Dry January 2020. A new relationship with alcohol. Who’s joining me?

[ParanoidGynodroid]

It’s that time again!
I did my first dry January around 5 years ago, having seen it on here. It was a great thing to do: really helped my get control of my drinking. Since then I’ve done it every year, along with at least one or two other dry months.

DJ may help you:
Lose weight. ...
Get better skin. ...
Make healthier food choices. ...
Save money. ...
Sleep better. ...
Have more energy. ...
Improve your mood. ...
Improve your general health

and make you feel virtuous!

It’s not necessarily easy though, so it’s good to have support; especially if you’re feeling week and like you may give up. We can support each other here.

Join me!

I really urge anyone considering non find not to waste their money. Just get some nice tonic water, ice and a slice. Am reading a book that's full of drinking. Oscillating between cravings and disgust.

Onward and upward. Have started planning summer holidays to cheer myself up

The dress looks fab @SegregateMumBev
I’m a bit cross that I’m seeing no benefits of being booze free as yet. I’m sticking with it though!
Not sure how I’ll manage next weekend as I’m away on a girls weekend for 3 nights... I think they’ll be quite persuasive - I need to have a few AF drinks up my sleeve for the bars and restaurants. What on Earth can I have when we do shots?! 🤣
At the end of Jan, @imamearcat my aim is the same as yours. Just drinking when it’s an occasion and then not to excess! I’m finding it fine at home at the moment but know I it’ll be much trickier in summer.

It was me @dementedma and I think I tagged you cos I could swear you were on a previous dry jan where we used it (and debated it). I love the bitters but mine are 4 years opened now but I am too tight to buy another bottle! Yet I’d think nothing of buying a £20 bottle of gin.

I’m feeling very ‘meh’ today and had to drive tonight so no temptation but tomorrow will be tricky.

After this I intend to stick to weekend only drinks Friday and Saturday, and one glass with a meal Sunday if the previous two days have been modest. Then absolutely nothing mon-fri. If a work event or birthday or anything lands mid week then I will substitute that day for a weekend day, but essentially 4 AF days per 7 with no excuses.

Is everyone going right to the 31st? I may end on the 30th. Not sure.

@Thankssomuch

Me too. I am tired and a bit grumpy tonight, and have filled that wine space with my healthy dinner , all good so far then ....half a bag of bacon rashers crisps (which are strangely vegan) and half a box of chocolate covered nuts and cherry things from the fancy Christmas boxes going cheap in Tesco today.
Not looking forward to tomorrow night one bit. Friday nights are my downfall.

Bleurgh.

Morning all 😃

Had a crap day at work yesterday, and ordinarily would have taken the edge off that with a glass of wine, but had a Heineken 0 instead, which hit the spot nicely. If I can get past 7pm, I’m fine!

Slightly nervous about tonight as Friday after work is my drinkiest time, so will make sure there’s ice and tonic in the house, and may spring for some af wine on the way home. This weekend is the first big challenge for me, I’d pigged out so much over Christmas I wasn’t bothered about drinking last weekend, but this weekend may be a bit more tricky.

Made it to day 10. Double figures, yeh! Sleeping better now and I do like how my life is not being dictated by my drinking. Still waiting for increased energy, fabulous skin and weight loss but I think I need to make other changes for all of that to happen. Still, well done to all and thank you for this thread. It is definitely helping.

Just quick comment about weight loss - I found in past alcohol free periods that my weight loss didn’t kick in for 4 or even 5 weeks. When it did start it was significant. Don’t be downhearted if weight isn’t shifting just yet. Our metabolisms are all so different.
Good luck all. I’m on day 6 of no alcohol (for first time in years) and loving it.

Thanks Heron. That makes me feel better as I thought I was odd because the pounds weren’t dropping off. Reality is though, I need to make changes to my diet and exercise too. I’ve been eating up Christmas leftovers. I love it but why did I buy so much cheese.

[Carefully opens the Day 10 picture - it is a beautiful little black dress, bought with a small fraction of the money saved by not drinking]

Double figures, and around a third of the way through! We've got this.

My son called round last night and we opened a bottle of 0% Blanc de Blancs fizz. This was actually quite nice - I've tried Frexinet 0 before and found it a bit sweet, but I'd be buying this one to have again.

I have a committee meeting tonight - usually I resent Friday night meetings and find myself clock watching until they finish and I can get home to a drink. So it feels odd to be rejoicing that I have this in my calendar

Wow everyone is doing so well.

Thanks for the support ladies with my Foot In Mouth Dh.
He has seen the error of his ways. He truly is one of those people who can take it or leave it. He has drank one evening in the past 7. He opened a beer, with his curry, and didn't even finish the glass. Then had a cup of tea. So to him it's just another option not something to angst over. He did say he was pleased for me and had the grace to say he didn't want us to be those kinds of parents, when really, he isn't.
So anyway we are friends again, as the DC say after a row.

Tonight though will be a test.

We are ALL amazing 👏🏻

els1e yes alcohol is often one important part of the whole thing. I find I eat a bit more sugar when I don’t drink as my body misses the sugar - once that rights itself that’s when the weight starts to shift for me.
Good luck everyone.

Good morning everyone! Well, that’s 9 whole days down now which is a great amount... to be precise, we are, at this moment 30.1% through.This is amazing!

I had some angostura in tonic last night, (hope that’s OK), and have the occasional Becks Blue, but won’t bother trying to find any other AF drinks now; I’ll have the above and fizzy water or herbal tea in the evening. I’ve also managed to remain crisp free, which is amazing for me... I love crisps.

No weight loss yet, but sleeping well and feeling good. Eyes always very puffy in the morning now, for some reason.

Stay strong today, folks!

Morning all
[Twirls in future little black dress bought with saved money and weight that drops off in 5 weeks]

Day 13 here.

Shaking off the bleurgh mood of last night and off to work. A shorter day today.

Going to try to get a nice as possible AF alternative for tonight to see me through the witching hour of a Friday night.

I have something on at work tomorrow so I'm kind of glad of the opportunity to have a clear head for it.

Although that does kind of push my Friday night to Saturday night.

Good luck everyone for the weekend.

We need lots of incentives to see us through. What's yours? How good will it feel to wake up on Sat/Sun morning not feeling hungover?

Day 10 Here. Thought I was doing really well but I don't think fantasizing about the alcohol I'm going to drink on holidays in March is a good sign?

*Bubblywater

I get you. I was all set to give up for much longer than just January but was given a bottle of wine as a gift yesterday. When the gift giver asked if I was doing Dry January, I replied "yes, but there's always February " which led me into dreaming about having it on the 1st. Hmmm.
Tis merely a thought though. (She says to herself) And I don't have to act on it. (She says more emphatically to herself)

Day 10!
7Days GOOD I'm glad he doesn't have that relationship with alcohol, (I wish I didn't too) and that you are friends again.
SegregateMumBev your alcohol-free advent calendar is :chefs kiss:

Have we all girded our loins for the Friday night challenge? I'm going to make sure we both have something to DO so we don't sit there missing a drink. I might take up knitting again. Whatever gets you through, right?

HeronLanyon that is really encouraging!! Goodness knows I need a few pounds (or fifty) to drop off I can wait.

You guys are all doing amazingly!! 👏🏻😍

I’m a little behind and now on day 5 but still very proud of myself. I have a quite strong 5-7pm cravings but find once I have eaten and had a cup of tea/bit of chocolate it subsides and they are very manageable.

I have been thinking about and using the cravings to consider what I want to do after January, there is a little voice inside saying that to need to do DJ and to finding it at all tricky suggests stopping for a month is just the tip of the iceberg?

My sleeping is shit and have felt a bit blah over the last few days with mild random sensations in my head but within the days I have moments of energy, positivity and motivation that I haven’t had for years so I know I’m doing my body and mind good.

My biggest joy however is losing 5lbs in 5 days, despite be being due my period and single handily consuming ALL the carbs!! it’s such an incentive to keep going.

What would you say is the best AF free larger? DH is making his delicious coconut beef curry tomorrow and I would love a few to go with it...

Have i missed day 10 of the advent calendar?

Well I’ve made plans to meet a friend at the gym tonight, so I feel like I’m socialising. We’re just going to do a bit of low intensity cardio (so we can chat and catch up) then a swim and sauna.

The gym is just outside of town too, so we’ll both have to drive there (means we can’t go for a drink on the way home).

Should get me through the wine witch hour.

Morning penguins.

I am BORED. I’m working at home but it’s exceptionally quiet and other than a conf call at 2 I am scratching around. The industry I work in is notoriously quiet in January so it’s not unusual and it won’t stay this way. Ordinarily I’d be thinking about ‘later’ and lighting the fire and chilling with a couple of drinks and a film, but WHY does it feel that without that there is just more of the same endless hours all day long ahead of me? And typically last night, when DH (the snorer from hell) is back tomorrow I start sleeping better. So he’ll come back and keep me awake and be horribly jet lagged too.

The house is spotless. Every cupboard and drawer is organised. My knickers are in alphabetical order. The food shopping is done. I even just went out and swept the drive that didn’t need sweeping. I have lots of hobbies and books I read but it all feels a bit bleugh today. I hate feeling unproductive.

If anyone can recommend a family friendly (oldest is 12, youngest is 9) half decent film we can all watch then I’d appreciate that. At least then I’d have something to aim for later.

I'm down half a kilo but that's probably more to do with IF than the lack of booze.

I'm thinking if I manage DJ ok then I might give up booze for Lent too.

@nibdedibble I'd definitely recommend knitting (although I crochet, but same difference!). I find I don't notice the lack of wine so much in an evening if my hands are busy - I've been doing jigsaws as well. Either that or an early night - my light has been off by 11pm latest every night since NY, which is unheard of - and that includes a decent amount of reading time in bed.

You'd think I'd be seeing some benefit from it by now. Desperately hoping that HeronLanyon is right and by the end of the month I'm going to magically become slim and healthy despite not making any effort on the diet and exercise front

Haha nomorewineforever I have more energy but sadly not for housework. Day off today, with nowhere to be and so last night was a milestone for me as after a week at work I would have had a bottle of wine but I honestly wasn't bothered. Have also just bought The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober for more inspiration but I think I'll be ok now anyway.

Heron good to know that weight loss could kick in later - do feel a bit ripped off that I haven't lost any weight yet.