The ritual we have created for relaxation is mainly a sensory, almost ceremonial experience: the popping of the cork; the pouring of a beer; the reassuringly familiar branding; the clink of ice; the length of the drink; the weight of the glass; the first taste; all play their part. So as we design our new ritual for relaxation, we need to pay the same attention to the sensory details. What do we want to see, hear, touch, smell and taste?
Some people find that simply replacing the drink with an alcohol-free alternative while keeping the rest of the ritual the same is a good start. They find that it ticks all the boxes and realise alcohol wasn’t an essential ingredient after all. Others take the opportunity to make more wholesale changes and use the experience to embrace new things.
My new ritual was a mixture of the two. I switched my drink to AFAlcohol-free More, turned off the TV and decided to read a lot more. Finally, I could pick up a book, digest and remember what I had read!
Whatever you choose to do in your new ritual, it needs to alleviate tension and achieve the same feelings of calm and happiness.