Dry January Update: BRITA Boost Challenge Review

As you know, BRITA invited me to give up alcohol in January and keep hydrated with BRITA filtered water as part of BRITA Boost Challenge. Hydration is key for better skin in cold weather, improved performance when exercising and keeping hunger at bay.

Throughout the month, BRITA helped us by sending a BRITA Hydration Hamper containing essential BRITA products, additional pampering treats and motivational products to help us through the difficult times and ensure we stayed hydrated with BRITA filtered water.

BRITA found that most people choose to have a drink for one of five key reasons, namely taste, socialising, confidence boost, relaxing and for the buzz. Throughout the month, BRITA provided us with alternative experiences to keep us motivated, the weekly activities focused on combating the reasons that we would normally drink alcohol.

Taste: One of the top five reasons people drink is because of the taste of alcohol, so we attended a Mixology Mocktail Masterclass where we learnt to make cocktails using BRITA filtered water, such as Hot Toddy, Elderflower Julep, Lavender Sour and Pink Champagne mocktails.

I love cocktails, so it was very enjoyable learning to make tasty alcohol-free cocktails. I must admit I didn’t even miss the taste of alcohol in any of them.

Relaxing: Most people drink to relax after a stressful day, so instead we were offered a treatment at our local spa. I went to my local Champneys day spa where I had an Aromatherapy Full Body Massage, a 55 minute gentle full body massage using aromatheraphy oils to enhance mood and relax your body.

I really enjoy massages, they are ideal to relax and take some time out to de-stress, and it was no different this time. I had a very relaxing massage and left Champneys feeling calm, it was perfect to unwind and relax.

Socialising: Drinking is an opportunity to spend time with friends, instead we hosted a Private Dinner Party with Foodelity to show that it is possible to have a good time without drinking alcohol. We were sent a box with fresh ingredients and recipe cards to cook our three-course meal at home.

Every dish was very tasty, we had a great time enjoying the food and chatting away, we didn’t even notice that we had no wine with our meal, showing that it is possible to socialise and have fun without alcohol.

Confidence Boost: A lot of people drink to help boost confidence and feel a bit braver on a first date or social event. We were shown that there are other ways to build our confidence by attending a lesson in confidence building at the School of Life.

I consider myself confident most of the time, and I have never been to a confidence boost class before. It was very interesting looking at what makes us confident and positive, and how we can change it and boost our confidence without having a drink.

Buzz: People often drink for the buzz, we were provided an alternative activity to get our adrenaline pumping. I’m a thrill seeker and really enjoyed the thought of driving as fast as I could during the go karting experience at TeamSport. It was my first time go karting and I had a great time.

I didn’t realise how hard it was to drive a go kart, my arms were painful the following day, but I loved the buzz. I shouldn’t say too much about my go karting skills as I wasn’t the best – maybe next time!

As you can see above, BRITA Boost Challenge has gone extremely well, even better than I thought, thanks to the well-thought activities throughout the month focusing on the reasons we usually drink. I am not a big drinker, but I enjoy a glass of white wine and cocktails, especially on a Friday night after a busy week at work. I’ve learnt that it is possible to have fun, relax, enjoy a tasty drink, boost confidence and socialise without consuming alcohol.

There were only a few times during the challenge that I really wanted a drink, but as soon as I did something else, the thought went away within minutes. I had a feeling I would have a drink as soon as February arrived, but I haven’t had a drink since Christmas, and although dry January has ended a few days ago, I haven’t had any alcohol yet.

I would like to say thank you very much to BRITA for inviting me to take part in the challenge. It was very enjoyable finding out alternatives to drinking and keeping hydrated with BRITA filtered water.

For more information on BRITA filter products, please check http://www.brita.co.uk/

I took part in the activities above as part of BRITA Boost Challenge, however the opinions expressed in this post are honest and my own.