Wellbeing Hub

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

Tropical Green Mocktail Recipe

By Camille Vidal on

Camille Vidal is a wellness advocate, a yoga teacher, a drinks & cocktail expert and the founder of La Maison Wellness, the home of the healthy hedonist and an online inspiration for Living Well.


Tropical Green

This delicious and refreshing cocktail will lighten up your taste buds and give you the opportunity to support a good cause by going Sober for Macmillan.

Ingredients

  • 20 ml passion fruit juice
  • 30ml cucumber juice
  • 10ml agave syrup
  • 1 tsp orange blossom water
  • Kombucha   

Method

Cucumber Juice
  1. Peel cucumber  
  2. Juice fresh, or blend & sieve to remove pulp
  3. Store in the fridge- it will keep 2 days 
Technique
  1. Build ingredients into the glass minus the kombucha
  2. Add crushed ice, then take your spoon & “churn” the...
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I gave up alcohol ten months ago and here’s what’s happened since

By Scott Pearson on

I used to wake up with a feeling of dread. You know, that feeling that you’ve said or done the wrong thing in a drunken stupor? Sometimes I’d have to do my best Poirot and piece the night together from stories others told me of my behaviour, along with Uber email receipts and transactions on my banking apps. After too many years of making the same mistakes, and realising I only had myself to blame for my rising anxiety, poor fitness, and debt levels to challenge those of a small country, I knew something had to give.

In October 2018 I woke up one morning with the worst hangover of my life, and from that point on I knew my relationship with alcohol was over. The important thing to mention is, that even when I was drinking, my life wasn’t...

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Mocktails by Olly Smith

By Olly Smith on

Olly Smith is a multi award-winning drinks expert and broadcaster, and publisher of 'Fizz', a book with over 80 joyful cocktails and mocktails for every occasion.

Sherbet Fizz

  • 25ml freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
  • 20ml Oleo Saccharum
  • Ice cubes soda water

Method

  1. Pour all the grapefruit juice and Oleo Saccharum into the wine glass filled with ice cubes
  2. Top with soda water and stir gently
  3. Garnish with a grapefruit peel.

Garnish

  • Large grapefruit peel

Glass

  • White wine glass


Honey and Ginder Julep

  • 1 tbsp just-boiled water
  • 8 mint leaves
  • 4 tsp honey crushed ice
  • Ice-cold ginger beer

Method

  1. Mix the freshly boiled water with 2 fresh mint leaves and stir to wilt. 
  2. Stir in the honey and then remove the mint leaves. Leave to cool completely. 
  3. Place 6...
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7 Tips For Getting Through a Wedding Sober

By Millie Gooch on

Despite the fact that weddings are supposed to be the happiest day of some people’s lives, if it’s a) not yours and b) you have to do it sober, you can begin to think that, in fact, quite the opposite is true.

There are two main reasons why weddings are notoriously difficult to navigate without a drink. The first is that nuptials are a kind of an ‘all in’ package deal. With a lot of social events, you can simply leave if you’re feeling horrifically bored or out of sorts, it’s simply much harder to stand up during your second course or in the middle of the Best Man speech and declare that you’ve actually just had enough. There’s a certain level of expectation as a wedding guest that you’re more or less locked in for the duration and that...

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A Sober Night's Sleep

By Clare Pooley on

It's Saturday morning, and I've bounced out of bed, leaving the children still slumbering away happily. One of the very best things about being sober, the one I never tire of (please excuse the pun!), is sleep.

For at least a decade, I was a terrible sleeper. I would look at the rest of my family, who'd be happily out for the count for hours, and think how do you DO that? I would get to sleep easily enough, but then I'd wake up at around 3am tossing and turning and unable to drop off again until about ten minutes before my alarm went off.

I blamed my insomnia on the inevitable stresses and strains of modern life. I tried everything to cure my lack of sleep – relaxation and meditation, exercise, aromatherapy pillows and various...

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What Your Body Does After One Month Off Alcohol

By Chloe Mcleod on

We all love to indulge in alcohol every now and then, but a night out with friends brings social pressures in regards to frequent drinking. It can feel impossible to dodge having a drink when you want to be part of the group vibe - and before you know it, you’re waking up with a dry mouth and a nasty hangover again.

Go Sober is a great way to reassess your relationship with alcohol consumption and see the health benefits of taking a month off. If you’re signing up to raise money, you’ll also be helping people with cancer.

Here are a few ways the human body can benefit from abstaining from alcohol for a whole month.

#1 Improvements to mental health

Alcohol may seem like a mood elevator when you’re dancing and having a great time with your...

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How to avoid the sweet-tooth when giving up alcohol

By Juliet Hodges, Bupa UK on

Bupa UK’s behaviour change advisor Juliet Hodges has shared her top tips to how avoid sweet treats during a booze free month. 

Overindulging with sugary treats is a really common antidote to giving up alcohol or taking a break. Sugar is a particularly potent replacement because it has a similar effect on the brain as alcohol, releasing dopamine which gives us a feeling of pleasure. So how can you beat the odds and avoid sugar while you Go Sober?

Try “if-then” planning

If you’re determined to keep the sweet treats at a minimum, one technique you could try is “if-then” planning, which has been shown to be an effective tool for changing behaviour. For example, you might find it difficult to refuse the dessert menu at a restaurant when...

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One Pint Work Out with Georgie Okell

By Macmillan Cancer Support on

The One Pint Work Out is an exercise program that’s been designed to help burn off the amount of calories found in an average pint of lager in the time it takes to drink one. Personal Trainer to the stars Georgie Okell takes you through a 10 minute sweat-fest guaranteed to get you burning body fat.


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3 x rounds

30 x seconds each exercise

30 x seconds rest between rounds


  1. High knees
    Hands above your head, drive knees up higher than your waist, light on your toes

  2. Squat jumps
    Use your arms to leap...
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Eat well to make the most of your Go Sober

By Anne Finch on

Taking a break from booze is absolutely one of the best things you can do for your health. Not only are you giving your liver (and other organs!) a break, but you can expect these benefits:

  • Better sleep – alcohol might help us fall asleep, but it leads to poorer quality sleep
  • Less bar snacks – drinking stirs hunger, and can also lead to sub-optimal food choices (I’m looking at you late-night fried chicken)
  • Less hangover remedies – greasy fry-ups, sugary drinks and fast food are pretty common on Sunday morning, meaning the effects of your weekend drag on
  • More movement – not being glued to the couch recovering means more opportunities to get out and about  

If you’re looking for even more ways to treat your body right, we’ve got...

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