Annie Grace Offers Advice for Tackling FebFest

"This Naked Mind" author shares gentle wisdom and insight

DENVER, Feb. 1, 2021 — Taking a break from something that isn’t good for you is always a good idea. Even better when you can raise money for an important cause at the same time. In asking people to abstain from alcohol for a month and raise money for disadvantaged youth, FebFest does both.

Annie Grace, author of "This Naked Mind" and "The Alcohol Experiment"

For some, the energy behind the importance of the fundraising mission will be enough to sustain their commitment to remaining alcohol free. For others, losing the booze will be more difficult.

"Starting a month-long challenge to abstain from alcohol is exciting and empowering," says Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind and The Alcohol Experiment. "But, it can also be daunting. If alcohol is typically part of your daily life, removing it can be difficult. And, relying on willpower alone to drive your success can make it even harder."

Annie Grace offers the following advice to anyone taking a break from alcohol:

Be Kind – First and foremost, meet yourself with compassion, right where you are. Remember, alcohol is an addictive substance. It’s OK if abstaining is hard. There is nothing wrong with you.

Buddy Up – Don’t go it alone. There is strength in numbers. Find an accountability partner or even an entire community of people on the same journey. Support and learn from each other.

Get Curious – Don’t ignore alcohol this month. Rather, use the break to truly explore your relationship with alcohol. Learn how alcohol interacts with your brain and why simply flexing your willpower muscle might not be enough.

Write It Down – Document your experience in a journal. How do you feel? What was hard? What was easy? What did you notice about yourself without alcohol? What makes you want to drink?

Don’t Quit – If you slip and have a drink, try again. Even though it’s meant to be a month of abstinence, you do not have to declare defeat. Keep going. Do the best you can.

No matter why someone decides to participate in an alcohol free month, ultimately the best thing about their choice is the opportunity they give themselves to learn more about who they are both with and without the substance and determine what role they want alcohol to play in their lives in the future.

About This Naked Mind
Founded by Annie Grace in 2015, This Naked Mind (TNM) helps people end the conflict between their desire to drink less and their unconscious belief that alcohol is beneficial. Annie Grace overcame a decade of drinking by revamping her own relationship with alcohol. Today she helps others across the globe do the same – the 200,000+ people who’ve bought her books, the 350,000+ people who receive daily emails from her, the listeners who’ve downloaded her This Naked Mind Podcast episodes more than 8 million times, and the 200,000+ people who’ve gone through her free program, The Alcohol Experiment. Rather than teaching people how to be sober, TNM takes away the desire to drink. And, the approach helps people where rehabs have not. Join TNM on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.