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!

Morning everyone. Showing some Friday solidarity. I'm planning to have some more of the delicious rose lemonade with my curry tonight. Curry is always the test as I'm so used to having it with wine.

I can't believe we are 30% through, it's amazing.

I haven't weighed myself yet and and a bit scared if I'm honest. I need to lose about 3 stone and will feel like crap if this doesn't help.

BookSkark That's my rationale - if my hands and brain are concentrating then I'm not going to be thinking about what I'd usually be doing. Off to see if my Ravelry login still works!

As for weight loss, I'm down 1.5lbs but really, it's a drop in the bloody ocean as I have - without trying - got really quite fat. So cutting back on all booze, much food and upping the excercise too.

The remake of Mary Poppins was actually quite good and a decent family watch maybe? You can get it on all the media thingies...

Finding today the hardest day so far. I so look forward to my Friday night wine
I haven't lost any weight, so don't even have that as consolation or motivation

Fatty liver, fatty liver, fatty liver....

Might try Mary Poppins thank you @dementedma. Or I might subject them to some old cheesy musical (Grease?) in an attempt to lift my sullen mood!

I’ve been doing 16:8, 12,000 very controlled cals, virtually no fat, no booze (obviously!) and have lost precisely NOTHING!!!!!! Ffs!!

12,000 calories sounds like a great diet! But maybe not a very successful one...

Yeah, I wish.... 1,200 of course. Freudian slip

Cool Runnings or Snow Dogs are my go to family friendly films. Or ET or Back to the Future. Oldies but goodies.

I'll join the 12oooo cal diet!

Curry plus new David Tennant thing on TV is the plan for me. Feeling ok about it all but still those "just the one wouldn't hurt" thoughts are flitting through my brain.

I also get the bored feelings. And wondering if this is all there is. I think it's clear to me that drinking is just a way of avoiding thinking those thoughts.

Just seen this. I've only had one day of drinking this month so far , and I felt bloody awful. Amongst others , I need a new relationship with alcohol , I think.

Got through another week without alcohol. Surprisingly , I find that the loose leaf herbal teas are really helping me. Although I still really really fancy a glass of red wine, i’m not obsessing about it. Usually I would be at this time on a Friday!

Nomorewineever I've just weighed myself. Despite my very controlled eating it doesn't seem to have made a difference either. Feeling deflated.

Yes, I agree this weekend could prove tricky. I have no children this weekend which is usually a mighty fine reason for a bottle or three two

I second the people saying don't feel disheartened about lack of weight loss. I remember people losing lots of weight in DJs past - think you need to get over alcohol dehydration first .

Here's something motivational for anyone needing to bop around their kitchen while cooking dinner, AF beer in hand natch

yes, I haven't lost any weight yet. Well, if I have the starting number must have been ...

Oh well, I'll keep at it. I have had a very busy week at work so looking forward to a quiet weekend with the kids - they are knackered from first week back at school so it will be minimal sports clubs and baking cakes (which will obvs not help with the weight loss but life is too short not to eat the homemade cake).

I am not feeling fussed about booze tonight. Tired and I have enough soft drinks to do me. We bought a soda stream which has been really great - never running out of fizzy water is very helpful in DJ!

Finished work and Heineken 0.0 is surprisingly hitting the spot.

I even walked along the wine aisle today after work and it wasnt as painful as I thought it might be. Although to be fair after i bought the AF beer i kept my eyes front!!

Good luck everyone with tonights various distractions.

We can do this!!

Good luck everyone!

I've not been too bothered tonight. Not yet anyway. I do like for us to go out for dinner on a Friday though and have a few drinks (and then a few more at home!).

So feeling a bit meh but not like I'm in any danger of falling off the wagon.

It’s the wine-witching hour in our house so just come on to read.

I haven’t lost weight but I did get a FitBit in November and it tracks your heart rate. My resting heart rate was around 85bpm, since the start of DJ it has dropped every day and is now at 73bpm so definitely seeing an improvement in health.

Got a large glass of sparkling water In front of me and feeling proud. We can do this! And all have skinny floppy livers and healthier hearts.

Bought some Becks Blue & glad i did. Feeling the urge this evening.

I’ve done DJ twice and not lost weight. Some soft drinks and AF beers are surprisingly calorific. Worth it though. I’m not doing it this year but it really worked to reset me. I now don’t drink at all Mon to Thurs which means that when I do drink on a Friday I really feel it do I drink far less. It’s worth doing. Hang in there.

• so

I’ve had nothing since New Year’s Eve and why does the urge come up on a Friday evening when I’ve barely given it a thought? NYE seems like so long ago. I don’t drink that much anyway but it feels like I want it more when I’m trying not to drink.

I got some Æcorn (bitter sort of aperitif stuff?) as I love negronis and the like. If you’re tempted...I wouldn’t bother It’s pretty aggressive and has a vomity aftertaste. Sort of like chewing grapefruit skin. Not making me crave alcohol though so that’s good.

Am most of the way through my cactus hour/witching hour, and coasting to 7pm with a heneiken 0, which I agree with a PP really hits that sweet spot. It’s got a bit of bite to it.

We’ve got this! Happy dry Friday all