Susannah Taylor Say cheers to sober October Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life Susannah Taylor Say cheers to sober October By You Magazine - October 4, 2020 YOU Magazine welcomes the award-winning health and wellbeing expert, Susannah Taylor. It’s not too late to join me for Sober October (it’s day four but, hey, who’s counting). I made a decision when I got fit, aged 36, not to drink alcohol from Monday to Thursday, which I have stuck to for eight years. Now, with a huge workload, plus a teen, tween and toddler to juggle, I want to see how I feel if I abstain for a month. Try these for an alcohol-free kick: Susannah road-tests the new zero per cent spirits Sober October means cutting out alcohol for 31 days, often for charity: gosober.org.uk was set up by Macmillan Cancer Support six years ago and has raised more than £540,000 for cancer research. Last month the Royal College of Psychiatrists published a report that found the number of people drinking at high-risk levels has doubled to almost 8.5 million since the pandemic took hold earlier this year. So, out with alcohol and in with… what? Five years ago, the answer would have been orange juice, but today there’s an entire drinks category devoted to alcohol-free alternatives that’s growing so fast it’s predicted to be worth over £1.2 trillion by 2025. The nonalcoholic spirit Seedlip (£26, seedlipdrinks.com) is spearheading stylish sobriety. Created using a distillation process from botanicals, fruits and spices, the brand was started in 2015 by Ben Branson from his kitchen table. ‘No one got it at the time,’ he says, ‘but today there is a focus on moderation and being conscious of what we’re putting into our bodies. It’s no longer uncool not to drink.’ Ceders (£20, ceders-alt-gin.com) is distilled in Sweden using gin botanicals. I like its blush-coloured Pink Rose, containing juniper, rose and hibiscus, which I mix with Twelve Below tonic (£23.99 for 12, twelvebelow.co.uk) – sweetened with agave and just 12 calories a bottle. Then there’s Borrago Paloma Blend (£19.99, borrago.com). Created with mocktails in mind, it makes a brilliant addition to a non-alcoholic mojito. And its botanical ingredients – lemon verbena, basil, peppermint, lemongrass, rosemary – sound good enough to tip in your bath. My favourite booze-free spirit, though, is Caleno (£18, calenodrinks.com), which is inspired by the vibrancy of Colombia, its creator’s homeland. With inca berry, juniper, lemon peel, lemongrass and cloves, it has a delicious zesty kick: ice, mixer and garnish are essential. As for nonalcoholic beer, one of my sober buddies says Lucky Saint (£25 for 12, luckysaint.co) is the one. Luke Boase, the founder, had a mission to ‘create a nonalcoholic beer worth drinking’ using the highest-quality barley, freshest hops and homemade yeast. My friend swears it helps him forget he’s not drinking. For nonalcoholic wine, try Opia (around £6.50, opia-organic.com). Created in Béziers, in Southern France, the organically grown grapes are macerated at cold temperatures to ensure they retain their health-giving benefits, then aged with French oak to create a sophisticated taste. Each Friday evening this month I’ll be raising a glass of the brilliant Noughty Alcohol-Free Organic Sparkling Wine (£8.99, thomsonandscott.com). Made in Spain, at just 14 calories a glass (instead of around 80 in regular wine), it gives new meaning to the phrase ‘bottoms up’. Cheers! Need a big virtual hug Mo Gawdat is an author and TED Talker. The former chief business officer at Google set out to teach people how to be happy following the tragic death of his 21-year-old son. In April this year he started the podcast Slo Mo where he interviews fascinating people, from spiritual leaders to filmmakers, athletes, speakers and life coaches, with the goal of spreading happiness. It’s like a warm hug for difficult times. Available from podcasts.apple.com My latest wellbeing fix Subtle Energies from Australia is my new favourite range. Combining results-based aromatherapy with Ayurvedic principles, the face, body and bath products also target physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Their Inhalation Patches are a genius little absorbant aromatherapy sticker that you apply to your body. Rasayana will energise, Aura Protection can help with focus and grounding, while a Blissful Sleep may just help you nod off. £45 for ten, from subtle energies.com.au RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. 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