Wellbeing Hub

Check out our Wellbeing Hub with health and fitness tips to make the most of your sober month!


Boost your wellbeing this October with the National Garden Scheme’s top tips

By The National Garden Scheme on

Why not develop those green fingers of yours as part of your booze-free October? Gardening is not only rewarding but it gets you exercising in the fresh air, positively impacting your wellbeing. While you’re keeping your mind and body healthy through Sober October, these tips will help keep your garden healthy too.

So, whatever the weather, venture outside and get stuck in with the National Garden Scheme’s top tips for October in your garden:

1. Get Tidying

This is the time of year when a small amount of work with the right tools can bring you satisfying results in the garden. Trim branches, sweep up fallen leaves, clear brambles, and carry out path repairs, or to lay new ones – there’s lots to do. Start creating compost!


2. Plant Trees and Hedges

Now is the best time to plant trees as they are able to get their roots settled and established through the winter. This is the best time for planting new hedges too, and they will immediately make your garden look better.

3. Lift Vegetables

Vegetables that you have been growing all summer like beetroot and carrots are about to reward you. However, they can be ruined by being left in wet ground, so they need to be dug up or lifted, and stored ideally in a cool dark shed in a box of dry potting compost.

4. Cover Your Pond

Soon the leaves will be falling fast. If you have a pond, you won't want loads of them decomposing in the water, especially if you have fish, so try and keep it clean. The simplest way is to cover the pond with mesh or netting.


5. Winter Bedding

Brighten things up with some winter bedding plants. They are ideal for tubs, containers and window boxes, and include a variety of plants, from pansies to heathers and small bulbs. They’ll keep you going right through to next spring.

6. Trim Lavender

This is the ideal time to tidy up lavender hedges and bushes with a trim. Cut off just the dead flowering stems - either with secateurs or, for a quicker job, with hand shears. Don't cut any more of the stems with leaves, as they will be susceptible to frost - leave this to the spring instead. You can complete the job by hanging the cut stems up to dry, and then rubbing out the dead flowerheads to produce scented lavender bags.


When you’ve done all the hard work – or if you don’t have a garden - reward yourself by exploring the gorgeous gardens in the National Garden Scheme’s virtual garden visits portfolio on their website.

And, to keep you busy during your sober October, pre-book a ticket to visit a beautiful National Garden Scheme open garden near you.


The National Garden Scheme are Macmillan Cancer Support’s longest standing partner. Over the past 36 years they have donated over £17 million to Macmillan. Through this, the National Garden Scheme have funded 150 vital nurses and professionals, as well as funding towards three cancer information units in Chesterfield, Bristol and most recently in South Wales.

Now’s the time! Go Sober this October

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10 Hacks to get you through Go Sober

By Juliet Hodges, Bupa UK on

Bupa UK’s behaviour change advisor Juliet Hodges shares her top ten hacks to help all those who are going booze-free.

Believe in yourself

You might be feeling apprehensive about a whole month without alcohol and wondering if you have the willpower to last a full 31 days. Research shows that yes, you do – as long as you believe you do. People who believe that willpower is unlimited tend to be better at dealing with tasks that require self-control, and also tend to be happier. Tell yourself that you can do it, and it’s more likely that you will!

Get your friends on board

Our friends and family are vital to our success with this kind of thing , – they can either be your biggest supporters, or biggest liability if they’re determined to get...

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Setting goals

By Mel Ingram on

Many of us set ourselves tasks and goals to achieve what we feel will make a difference to our lives. Sometimes we find it difficult to achieve these goals as the journey becomes too long, too hard or it simply gets overshadowed by other ‘higher priority’ tasks and therefore these goals are pushed to the side.

Start by asking yourself some simple questions that can help you take control of your life and achieve your goals –

  • What are you trying to achieve?
  • What are your habits and what do you want to change?
  • What have you achieved in life?
  • Do you live in the moment?

What are trying to achieve and what is your ultimate goal?

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Tips on cutting down after your Sober October

By Go Sober Team on


Carry on your good work from October through to November and beyond. Here are some practical tips if you want to try to cut down on the amount of alcohol you’re drinking.

Quench your thirst! 

Before you start drinking, quench your thirst with a non-alcoholic drink.

Drink slowly

Have a drink of water with your alcoholic drink.

Make every second drink non-alcoholic

Alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. This will help space out your drinks.

Eat when you drink

Eat food when you’re drinking, but avoid salty foods – these make you thirstier.

Dilute your alcoholic drinks

For example, a shandy (beer with lemonade) or a wine spritzer (wine with mineral water).

Treat yourself

Alcohol isn’t the only thing you can indulge in. Why not try...

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