30-Day Substance Break

Write down your reasons for participating in this 30-day challenge and what YOU want to accomplish—no-body else should tell you why ab-staining from substances for a month is important. What’s motivating you? What will keep you on track? 

Are there other resolutions/changes you want to make that aren’t substance related but might be indirectly impacted by your drinking or using? Reflect on all areas of your life that are impacted by your drinking or substance use habits—social, recreational, financial, etc. 

Decide how you will communicate your participation to friends and family. How can you signify your dedication to the challenge to folks who might be more resistant? Find your allies as well. Do you have a friend or companion who might be interested in joining you? Write this down. Consider downloading a “Dry January” app or follow @bewellwwu, @dryjanuary, and @sober_otter, on social media for support. And, it never hurts to practice saying no once or twice before heading out for the evening. 

Here are a few questions to reflect on that can be a safety plan of sorts for refraining from using substances: 

• What are some warning signs that you’re starting to feel over-stressed? How does your body feel? What thoughts do you notice?
• Who can you call for distraction? What places can you go to distract yourself?
• What are some coping skills be-sides substance use that you can use to calm yourself?
• Who can you call to talk about your stress and/or urges to drink or use?
• When you’re starting to feel stressed and you might want to drink or use, what changes can you make to your environment to help you avoid using? (Examples: Leave the apartment, don’t keep liquor in the house, play music, have a friend hold any cannabis products). 

If your best friend told you they were trying to make a change in their life, what would you say to encourage them? How would you be present to help them? We often give great advice to others and don’t take it ourselves. Use the encouragement you wrote down for your friend for yourself! 

We often talk about consent in terms of sexual activity, knowing that con-sent is freely given, not coerced, and can be revoked at any time. Reflect on college drinking culture either at WWU specifically or more broadly. How might alcohol or other substances not always be consumed with consent? Think about folks pressuring each other to consume, pouring a drink for someone who is already intoxicated, etc. What are the larger impacts that this might have on student’s substance use behavior? 

Everyone deserves to have healthy, positive sexual experiences that make them and their partners feel good. If alcohol or other substance use is involved in your sexual activities, it may be helpful to ask yourself these questions: 

• Why am I having sex when I’m intoxicated or with partners who are intoxicated?
• How is alcohol/drug use impacting the quality of my sexual experiences?
• Does being intoxicated contribute to doing things sexually that I later regret? How do I think about that now?
• What would it be like to be more clear-minded during my sexual experiences? 

When we drink, we feel the effects as our blood alcohol content rises. We encourage a safe, predictable, and pleasurable BAC of up to 0.06. At this level you should feel euphoria, a slight warmth, and elevated mood. Beyond 0.06 the effects can become unpleasant: dizziness, nausea, lack of coordination, impaired judgment, etc. Blackouts typically begin with a BAC around 0.15; anything beyond 0.20 can result in an alcohol-related emergency. Use a BAC calculator to see how your BAC changes with the number of drinks and hours spent drinking. Then, reflect on what risky drinking looks like for you. 

Keep in mind that BAC calculators should only be used as a guide, as many variables affect alcohol absorption rates. Also, the available BAC calculators use a gender binary, which is not inclusive to everyone. For people who do not identify on the gender binary, it can be helpful to look at the sex-linked factors the BAC calculator takes into consideration, such as weight, percentage of water in the body, hormone levels like estrogen or testosterone, and the presence of alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase (enzymes that metab-olize alcohol). 

Think about your identity—your age, gender, race, class, physical ability levels, etc. In what ways has drinking or other substance use been determined by one or more of these factors? Has your identity impacted how other people interact with you when alcohol or drugs are involved? 

Take this time to reflect on any noticeable changes so far. Sleep, study habits, relationships, etc., can all be impacted by frequent or heavy substance use. Taking a break is a great way to hit the reset button. Write down and reflect on what you’ve noticed so far into this 30-day challenge. What’s working and what isn’t? 

For today, practice radical self-love and self-acceptance. It’s perfectly OK if the changes you’ve made has been difficult. Remember that a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor. Write down a list of positive qualities/affirmations about yourself. If this list starts small, that’s OK. Keep it and add to it when you can. 

Today is a great day to practice mindfulness. Studies show that when we take a break from regular substance use, we can become more focused and clearer headed. As you go through your day today, be extra aware of yourself, your overall well-being, and your surroundings. 

Try the Body Scan mindfulness exercise. Lie on your back or rest in a comfortable chair, remaining still. Close your eyes and bring your whole attention to your breath, and work to bring it to a regular tempo. Slowly move your attention to the way your clothing feels, how individual body parts feel, etc. Start from the core and work your way out, and then in reverse. Don’t leave any body parts out! 

Reflect on this: I am proud of myself for __________. 

Here’s a great mindfulness exercise you can use at any point throughout the next few weeks: 5-4-3-2-1 Mind-fulness Exercise. This exercise helps ground you by focusing fully on one sense at a time. 

Start by taking deep, cleansing breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Clear your mind. 

Once you are ready to start, look around and, one by one, choose five objects to SEE. Really look at each object. Notice its shape, color, size. Take time to fully appreciate each object. 

Next, close your eyes and find four things you can HEAR. Focus on one sound at a time and really HEAR them. 

With your eyes still closed, notice three things you can FEEL. It may be where your body meets with the ground or chair you are sitting on; it may be a breeze blowing by. Take time to fully observe each sensation. 

With your eyes still closed, notice two things you can SMELL (or, think of two of your favorite scents). Take the time to fully observe each scent. 

Finally, open your eyes and name out loud or to yourself one thing that you love about yourself. 

Congratulations on two weeks in! For today, find a verse, quote, song, etc., that is reflective of your current state. Write it down—why you chose it, and why it’s symbolic. 

Monique Tula is the director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, an agency focused on advocating for the health and dignity of substance users through a nonjudgmental lens. In an interview with author Adrienne Maree Brown (in her book Pleasure Activ-ism), Tula says, “In practice, harm reduction is comprised of a continuum of strategies that range from working with people to maintain abstinence from substances if that’s what they choose, to reducing risks around controlled or even chaotic use. Re-gardless of where a person is on that continuum, they deserve to be treat-ed respectfully and seen as an equal.” What ends of this spectrum have you fallen on before? Where do you desire to be? Which risk reduction practices can you use to keep you where you want to be? 

Here’s another quote from Adrienne Marie Brown in her book Pleasure Activism to ponder: 

“I smoke, vape, and/or eat edibles to help me relax, but try to be careful about numbing myself—using weed to put a fog over life. Not feeling the hard stuff means sacrificing the lessons that come with pain and heartache. And the good stuff can be numbed alongside the hard stuff.” 

What stuff—good and bad—have you potentially missed out on fully because of the fog that substances can put over our lives? 

Be patient with yourself today. Re-writing habits can be especially hard, because the use of any psychoactive substance (YES, this includes alcohol) hijacks the brain’s reward/pleasure pathways, so our brains have a hard time telling us not to drink or use when it has learned that drinking or using is a pleasurable means for survival. In honor of our pleasure pathways, what can you do today that will truly bring you pleasure? Write down the little things, the big things and the mega things that bring you joy. 

The PNW has pretty consistent gray skies during fall and winter—even into spring—which can be tough for many. What can you do to bring more color, brightness, and warmth into your day today? Write those down and seek them out! 

Write down a gratitude list—what are you most thankful for in this moment? In your life? If you live to be 100 years old (or whatever, just play along), what do you think you’ll be most grateful for then? 

How about another mindfulness exercise? Bundle up and go outside. Hopefully the sun is shining. Find a place where you can sit or stand comfortably. Clear your mind of outside thoughts. Focus on every little thing you can see, smell, hear, taste, or touch. Be absolutely present—even if it’s just for a moment. One of the most popular AA/NA (12-step recovery program) sayings is “one day at a time,” but sometimes a day seems quite large. Take it hour by hour, or moment by moment. 

It’s Day 21 of the 30-day challenge! They say it takes 21 days to make a habit. How are you feeling today? Are you noticing a difference in how you view alcohol/cannabis/etc.? This challenge is not an excuse to detox our bodies and then binge for the rest of the year. It’s an opportunity to take a break from a habit, evaluate what works and what doesn’t, and make the changes necessary to be the healthiest and happiest versions of ourselves. Write down your thoughts today and take pride in the journey so far. 

It’s not uncommon to hear people say that their friend or family member isn’t quite “themselves” when they are under the influence of substances. This is because being intoxicated can alter our judgment, our body language, etc. How would someone close to you describe what you’re like when you’re under the influence of substances? What about a random person you might meet at a party? Do either of these descriptions contain aspects you might want to change? 

In Sonya Renee Taylor’s book, The Body Is Not an Apology, she walks us through interactive prompts called “Unapologetic Inquiries.” Here is Unapologetic Inquiry #30: 

“As children, we loved the uncon-strained power of imagination we encountered in fairy tales. We could be an opulent princess, a cunning wizard, a talking dog. There were no boundaries around our possibility. What story have you been telling yourself that is binding your possibility? What would be possible if that story were different?” 

In The Body Is Not an Apology, Taylor also prompts readers with “Radical Reflections.” Here’s one from page 104: 

“Humans aren’t laundry! Stop trying to compartmentalize and sort yourself out. Messy does not always mean dirty. Sometimes it just means complicated, and complicated can be beautiful! Ask yourself, how might I approach life differently if I had compassion for my beautiful mess?” 

Here’s one more “Radical Reflection” from page 64 of Taylor’s book, The Body Is Not an Apology: “Notice the next time your actions are not in alignment with your thoughts. 

The discomfort you feel is trying to tell you something. It is pushing you beyond just thinking or doing, toward radical self-love being.” What does this reflection mean to you? When do you experience a discrepancy between what you think/believe and how you feel or act? 

What’s the best thing that’s happened so far this week? This month? Reflect back on your gratitude list and see if there’s anything you want to add. 

Studies show that refraining from regular alcohol use can strengthen our immune system and taking a break from smoking any substance is a great boost to your lung health. How has your overall health been affected by this challenge? Do you ever feel that when you’re regularly drinking or using, you’re more likely to catch whatever bug is going around? 

Who has been your biggest ally for during this 30-day challenge? Reach out to that person today to say thank you. If this has been a bit of a solo month, reflect on your efforts with gratitude, and thank yourself for being patient, determined, and courageous. What has been your favorite memory of this month? 

It’s almost your last night of your 30 Day Substance Break! Write a letter to the “you” you were before you started this challenge. It could be at any point in your life that you think your earlier self could have learned from the you that you are today. 

It’s the last day of the 30 Day Substance Break challenge—WAY TO GO! Reflect on your accomplishment today. What have you learned or gained from this experience? How do you think your relationship with alcohol or other substances might be different from here on out? Finishing the challenge presents the opportunity to continue the healthy habits you’ve established, rather than heavy drinking in response to being done. Moderation is always the safest bet. Be proud of yourself. You set a goal and you accomplished it!