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! 🙂☕️🧃

Not too keen on the DJ app notification. "Did you stay dry today?" For someone with continence issues

@hashbrownsandwich - so sorry to hear about your dog. Losing a special pet is really hard.

@TartanTed - are we the same person. I like my job but it has tedious days and so easy to get distracted at home and spend hours achieving nothing. Plus is v cold in my house.

@TartanTed I'm bored too... I've managed to develop a little evening routine to take up time so that I'm not tempted and agitated. Part of it is a very long bath, another is going to bed very early. Making flapjacks with DS tomox eve and some other baking to try to occupy myself. Haven't had a great day to be honest. Feeling very irritable, foggy and unfocused and had an almost panic attack around 2 pm where I suddenly felt overwhelmed with anxiety. I hope I feel a bit better after a couple of weeks as I thought any rough feelings would be over and done by day 7...

That's it then -7 nights done. I'm so happy, I've never managed to stay with one of these groups more than a day or two before and and I'm loving reading everyone's posts and relating to everyone's experiences. I'm feeling really good, I was drinking probably 4/5 nights a week and mora than a bottle of red on at least 2 of those nights along with a few gins too.
My head feels clear and even though I've been eating everything in sight-(I allowed myself this first week to do this) I'm weighing in at the same as last week. My sleep is slowly improving and the fogginess and headache has gone. Weirdly my eyesight seems much better too. Best of all though, I'm way more tolerant and less argumentative.
Well done to everyone and thanks again OP for starting this

I'm doing laundry to avoid temptation. My life has reached new levels of excitement.

Day 7 here and not quite so easy today. Feeling a but headachey and spacey, was my second day back WFH after two weeks off so that hasn't helped. Had to think before saying no when offered a drink by Adult DD as we cooked dinner.

Sorry about your dog @hashbrownsandwich

Have been so busy at work I haven’t had any problems at all staying away from alcohol. Have been eating way more but I’ll sort that out next week.

The weekend is going to be a big test for me. I love Friday nights. Always have. My favourite night of the week. Logging off, glass of wine/cocktail.......will have to stay strong!

This thread is so helpful. Thinking of you all kept me from caving tonight. So thank you. Day 5 and am still not sleeping. Anyone else noticing aches and pains that presumably were hidden by the booze?

Thank you all for your kind messages.
I had a bottle of red with my DH, I feel awful now (hence can't sleep) so the positive is I'm back on the wagon today and won't be drinking.

Woke up to day 8 after okish sleep and finally slightly less flushed skin!! Yay! Feel better about today now but tonight (Friday) will be a challenge...

Good morning all! Friday is my test day too as it just seemed more acceptable to drink a bottle or five over the weekend as opposed to through the week (I did this too)

Thanks to this group, I now have the app and I'm positive that I WILL stay dry this month. I HAVE to stay dry this month as my relationship with wine is like the affair in my marriage.

Hoping I will shift this weight, bloat and fogginess and once again have bright eyes and cheeks that aren't as red... Good luck everyone.

24 days to go. That feels like a lot. I wish I was really feeling noticeably better. I've had a headache from too much caffeine most days and it feels like I'm making a smart decision in the absence of any positive side effects. Still, bring on day 8!

@katmarie

I'm doing laundry to avoid temptation. My life has reached new levels of excitement.

This has made me giggle!

Had a milky drink, went to bed early & read a book - fell asleep quickly & slept brilliantly . . . until some stupid stupid girl decided she needed to talk to her mate in the bedsits up the road & achieved this by repeatedly honking her car horn - at 4.00 a.m. Mate eventually came outside & they proceeded to stand outside (0degrees ffs) and have a long, loud conversation.
I'm not a happy bunny!
Still, day 8.

I have been going to bed earlier, boredom (?) definitely a factor, even though I am reading (and can actually remember the plot line when I get up!) Went at 9 last night.
Sleep getting better but still disturbed but the headaches! When do they go away?

I feel like a right misery today but can't see any real positive effects yet.
Except... If the Dry App is to be believed I've saved £69 and 4394 calories - yay!

That was probably the dullest week 1 of January I have ever had. Week 2, here I am!

Sleep is still rather erratic BUT my sleeping heart rate has dropped by at least 8 beats per minute (so well over 10%). I have been wearing this watch for a year, so even if it is inaccurate that is quite a change.

The weekend will be a challenge, with the weather being so misty and cold. I am feeling quite determined, though.

Being stuck at home and needing to be antisocial seems to be helping us this year (which is odd because it appeared to contribute to our drinking in 2020). For now I am just trying to live in the moment.

Sending sober thoughts to anybody who is struggling.

@CrystalE same - if I was my boss yesterday I'd have sacked me! Finding it difficult to stay motivated when work is quiet and not under pressure.

@nuitdesetoiles that's a good idea - I'll think of a few evening activities to distract me. Hope you feel better today.

@hashbrownsandwich - I'm so sorry about your dog, and also that work must be so hard right now.

Day 8 and the first day when I've had a fleeting thought of stopping DJ. Had something very anxiety provoking happen this morning, and even though it's 10 am, I already want to deal with it with alcohol. I also really need to go buy groceries today, so I'll have the temptation of picking up wine. I won't I won't I won't... Not even though it's Friday. I may buy a mountain of chocolate, though. No weight is getting lost round here.

@LarryUnderwood how is your DH today? How are you?

Just checking in!

Day 7 here. Feel fine. Having a healthy homemade smoothie for brunch .

to those that need them.

Keep strong @InTheseUncertainTimes - alcohol won't help. Will make things worse. Have a cuppa, sit down and focus on breathing for 5 mins.

I need to take my own advice too ... I woke up to positive covid test result today. No symptoms. It was precuationary as I am carer to my DF. Will need to postpone my DM's funeral due next week. As if things couldn't have been any worse at the moment.

If I were to start drinking again, I don't think I would stop.

@BrassicaBabe - your Not too keen on the DJ app notification. "Did you stay dry today?" hmm For someone with continence issues made me smile ; )

Any more night sweats? Mine stopped. I'm now wondering whether mine were an early Covid symptom. But could just as easily be 'cos I left heating on all night don't tell my DH , or pre-period-peri-hormone related, or dry Jan. Take your pick.

@buzzofthebumblebee - Goodness you have a sad and stressful situation to deal with. Many . I hope you stay symptom-free and the rest of your family stay well.

Also thank you for the pep talk. I walked to the store through the sleet, and the fresh air and exercise helped with the anxiety reaction in itself. Didn't buy wine. Did buy some less than healthy snacks, but not an actual mountain, thankfully. I know Tunnock's tea cakes won't help with the situation, either, but one bad coping mechanism at a time...

Morning Everyone. Day 8 for me. I still don't feel 100% but I am feeling better every day. I noticed yesterday that I had stopped mainlining craving sugar and I'm now back on my low-carb diet (I lost nearly a stone last year, in spite of having a couple of glasses of wine most evenings ) and am back to my pre-Christmas weight. I've got another half stone to go, and cutting out about 400 booze calories a day should really help. Plus I've read that it's easier for your liver to burn fat when it's not having to deal with alcohol. I'm finding this quite an incentive to stick with it, as I want to get to my target and then have a massive wardrobe sort-out.

Personally I don't think I'll be too fazed by it being Friday tonight - every day just feels the same at the moment!

Day 7 for me.

I am really missing wine but I need to persevere. I also have my period so feeling extra sorry for myself! I am definitely replacing all of the lost calories with carbs and sweet treats. I didn't think I had a sweet tooth but I guess I've ignored ho w much sugar I was consuming through wine.

I have been doing the 30 day yoga challenge on YouTube which has been a good temporary distraction though I'm usually terrible at sticking to things (not sure why I'm trying two challenges in one month!).

Best of luck to everyone getting through the weekend!