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. Got through Friday night. I was at a friends house and just drank fizzy water. Felt a bit sad but it was fine. To the pp that stepped off the wagon. Don’t fret, just get back on. I’ve done dry jan and sober October before and only made a week. Wish I had just tried again, rather than throw the towel in. Really it doesn’t matter about what month it is, it’s just about getting a grip on alcohol consumption.

Any reduction is a good reduction! I had a planned day off on the 4th (post hosting a 25 children birthday party!) and will have another day off for my birthday but it’s still worth staying dry in between... I’ve never done Dry Jan before with the excuse that it’s a very stressful month at work but I’m finding that breaking the ‘reward’ mentality is really helpful in curbing the wanting to drink (at home in particular). Had a quiet night in with DH, didn’t really miss the usual drink (surprisingly) and neither of us fell asleep at 9pm mid-program watching! I was awake at 5.50am but also feel okay about that without a hangover and more energised to get stuff done today...

@Nomorewineever I also have the Tesco Passionfruit Lemonade. It’s refreshing and not too pricey.

Day 11: Today's picture is an intricately carved wooden step-ladder, to help anyone who needs it to climb back on the wagon.

I have lots of activities planned to take me through Sat and Sun, including dance and pilates classes, knitting, and a box of dance instruction books which I need to organise and catalogue.

@InvisibleWomenMustBeRead, don't go! Despite the Dry January headline this really isn't an all-or-nothing competition. I had day 8 "off" because it was my birthday, and that's alright. I can still keep going. Actually, it just showed me I prefer not to drink, which is a bit of a problem as we have two thirds of a bottle of a very expensive red my brother gave us for Christmas sitting in the cupboard with a rubber seal on it. How an earth do we deal with it without wasting it?

Yay, woke up earlier feeling quite spry! Friday night was fine!

Listen, all those who had a glass - come back! You can’t miss SegregateMumBev’s daily pictures!!

I just realised I’ve spent the past ten minutes going through the jobs I need to do today and feeling more motivated than I ever have. LOVING this psychological shift. (Saturday mornings are often a write-off.)

Morning all,

Another potentially tricky evening done. Earlier in the week I had worried how I'd cope and was grumpy about having no bottle of wine to look forward to. However we promised ourselves a curry and AF beer, which was actually really good. I'm getting better at relaxing without drink.

I realised this morning that I would normally be negative about having to socialise without alcohol. If I couldn't have a glass of wine with lunch or a meal with friends I'd wonder if it was worth going, as I'd enjoy a wine at home. But since doing 10 full days without, I now know it's not so bad!! And feel v proud of myself 😁

willow I'd buy some really nice beef and make a beef bourgignonne. Food with wine in does taste better with good wine - and the alcohol cooks off

Morning all, up nice and early here. Chores done, heading out for a family walk now, before it starts raining this afternoon.

Starting to sleep better and feel more energised in the morning.

Finding it easier as time goes on but finding that when I first wake I feel slightly dizzy though that passes. It is nice not to wake up with a hangover though.

Well done everyone so far. I’m not feeling any energy or better at all yet! Very annoying and I look shit- people at work asking me if I’m ill or really tired, wtf? Think I’ll head over to style and beauty board for some tips on getting rid of my dark under eye circles, I panic bought a load of stuff from the ordinary last night...

We used our red wine up in a veggie casserole. It was lovely.

Day 14 here. I find myself focusing on the disappointment i feel that I am not eating so well and not losing weight and then remember that thats not the primary thing at the moment. I've not woken up with a hangover. My skin feels clear. Im not so foggy headed. Ive not had a drink for 14 days and thats what this is about. The eating will settle when my body isn't craving the sugar from the booze.

I keep thinking my husband is doing really well as he isn't eating quite so much crap as me but then I remember he has his beer as his treat. So I'm going to let up on myself a bit. For now.

Hi everyone, I feel great this morning! DH and I both woke up before the kids. Coffee, chats, music and reading in bed. Making plans for the day. This NEVER happens. Long may it last.

I’ve been up for hours and cleaned kitchen and bathroom. Done washes. Loads of energy and ‘head space’ for domestic ‘stuff’. Paperwork now. Long may it continue indeed.

My fancy watch informed me that I had plenty of deep sleep last night. I feel tired though. My resting heartbeat has dropped a lot so I am hoping my liver has been having a lovely time too and will forgive me adding a tiny bit of wine to a fish pie today.

It felt really odd buying a £2.99 mini bottle. I am planning to pop the rest in the freezer.

Inspired by all the Kondo'd knicker drawers I bought some new pants today .

We're all off doing our own things - regrouping at about 8:30 so no real temptations in my way today.

Loving what's behind today's advent calender door Segregate

Uuugghhh. I’d like nothing more right now than to dive headlong off the back of this DJ wagon and straight into a vat of Chenin Blanc.

Same feeling as yesterday. Everything is achieved (I’ve even made supper now ready to go in the oven to avoid the kitchen during Witching Kitchen hour) but there is just this ‘ahead’ sitting there. 7 hours till bedtime and it doesn’t matter what I have planned to fill them at all, I’d just like to have a glass to blur the edges, not make me want to murder my DH quite so much and stop my brain whirring.

These internal arguments and thoughts are quite tiring and making me very grumpy.

@Madcats my resting heart rate has plunged as well...

I am hoping liver slimming because I'm off to fancy cinema tonight and DH and I would usually have wine in our reclining seats.
Popcorn and a fizzy water will have to do...

nomorewine - I sympathise. I get times like this and they are v hard. Rather than filling it with mindless wine could you fill it with something else mindless like Sudoko or other online puzzle/ app or going for a walk/ drive somewhere or read a trash book.

For me its the drinking because bored syndrome. When I did a virtually dry year, I did begin to find some things to fill the bored states and actually began to enjoy them a lot more than just knocking myself out with a drink.

@ParanoidGynodroid @Breathmiller @winecheesesleep & @Iwillwear thanks for your support. You've convinced me to get back on the wagon so will stay dry tonight and for the rest of the month! Thanks!

I think I’ll go and have a bath. It doesn’t help that at this time of day all my enthusiastic energy starts to wane and it’s that desire to just flump with a glass. I just hate all this mental dichotomy. Usually it’s ‘when shall I have a glass’ etc. Now it’s ‘why do I want a glass’ and ‘can’t I easily not have a glass’. I just want ALL the thinking about it one way or another not to be there at all!

A bath always helps me through the challenging moments. I think its that real 'ahhhh' moment when you get in the warm water. Has a similar relaxing feeling to the one we are looking for in a bottle. But much more nourishing in the long run.

@InvisibleWomenMustBeRead

Great to see you back here tonight. Well done.

The whole point of this thread is that if you slip, you get back in it with the support of the people on here! Every day that you don't drink is a win. The one day that you do isn't a defeat.

And despite having had a really shit week (literally - blocked drain and 4 consecutive days of cockups from the people who were supposed to come sort it not turning up) I haven't felt tempted. DD1 gone back to uni today so it's just me and DD2 plus the one I'm respite fostering, but we are planning to (finally) catch up with Dr Who and Call the Midwife.

I'm keeping off the AF substitutes this year and I find that's actually easier. I am however going to end DJ on the 31st, given that I started a day early and that it's Brexit Day - I'm planning to wear head to toe black in the office and salute the passing of the good times with some decent red wine.