social pressures, and warm weather can shake down our will. People who struggle with drinking often think that in order to ‘fix’ their drinking issues, they have to stop drinking entirely. This black and white thinking is often a perpetuator of shame, guilt, and negative self-talk that doesn’t help when you’re already anxious after a day of ‘going too hard’ at brunch. 

If you have been wanting to redefine your relationship with alcohol, but don’t want to cut it out of your life forever just yet, perhaps the damp lifestyle is for you. Well, what is that? The damp lifestyle takes on a harm reduction approach to problematic drinking. We’ve all been told to ‘drink in moderation,’ but that looks different for everybody! The damp lifestyle centers on being able to identify what we want our drinking limits to be, while also allowing flexibility. For example, it’s Friday night, you’re exhausted from work, but have dinner plans with a friend. You know that being stressed out always leads to over drinking, so how can we get ahead of going down that path we hate going down? The first step is knowing your mental state, and checking in with yourself before ordering a drink. If you are stressed out, maybe you order a nonalcoholic beverage first to give yourself time to acclimate to the environment which can also be triggering (restaurants can be chaotic during dinner rush).  Ask yourself, am I wanting this drink to cope with the stress, or do I want this drink because I want to savor the complex flavors?

We often forget the power of nonalcoholic beverages because, well, we’re in a bar. But, alternating between nonalcoholic and alcoholic drinks will not only keep you hydrated, it will also slow down the frequency/speed at which we are drinking, but decrease the amount of alcohol we are consuming. It isn’t either or, it’s and! We tend to think that in order to fix a problem we must take something out, or stop, but what if to adjust the problem we add a solution in conjunction with the problem? 

For many, being at a bar with nothing in your hand can feel as if you aren’t a part of the party, which is why it is so easy to over-drink when we don’t want to. By alternating in nonalcoholic beverages, you not only can sidestep the social anxiety of not having anything in your hand, but also achieve the goal you set for yourself at the beginning of the night. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, just one at 8pm, and it ended up being a 4am marathon. 

‘Well Stef, that’s easier said than done.’ You’re absolutely correct, which is why change is never easy. There is work to be put in. In order for a habit to become second nature, it takes roughly 60 days of instilling the behavior for it to feel as natural as breathing. Changing our relationship with alcohol will be the same! It’s never easy changing or modifying a behavior that we have been doing for years, so give yourself the flexibility to fuck up. It’s when we beat ourselves down for ‘not being better,’ that we often give up on the overall goal. 

You can do it! So stay damp my friends.