Dry January 2020 thread 2... keeping it dry!

[ParanoidGynodroid]

Thread two to help us continue to share the love (and dryness)

Keep going, everyone... good luck

I can't believe I'm writing this but I think i might carry on and do February too. I really want to get to that 6 week habit forming milestone.

@myhandsareverycold me too!
Im kind of scared to just end the month and fall back into bad habits so going to try and carry it on a little longer. Im also trying to put all the moaning I have done about not seeing many physical improvements into perspective. After all its unrealistic to expect this healthy glowing goddess to suddenly emerge after just 26 days alcohol free

I have caved and had wine last night. I had my DD’s 6th birthday party and had a house full of her friends (11 of them) for a few hours doing party games. By the time they all left and we finished tidying up I decided I definitely wanted a glass of wine to relax. And I will say it did help me relax. And I was able to stop at just the one glass. Had a cup of tea after dinner and watched tv. In the past it would have been at least a bottle, and more.

So although I haven’t made it to the end of January my drinking habits and mindset has changed so I’m proud of myself for that. I really like the TryDry app, physically seeing the grey and black squares (planned and unplanned drinking days) helps keep it focused and really real. Don’t want too many black squares, want lots of yellow ones.

Craving, I think that's where I'd like to get to - have one glass of wine now and then, and then stop.

I would have loved to have made it to the end of January but I now feel like I can choose whether or not I want a glass or not. And am desperate not to fall back into old habits of a bottle (or at least a drink) every day. I would like to aim for the 300 dry days in this year but know that’s unlikely so will be happy to definitely do the 200 but aim for something higher - around 275.

It’s all in the mind, and I think if I start to slip back then I just need to use the same tactics we’ve be using for dry January.

Today has been okay, oh bit grumpy and he had wine at dinner (I sniffed his glass 😂) was slightly tempted but want to get to end of Jan.

Feel like there's been a lot of positives of doing it, I do wonder why they can't invent something like alcohol that has none of the bad stuff 😅

I just realised that OH has basically been doing DJ without intending to as I usually buy drinks for him but I haven't been buying any. I'm not sure he's even realised. Think I'll stop buying drinks from him even after this month as he must have just been drinking because they were there rather than because he wanted them.

Day 26, Been feeling a bit ill this afternoon, Almost feels like a phantom hangover. It's very much the homestraight now isn't it? No more long Saturday afternoons thinking about alcohol. Going to buy myself a nice bottle of something on Saturday, like an expensive rum or something (I'm more into spirits than wine) and indulge, then back on the wagon for another week. I'm going to try and only drink on Saturdays from now on (apart from things like holidays and birthdays), and hopefully and do the 300 days free thing this year

Sounds very similar to my plan, GreyGardens.

Dh had a glass of wine with lunch (we had his parents over) and I eyed it with some sadness but basically wasn’t bothered! I’d have found that temptation difficult before.

I have struggled today. All day long I was thinking how nice would it be. I'm falling between two stools today, on the one hand my anxiety is having a flare up, the worst in a long time, but also theres been some good news in the wider family. Both those things would have previously been ample excuses to open a bottle.
I've been tempted. No, more wistful. Like thinking about the good times with an ex boyfriend before he showed himself a bastard. You wouldn't take him back, but the good times were good.
In Tesco's I even browsed the wine aisle. But it was weird. I knew I wouldn't buy any even though I was nearly licking the bottles .... odd.

I have always admired the people on the dry Jan threads and cant believe this year I'm on them.

The home strait now ladies.

Though I am looking forward to the weekend

Craving - that's exactly what I'm doing. I had a night out last week and had some wine (planned) so DJ not happened but I've changed my goal to 200 days on the app. I'd like to think I'll do more like 250 though.

On the home run now. DS’s 18th birthday on Tuesday - another in a long line of temptations this month. But not giving in now!

Maudesmum - glad I read your post. Have been out, driven home, everyone in bed and just settling down to watch Chrsitine Keeler thing and what pops into my head - the Burns Night whisky. Luckily it has not popped into my mouth (yet).

Day 27: A telescope. Looking forward, planning, deciding what to do next month, or for the rest of the year. or forever.

@myhandsareverycold

I like the idea of this turning into a 6 week challenge.

I'm up for that if anyone else is?

@Breathmiller

I'm going to go to Valentine's Day. I think first two weeks of February is a good challenge and I really need to stick with my new drinking habits. If I carried on like before I would be lucky to make next January.

Come on ladies, who else fancies joining us?

Ah, there you all are. I lost these threads but now I’ve found you again.

I’m still dry. I had a major wobble on Saturday. We got lunch out, the bus journey was awful and DS was being mouthy and refusing to let go. I insisted I was having a pint, but then decided not to on the grounds that being stressed and annoyed was a very stupid reason to drink. So I’m still dry, not a drop has passed my lips since new year.

I’m not sure how I’m going forward yet. I’m away at a womens’ conference this saturday which coincides with the 1st of February so I expect I’ll have a drink then, but I’m intending to limit my intake to special occasions I think.

I'm in for six weeks. I fell off the wagon on Saturday and chose to share a bottle of wine with DH after a long day of trying to sort out finances. There were no real physical effects yesterday, but I feel a bit grubby. Also, the TryDry app has thrown me out and I can't be bothered to reinstall and start again, so I've marked it all up in my diary.

Even with my Weekend Wobble, it means DH and I have shared 2.5 bottles over the month, instead of 3 or 4 every weekend, and we are generally better (and richer) for it. Bit worried about this coming Friday and whether I can deal with the Brave New World on Friday night without something to stop me throwing things at Boris Johnson's ugly mug, but we'll see.

I am on day 34 now and going to try and stay dry until Friday when I have a meet up with my sister & cousin.

May even stay dry then but have a planned drinking day on Saturday

Then am going to aim for the 5 dry days a week going forward
Might do the lent one too - Sunday's don't usually count in lent so is that people's plan (just the 40 days and nights) or are people going for 46?!

@SegregateMumBev
Thank you for your pics every day - they have kept me going more than once

Willow I am having wine on Friday because I started DJ a day early. But I am take it or leave it with alcohol anyway. I feel the need to offer a sad salute to a nation's stupidity and toasting in cordial feels a bit meh.

I will make sure to watch Netflix so no risk of inadvertent gloating Brexiteers on my telly.

As Maudsmum says, for me it’s about creating new habits - not going to the supermarket in a Friday and automatically buying alcohol.

I have an event on 1st Feb so will be drinking then. I am however going to do the 300 day challenge.

I didn't know Sundays didn't count in Lent. Think I'll make them count though so I'll be dry throughout.

I'm going to have a drink with dh on Saturday. 300-day challenge here.

It's so weird: physically the most notable change for me is that my acid reflux has almost gone. I'm not slimmer, I still have dry skin, and my energy levels are very up-and-down (as always).

Mentally I feel far, far lighter. I actually feel like a non-drinker who might choose to have one occasionally. That's a huge shift in mindset for me.

Hello!! Just dropping by. Did my planned slip on Saturday and it was only a little. It was a slippage rather than a downhill crash. I had one single g&t and one mediumish glass of fizz.

It was ‘okay’. I stopped then with plenty of option to have more, because I didn’t want more. blimey I could feel those two drinks - I really could - and I didn’t want to feel any more thank you! I had fizzy water after and felt fine.

Weirdly it then sets you thinking. Those who are planned reducers it’s worth the ponder - the levels I was drinking at undoubtedly just gave me the same wine-thrill as the two drinks did. No doubt due to tolerance. So the thought of missing the warm and fuzzies is somewhat moot, as I suspect drinking at ‘safe’ levels actually gives you the same relaxers as you’re less tolerant. So drinking more and more to search for that chill-out is a bit like chasing your own tail.

And now that makes sense - why people say ‘oh gosh no, any more than a couple and I’m a gonner!!’ And I’m thinking ‘a couple of glasses? Takes me a couple of bottles!’ - so my conclusion is that reduction by sideline ends up giving you the same end feeling result anyway.....still with me?

And actually I didn’t like that feeling as much as i remembered. I asked myself several times ‘what’s so great about feeling like this?’ And also noted that I am 85% of the way through a fab book and wanted to finish it - any more booze and I wouldn’t have.

So back on the wagon now till the end. Planned drinking at weekends and under the 15 seems both do-able and not scary!!

Having a really crappy day and being as I've already done 32 days I'm going to have the drink I had planned (as it's DH's birthday) but for stressy rather than celebratory reasons

Things didn't go perfectly this morning for his bday as dc rushing for school and so he lost his temper and he's then been grumpy all day.
They tried to turn it round when they got in but he's just stubbornly holding onto that grudge and ended up shouting and the I ended up crying.
Am just exhausted from thinking about redundancy, sorting the tax returns and keeping 'dry' and really don't need it

Am also trying to cut down on swearing and finding it fricking hard today

Feel better just writing this down though - God bless you ladies!!