DRY JANUARY 2021! This way please... all welcome

[HPLikecraft]

It’s that time of year again... the late Christmas present to our livers!

You may be thinking of doing Dry January to:

*detox a little after seasonal overindulgence, or
*help you cut down a bit generally, or
*help you start to get out of a harmful alcohol habit, or
*just be a bit healthier for a month...

It’s good for all of those things!

I find the MN DJ threads excellent for support, encouragement, sharing info,‘we’re in this together’ camaraderie, suggestions for grown up drinks, aversion techniques and just fun.

This is my fourth year of DJ and I swear it has made all the difference to me; it was so hard first time, but having succeeded I did dry June and October after that, and do so every year. It has broken my habit, banished the craving and reset my relationship with booze.

I won’t be finding DJ too difficult this year, but some will. Hopefully this thread will help.

Come climb aboard the wagon! 🙂☕️🧃

I'd like to join in too - was thinking of doing it but having a support group here will make sure I do. I hate how I feel when I've indulged in lots of wine over xmas - so bloated and sluggish.

Welcome aboard, @Decadentdolphin!

I'll join! I did it last year but slipped back into bad habits during lockdown and even though I feel like I'm not too bad most of the time I worry about DH who definitely drinks too much. I won't tell him what to do but if I do dry January he will probably at least try.

@LostaraYil Dry January is very good for my DH, too... he doesn’t ‘do’ it as such, but as he doesn’t have me as a drinking buddy he will end up drinking much less!

Count me in!! Have done it for the last few years and actually looking forward to having a reason to say no to that first glass of wine at hone in the evening!

I'm in.

I'm also in! It's time for a break.

Yes me too, thanks for starting !

Welcome, everyone, we can do this!

I'm in, first time ever. No clue how it'll go, I'm quite scared.

I'm in.

I managed a month off during lockdown by doing the Alcohol Experiment with Annie Grace. Found it really helpful. I'll probably follow these daily videos again.

I want to make longer term changes to my drinking habits. Not sure what though.

In case you're not sure if it's worth it, there is a plethora of articles out there, generally concluding that it is. Here's a good one:

www.benenden.co.uk/be-healthy/lifestyle/7-reasons-dry-january/#:~:text=It%20will%20help%20you%20reassess%20your%20relationship%20with%20alcohol&text=You%20may%20notice%20you've,per%20week%20six%20months%20later.

I'm in for the first time ever. I desperately need a reset x

You may need a change of username, @Passthewinebottle!

@Lycanthropology

You may need a change of username, *@Passthewinebottle*!

Oh gosh I do don't I! 🤣😬🙈

Await my Jan 1st post when I have NC to 'passthewaterbottle' haha!

I'd love to join you. I was planning to have a go but will need some support to succeed!

For those that have done it before, what things did you do instead to take your mind off not reaching for a drink? Did you try other new non-alc alternatives?

@Passthewinebottle I see a comment from you when I go to threads I'm on that starts "For those who have done this before..." but can't see it on the thread, which is weird 🤔

Try posting again then we can, hopefully, help.

Ah, there it is! Ignore me. It didn't show up for a while.

And to answer your question, for me it was tonic water, fuzzy water, peppermint and other herbal teas, and Beck's Blue.
Beck's Blue is the only 0% alternative I like.

I'm in. I'll hold my hands up to say I've been drinking most nights in December just because it's that time of year and I need to cut back for both health and financial reasons.
I'm someone who loves to cook and I always look forward to a glass of the appropriate wine to go with our dinner so it'll be interesting to see how we can change this habit.
Friday night curry and a soda & lime just doesn't have the same appeal as a nice glass of red!

I do DJ every year and I also try to have a few months off here and there over the year.

I do find I always drink more in December though.

After a sudden bereavement in September I really need to step away from the wine. I would actually like to do the 100 days challenge!

I’m in too!

I'm in too. Looking forward to having more energy, better skin and being less bloated.

I may be observing it because the pubs remain shut, and I don't drink at home.

Good luck to all who do so as a result of a positive decision.