I get asked this question in a round about way all the time! Well, it’s more of a statement really and an assumption that detoxing means no socialising as how the hell are you going to go out for dinner or to a bar or Birthday and say “I’m not drinking, I’m on a detox” without feeling like you’re going to be peer pressured and/or ridiculed?

Well my friends, I’m afraid I have no magic solution to this, except to fill you in on what I do to overcome these situations (as I do different kinds of detoxes at least 4 times a year!) and why people can’t see the detox through its distance.

My Tips For Making It Through The Detox!

1. What is your motivation for doing the detox? Most people are usually pretty clear on why they want to do the detox and it’s usually one or more of the following reasons:

• they can feel that their body needs a break from whatever it is they want to detox from…alcohol, caffeine, sugar, meat, gluten, dairy etc
• digestive issues
• skin problems
• partying too hard/burning the candle at both ends
• low in energy
• want to lose weight
• for a good cleanse & to improve overall health
• other health complaints

Once you’re 100% clear on why you want to do the detox then you can get serious about actually doing it! The next thing you need to do is…

2. Be accountable. Tell everyone you’re about to embark on a 4 week alcohol, caffeine and sugar detox, for example. Put it on Facebook, tell your friends when you see them, get your partner or family to support you and better still, rope some of your friends into doing it with you PLUS post it on my Facebook page and get myself and the LWER community behind you!

3. Timing. Okay, so it’s nearly impossible to go 4-6 weeks without having some social engagement pop up, but try and choose a month where you’ll be able to do the detox properly. There’s no point starting a detox in December! End of January would be a more appropriate time 🙂

4. Preparation baby! Get. Yourself. Prepared. If the detox includes eliminating certain food groups, make sure you prepare your meals and bring them with you to work and have ample supplies of all the foods you are allowed at home AND work. Probably also a very good idea to throw out anything you could be tempted by!

5. Get good at saying “NO”. Temptation is a bugger of a thing that you’ll definitely face during a detox I’m sorry to say! But it’s okay – you can say no to it – just remember point number 1. Why are you doing the detox? Once you remember the reasons why and how badly you felt your body needed this, you’ll hopefully find the strength to resist temptation 🙂

6. Drive. If no alcohol is part of the detox (which it usually is) then just drive to social events. Then you have 2 reasons not to drink! And if it’s a case of, “one can’t hurt” – go back to point number 5!

7. Choose to be quiet during this period. I’m the first to admit that my social life most definitely quietens when I’m on a detox. If I do decide to go out, I’ll make sure points 2, 5 & 6 are in place!

If It’s More Than Just A Detox…

So back to the heading of this post – can you do a detox and still have a social life? Yeah, of course you can. You’ll face some challenges as we all do, but hopefully my tips will help guide you through the distance without feeling like you can’t be social!

And just one more thing. If a ‘detox’ starts to become more of a ‘lifestyle’ change…well you’ll find that you’ll naturally start spending less time with certain people and start gravitating towards those who are on the same path as you are.

This has definitely been my experience over the last few of years; out of my own choice for living what I consider to be a healthy, balanced lifestyle. I’ve had to cut certain friends out of my life, or at least minimise the amount of time I spend socialising with them. And that’s fine. I think the older you get, the smaller your group of friends become as it’s more about the quality than the quantity and aligning yourself with people who share the same interests.

Do you struggle to complete a detox due to social reasons? Changed your lifestyle and your friends? I’d luv to hear from you!

Liz xx