Summary: This year, we’re taking a Fall Break from booze for a little post-summer refresh. Care to join us?
In the Northern Hemisphere, the official end of summer and beginning of fall is heralded by the autumnal equinox, which occurs annually around September 22/23. This transition, marked by cooling temperatures and decreasing daylight, is reflected in the natural world all around us. Just like spring is a time for renewal and growth, fall is a time for resting and reflecting, which makes it a great time to consider a Fall Break from alcohol to check in with ourselves about our habits and reassess those which aren’t serving us or our health. Just like the earth, our lives have seasons too - and this October, we’re taking an intentional beat to refocus on well-being.
After all the commotion and stimulation of summer, it’s about time for a change of pace. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people partake in challenges like Dry January or Sober October, where they strictly abstain for the whole month – but we prefer a more relaxed and holistic approach that makes room for everyone who’d like to participate. Enter: Fall Break (Wynk’s Version), where we’ll be using this season to do less drinking and more thinking, and we’d like to extend an invitation to our community to come along. We aren’t here to lecture or judge, and we certainly don’t believe that there’s a right or wrong way to hit reset when it comes to mindful alcohol consumption. Whether your break is for a night, a week, a month, or extends even longer, here are some ideas to get you going for Fall Break as we hit the snooze button on drinking after a long, hot summer.
1. Team up
It’s hard to make changes alone. Talk to the people in your life about what you’re looking to get out of your Fall Break, and lean on them for support. You’d be surprised - maybe they’re feeling the same way and could use some support too. There’s always strength in numbers, and we’re never as alone as we might feel at times.
2. Fresh air
This summer was a capital H Hot one. Now that the heat is subsiding, spending time outdoors is a lot more comfortable without sweating buckets. Grab your headphones and queue up a good album for long walks, or choose a good book and head to your nearest park.
3. Puuuuuurge baby, purge
You’ve heard of spring cleaning, but what about fall cleaning? How many of us have bottles of wine or liquor in our cabinets and fridges just sorta sitting around and collecting dust? Probably too many. Take stock of your belongings and sell or give away things that might tempt you unnecessarily during your break. Ditching the excess can help us declutter not only physically, but also mentally.
4. Try a new hobby
Is there a salsa class you’ve been meaning to take or a DIY jewelry kit you’ve been eyeing? This fall, try keeping your mind and body busy by substituting the activities or situations in which you’d ordinarily drink for others, and give yourself the gift of exploring new things. Even if whatever you try doesn’t stick, you can at least say you gave it a shot - and you might even find that pursuing your passions in an alcohol-free lifestyle fits you better than drinking ever did.
5. 20/20 Vision Board
The end of 2024 is almost here. What do you want 2025 to look like? We can’t always control where life takes us and on what timeline, but we can use this mindful Fall Break to get intentional about our goals, and how we can align our actions to achieve them. For the digitally inclined, try Pinteresting or pasting images sourced online or from your camera roll in your notes app, and for the kinesthetic types, good old construction paper, magazines, and a glue stick will do just fine. Vision boarding should be fun, so don’t be too strict when it comes to seeing everything through, because we’re all only human. But with this new mental clarity a break from alcohol is able to provide for us, the dormancy of fall is a great time for dreaming, and no dream is too big or too small. Hangovers are so 2024.
6. Drink Wynk!
Remember: Your Fall Break can be whatever you want or need it to. Sobriety can be considered a spectrum, and there’s no definitive way to approach it. Nonalcoholic beverages like Wynk are a fantastic alternative for a better buzz that won’t leave you feeling fuzzy or regretful afterwards. Unlike most booze, Wynk is dye-free, sugar-free, and calorie-free, making it a much healthier choice - so stock up for your autumnal bev stash now and make this season a good one!
