22 Ways to Stay Warm This Winter Without a Beer Blanket

Even when I was drinking, I didn’t like the cold much. I’d always take a coat on a night out, and I’d aim to get as pissed as possible to avoid feeling the wintery chill.

Now, as I approach a year of sobriety, I’m actually excited for the winter. Between getting Christmassy without the horrible hangovers, enjoying the food (and actually remembering eating it), and shopping the January sales, I am buzzing for the colder months to approach.

But I didn’t always feel this way.

When I first stopped boozing, I was so worried about having to go out and socialise without my cosy warm beer blanket. So, I’ve compiled a list of ways to stay warm this winter in the absence of that warm and fuzzy feeling that envelopes us when we’re a little bit tipsy (some more serious than others).

1) Have a cold shower after your regular normal shower (you’ll hate it at first, but once you’re used to it the cold becomes a lot more bearable)

2) Spend what you would have on a few bottles of wine on a pair of lovely, soft, lined gloves

3) Do 20 star jumps in the middle of the street

4) Take an actual blanket with you to unconventional places, like the pub, restaurants, or the cinema (I doubt anyone will try and stop you)

5) Drink several warm cups of tea before leaving the house

6) Keep the cold out of your house by shutting doors and putting down draught excluders

7) Try making your own alcohol-free mulled wine

8) Snuggle up by a fire or a heater and watch a wholesome film (guaranteed to warm the body and the heart simultaneously)

9) Don’t leave the house without a hat or scarf

10) Get yourself one of those cute little hand warmers – the ones that are like mini hot water bottles for your chilly mitts

11) Enjoy a warm cup of soup

12) Dry your hair (either using a hair dryer or towel), so you’re not walking around with cold and wet hair

13) Try something bold like a winter skinny dip in the sea; once you go that cold you can handle anything!

14) Get yourself some flannel bedsheets; like getting into bed drunk, getting into a bed with fannel sheets never feels cold

15) Get carby! Anyone who loves carbs should know that a regular dose of complex carbs can help us stay warm

16) Don’t just shut doors and windows: Lock them! This will ensure they’re properly closed

17) Get your blood pumping! It doesn’t have to be hardcore exercise to get your body heat up

18) Pre-plan what you need to get from the frozen section in the supermarket, that way you’ll spend less time in the chilly aisles

19) Get cushty with your loved ones – body heat is a life-saver, whether at home or out and about

20) Buy yourself a giant teddy for nightly snuggles. Again, try taking this out and about; I really can’t imagine someone not letting you in for bringing your teddy

21) Get yourself some Christmas themed earmuffs (and don’t bother apologising for wearing them after Christmas, either)

22) Spend time out in the snow and let your body adjust!

So, there you have it.