Sober October Challenge

About This CHALLENGE

Transform your health this October with our free 31-day Sober October Challenge. Take a break from alcohol to reset your body, improve sleep quality, and gain mental clarity. Here are just a few scientifically backed perks:

Better Sleep & Weight Loss

Participants frequently report improved sleep quality and weight loss during abstinence. (source)

Improved Heart Health

One month abstinence linked to decreased blood pressure and improved cardiovascular markers. (source)

Reduced Cancer Risk

Decreased cancer-related growth factors and reduction in insulin resistance. (source)

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INSTRUCTIONS for this Challenge

Commit to zero alcohol consumption for 31 days in October. Reset your body, improve sleep quality, and discover a clearer mind. No special equipment needed—just determination and support from our community. Join now and transform your relationship with alcohol!

Rules: Follow these guidelines daily for 31 days:

- Zero Alcohol: No beer, wine, spirits, or any alcoholic beverages for the entire month.

- Track Your Progress: Keep a daily journal noting how you feel, sleep quality, and any challenges faced.

- Stay Hydrated: Replace alcohol with water, herbal teas, and mocktails to maintain social routines.

- Find Support: Share your journey with friends or join our online community on Instagram for encouragement. There will be a lot of challenge related posts and community posts in October.
Helpful Tools & Tips: Make your alcohol-free month easier with these strategies:

- Plan Ahead: Stock up on alcohol-free alternatives and have them ready for social situations. Explore craft mocktails and non-alcoholic beers.

- New Routines: Replace drinking rituals with healthier habits like evening walks, gym sessions, or meditation.

- Handle Social Pressure: Prepare responses for social situations. "I'm doing Sober October" is widely recognized and respected. Be the designated driver to avoid questions.

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consecutive days
of October

drinks allowed
per month

Notable PRACTITIONERS

These are some of the well-known people who publicly participate in Sober October challenges

Joe Rogan

Autorstwa Steven Crowder - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8Uu3HNlVdo – Zobacz/zapisz zarchiwizowane wersje na archive.org oraz archive.today, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77963388

Popularized Sober October in the US, participating annually since 2017. "I'm working out every day this month and drinking nothing but water and coffee."
(source)

Valerie Bertinelli

By Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=147571880

Praised improved energy, better mood, weight loss, and emotional well-being; she noted feeling "happier and healthier" without the "fog" of alcohol.
(source)

Tom Segura

Regular Sober October participant in the podcast crew challenges. Combines abstinence with fitness tracking to monitor health improvements. (source)

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Our Mission

We explore the effects of popular habits and routines on physical and mental health. Through monthly challenges, we gather concrete data and share valuable knowledge with our community & and the world.

As of now 74.2k people from 96 countries have signed up for our 10 Challenges: Ice Challenge, Yoga Challenge, 10.000 Steps Challenge, Meditation Challenge, Intermittent Fasting Challenge, Strength Challenge, Digital Detox Challenge, Stretch Challenge, No Sugar Challenge, Sober October Challenge

The Sober October Challenge has been successfully joined!

Further updates will be sent by email. We also invite you to follow us on Instagram here to get all the updates about this incoming challenge and during the Challenge.

Want to make the Commitment Stronger? According to research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology: Individuals who made their commitments public were 65% more likely to stick to their goals compared to those who kept them private.

This is optional but if you want to take it to the next level Share your commitment on your social media or with friends and family. This can be as simple as saying:

"I have decided to do a 31 consecutive days of The Sober October Challenge in October. Keep your fingers crossed!:) #TheSoberOctoberChallenge"

Join the SOBER OCTOBER CHALLENGE Now!

We will notify you via email when it goes LIVE on 1st of October!
Share your journey with other participants using hashtags #TheSoberOctoberChallenge, #SoberOctoberChallenge and tag @theorgchallenge to get featured on our social media channels.

By clicking "I'm in!", you confirm that you have read the safety warning and agree to receiving emails and to processing of your personal data in accordance with the Privacy policy

People signed up for all Challenges

Challenges successfully finished

Frequently asked questions

How do I join a Challenge?

There is a "Join Challenge" button for any active challenge. There will be 12 Challenges per year. You are free to join any time however joining on the first day of a given month is how the game is meant to be played to experience a full month of a given challenge.

Where are the instructions for a Challenge?

All necessary instructions are always found on the page of a particular challenge. Just however over the "Challenges" item in the top navigation bar and choose the Challenge you are looking the instructions for. If you haven't received the email 1 day prior to the Challenge don't worry! The email only contains a part of the message which is included on the Challenge page anyway. But the instructions are really extremely simple. For the "10.000 Steps Challenge" it could be "Just walk at least 10000 steps per day". For the "Meditation Challenge" it would be "Just sit and meditate for 15 minutes a day, anywhere, at any time, with any meditation method you can find online".

Where are the Challenges happening?

All Challenges can be done from your location. Each Challenge is done in such a way that there is no particular location to attend to.

At what time during the day do I have to do a Challenge?

Challenges can be done at any time during the day, whether it's morning, evening, or mid day. Though it is much easier to stick to a routine in the morning as mornings can be typically controlled whereas the evening tends to be more chaotic and have unscheduled tasks that need attending.

Is this FREE?

Yes, all challenges are and always will be free to join and participate in.

Why trust us?

We’re not selling anything. We’re learning alongside you

How do the monthly $3000 prizes work exactly?

There will be 3 (three) $1000 prizes per chosen Challenge (not all Challenges will have prizes). To be eligible for the prize one has to share their daily journey with a hashtag chosen for each Challenge. Then, After the Challenge has ended send in the links to specific videos to [email protected] where the posts can be verified. At the end of a Challenge the 3 winners will be chosen by TheChallenge.org team based on the most well done daily documentation of a given Challenge. Numbers of followers, likes, comments on social media etc WILL NOT matter. Read all the requirements here and in the contest terms in each of the Challenge pages near the sign-up area.

I don't have an Instagram or YouTube account, can I still participate?

Absolutely! You don't need to do anything to participate since the challenges can be done from anywhere. To sign up and receive updates about the challenge or to be able to contribute to a science questionnaire at the end you just need to have an email and join a Challenge on the website. Instagram or Youtube accounts are only a requirement for people who want to have a shot at the Prizes. That however requires daily posting on those channels for a whole month so is very rarely done. Approximately 99.5% of all Challenge Participants do it for the Challenge itself and do not post daily on their social media channels. We are just happy if you do the Challenge!

Is this a non-profit organization?

TheChallenge.Org is a for-knowledge organisation. The organisation is not a typical non-profit. It will have an optional donation model for people wanting to support it and help cover the cost of operations.

Who are the people behind this project?

Karol Banaszkiewicz (IG: @karolbanaszkiewicz), our founder, is a seasoned technologist and lifelong health-hacker who noticed a glaring gap in how we track the real effects of daily routines. Driven by a passion for data-backed self-improvement, he committed his own time and resources to launching TheChallenge.Org—to rigorously measure how habits shape our physical and mental well-being.