If you’re right in the middle of Dry January, you might be finding it a bit of a slog. By now you’re no doubt tired of sipping a soft drink when your friends insist on going to the pub, or staying at home while it feels like everyone is having fun somewhere else. But in Italy, you probably wouldn’t notice any impact on your social life. Our drinking culture is quite different to how you do things in the UK – we tend to drink with meals instead of having long boozing sessions in the pub, and alcohol is less central to how we socialise. So if you’re looking for some tips for sustaining your social life in the depths of Dry January, look to how we do things in Italy, and you’ll find the month goes by easier than you expected!
Swap The Booze for Italian Coffee
If you’re planning on meeting up with someone, whether it’s for a date or catching up with an old friend, alcohol can seem like an essential social lubricant. But in Italy we’ve never had quite the same attitude – we’re certainly happy to meet up to enjoy a cocktail in a bar, but we’re equally happy to sit down for some great Italian coffee at one of our cafes. Coffee lends itself to intimate conversation, and leaves you feeling brighter and more stimulated than if you were drinking alcohol, which is why we think it’s great for getting together with someone.
Drink the Italian Way
Of course, we in Italy love our wine, so we’re certainly happy to have a drink when the occasion arises. But unlike in the UK, we place less emphasis on the drink in isolation – instead we like to enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail over a meal with friends. You may have heard of the aperitivo – the Italian tradition of a pre-dinner drink, often a cocktail, accompanied by starters.
It’s not that we’re restraining ourselves from a binge down the pub because we’re obsessed with our health – it’s more that we simply enjoy an evening of good food and sharp conversation accompanied by a drink or two. So if you’re going out with friends, why not encourage them to drink the Italian way? You’ll find that sobriety is a lot easier when your friends are sipping a single cocktail instead of knocking back pint after pint.
Throw an Italian Dinner Party
In the UK it can seem like the easiest way to get people together is to all go to a pub or a club – so if you’re planning on getting a group of friends together, you might be struggling to see how to do it without drinking. But in fact, staying sober gives you a great chance to be creative and host something a little more memorable than another trip to the pub. Why not host an Italian dinner party?
A visit to a specialist Italian food shop is all you need to make your dinner party a success – and with Diforti, you don’t even have to leave your house to browse our shelves. With delicious olives, cheeses and cold meats, our hampers are ideal for an evening with friends. We also offer a range of non-alcoholic cocktails – perfect for getting through Dry January in style! In Italy, we place great weight on sharing food with friends – and now’s the time to try adopting that tradition for yourself.
So Dry January doesn’t need to be some grim slog before you crack open the booze again on the 1st of February – here in Italy we know that moderation in drinking is perfectly compatible with a flourishing social life. Whether it’s an intimate coffee date or a sophisticated dinner party, this January try sobriety the Italian way!