Doing Dry January during Lockdown 3.0 is really tough...
In the past year I'm sure a lot of us have been using alcohol as a way to de-stress and unwind in these terrible times. Whether it be as a way of coping or just drinking out of boredom, a lot people are drinking more than before.
So I decided that this year, I didn't want to mindlessly drink my way through lockdown boredom or anxiety. If you read my recent post about anxiety, you will know that although alcohol may initially ease anxiety, it makes it worse in the long run.
I bought this book called 'Mindful Drinking' by Rosamund Dean which is really interesting. Its not about giving up drinking but being more mindful when you do drink. Definitely worth a read.
I decided to start the year off on a positive note by attempting Dry January (as it is recommended in the book). I must admit, being in lockdown has actually made it harder. I guess its the boredom! But at least there aren't social pressures, like going to the pub after work or out to dinner with friends.
For me, doing Dry January is not so much about giving up alcohol but more about the benefits of not drinking and starting off each year on a good note. It's better for your mental health, physical health, your skin and you get better sleep and have more energy.
So to make it easier (and give me something to focus on during my 'Dry Lockdown') I decided to start trying some grown up drinks that could replace my Friday night wine. I'm not that into soft drinks as I don't have a sweet tooth so I wanted to find some alternatives that are gluten free and alcohol free.
1 - Free Star Beer (0.0%)
I bought this on Amazon for £9.50 for 4 cans - pretty expensive. It is nice and does taste a bit like beer, but it has a very odd taste and smell. I would buy it again if there were no other gluten free and alcohol free beers available.
I think this my favourite of all the drinks I've tried. It tastes like a (maybe slightly sweet) alcoholic sparkling wine. I bought a bottle for £5 from Tesco, so about the same price as a very cheap bottle of wine.
3 - Tonic & Lime
To me this actually tastes like an alcoholic drink and serving it in a gin glass makes it seem like you are having a proper drink.
This gluten free beer is from the Birmingham Brewing Company and it is a partnership with the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity with 5% of sales donated for the first year. All their beers are gluten free and vegan. I ordered direct from their site and paid £22 for 12 cans. It tastes really nice, almost like a proper beer!
OK, so alcohol free wine doesn't really taste like wine, this red one tastes like red wine watered down with grape juice. Its really cheap at £3.50 and red wine is my favourite drink so with this I can kind of fool myself into believing that I'm having a glass of wine!
This alcohol free rose wine spritzer with berry extract is delicious and refreshing, and it comes in pretty bottles. It would be really nice in the summer. I bought 12 bottles for £19.99 on Amazon.
7 - Free Damm Lager (0.0%)
From the makers of Daura Damm, this is their alcohol free and gluten free lager. It tastes pretty good and I picked it up in Waitrose for £4 for 4 which is much more reasonably priced than some of the others.
8 - Big Drop Brewing Co (0.5%)
I'd seen this beer brand on Amazon but I didn't realise they were gluten free. I picked these up in Waitrose. I love the colourful packaging and they taste good too.
What's your go-to Dry January drink?
@glutenfreemila Celebrating not having a proper alcoholic drink for 44 days! 🍻 ##fyp ##alcoholfreedrinks ##glutenfree ##glutenfreebeer ##alcoholfreebeer ##beers ##beer
♬ Aesthetic - Xilo
No comments:
Post a Comment