With the festive period approaching many of you will be finding time for friends and family around work, while others may be looking forward to time off – but whatever your plans, consider how much alcohol might feature in this?
There is likely to be someone reading this who has seen a loved one affected by alcohol misuse or maybe you are worried about your own drinking habits. Maybe alcohol is changing the way that you think about yourself, work or life – you might or might not be aware. In any event we are extending and invitation and encouraging participation across policing and other emergency service providers to join a January reset at the beginning of 2024, to take an informed break from the booze for as much of January as you can manage.
We expect to learn some things we might not already know about alcohol consumption and its effects on so many aspects of our lives whilst also using the month to provide a focus on prioritising health, wellbeing, lowering stress, increasing energy, and improving your sleep and productivity.
Many of us have discovered that getting curious about our drinking habits, raising awareness and improving our understanding has become a springboard to so much more.
Take a look at these testimonials from those who took part in the pilot initiative last year:
Bluelight and NHS live alcohol experiment 2024
The experiment itself will involve you taking a break from alcohol for as much of January 2024 as you choose but the more important aspect is participating in the initiative to “experiment” with an extended but informed break from consuming alcohol – a dry January with a difference!
The components of the “live” experiment is access to daily content, live coaching and comradeship throughout January with a few added bonus webinars each weekend with guest experts, authors and speakers where you can ask your questions on subjects like alcohol and sleep, depression, fitness, metabolism, weight loss and so much more. It will be hosted primarily in a private closed Facebook group where you can share your thoughts, ideas, experiences with others throughout the month as much or as little as you choose.
What’s different to last year’s initiative?
Last year we used This Naked Mind companion app to access content and the FB group for community and live coaching. Launching for the first-time, brand-new content following the themes of those contained in the companion app, but recorded especially for this initiative by accredited This Naked Mind coaches and qualified experts in the medical profession.
This will be published each day in the Facebook group. The live coaching will also take place or be broadcast into the Facebook group and the webinars will take place on zoom with details posted in the Facebook group. One place for all aspects of the initiative.
This year we are inviting bluelight partners and NHS employees to join the party.
Giving up alcohol for 30 days will be a challenge, for some more than others. But it will be worth it when at the end of the experiment you have saved money, lost weight and be feeling much better about yourself.
At the end of the experiment, you can choose what you do next – but you’ll be able to make a much more informed decision with what you’ve learnt over the month.
How can you access?
You can sign up by joining the closed Facebook community group where the daily content, live coaching and sharing experience with other participants will take place. Search for 'Bluelight and NHS Live Alcohol Experiment 2024' or use this link: Bluelight and NHS Live Alcohol Experiment 2024 . If you have any issues signing up, please contact your force wellbeing lead and they should be able to assist.
Registration will be open from Wednesday December 12 and you will find some pre-work aspects that you can watch before January 1 and also meet coaches and colleagues who participated last year and who are helping this year.
What we need from you?
When you sign up to join, whilst you can use an anonymised FB we will ask for collar/staff numbers and force/agency; this is to protect the integrity and privacy of the group. It is also open to spouses, family members and retired colleagues but they will need to state the staff/collar/agency of the relevant family member.
What else?
If you want to pursue an informed 'dry January' by yourself, this can be done via 'the alcohol experiment' book by Annie Grace or via 'This naked mind companion app' available via app store or playstore, and by signing up within the app for the experiment to start when you would like to start. This is available 365 days a year but it won’t afford you the opportunity of live coaching Q & As or the comradeship of colleagues undertaking alongside.
The benefits of the LIVE experiment
We are hoping to that beyond January to make all the content available to policing through Oscar Kilo and possibly a bespoke app in the future that can be accessed by serving or retired colleagues anytime that they want to do the experiment for the first time or revisit it to support them through a month off the booze whatever the reason.
The benefit of this LIVE experiment is the “working in partnership” with a team of volunteer trained and accredited “This Naked Mind Coaches” and experts to provide a coaching and community context to the experiment.
This means that during the experiment you’ll be able to ask questions, reach out to others and access daily live coaching to help focus on the topic for the relevant day of the experiment. This will be a safe space for people to share their journey.
Before and after the 30 day experiment we will be inviting participants to take part in an anonymous survey on their pre and post experiment experience.
This experiment does not offer one on one support and is not intended to replace medical or specialist attention
If you don’t feel ready to take part in the alcohol experiment, not sure if it is for you, or if you are unsure how to best support a friend, colleague or loved there is other help available. Contact your local wellbeing /occupational health services or get in touch with your GP.
You can also get support from the following charities: