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! 🙂☕️🧃

Aaaand a bump for Wednesday!

I’ve got my Tesco delivery with sparkling water, tonic, lemons and Becks Blue coming today (though I will enjoy a few glasses of wine tomorrow).

Let us all know your booze free adult drink alternatives, everyone.
I tend to find many of them far too sweet. I’ve never had a AF wine that I’ve enjoyed; they all taste like shloer.

Last year I bought a soda stream and had fizzy water with slices of citrus fruits. I chopped oranges, limes and lemons and froze them to put in the water. That and rose lemonade were my favourites. Also quite like Appletiser.

Another wee bump for any more newcomers.

Just two days to go!

Yes please!

Just signing me and DH in :)

I'm thinking about it. I need to do some more thinking. I really want to do this but I know I will really struggle

I'll join. I've got an important hospital appt in Feb so staying away would be good.

@chuffedasbuttons

I'm thinking about it. I need to do some more thinking. I really want to do this but I know I will really struggle

I thought that the first year I did it, the first week is definitely the hardest because you go through stages - you find yourself thinking "ah, I can't wait to have a drink" before you can stop yourself because it's a habit, and then there's a bit of disappointment when you realise you shouldn't and then there's the willpower to stop yourself actually getting a drink.
You also bargain with yourself thinking "what harm could it do?" with a little bit of "bloody hell, this is hard" thrown in.

If you can get through the first week of your first ever sober month, it gets infinitely easier

I'd like to join please! Doing it with Dh as we're starting ivf with icsi in March (I hope). First appointment is 22nd feb so we both want to be fighting fit for that as I get weighed and he produces a sample!

I'm in and I started yesterday. Done it for the last 3 years. It gets easier! Good luck all.

My DD has decided to do it with me! Good to have some mutual moral support at home.

Can I join you please?

Far too much alcohol during December (not much better Feb-Nov to be honest). I've done DJ for the last 2 years, found it hard but stuck it out. Something tells me this time is going to be a big challenge.

I'm starting today! Just because I haven't got any wine in, and I'm not going to the shop to get some for this evening!
Good luck everyone.

Yep. I'm in.

I'm doing it this year. My drinking's really crept up in 2020, and I need a break, and to assess where I want to go with it afterwards. We'll have the last bits of alcohol we still have in the house tonight. I've got the app installed, ready to go. DH says he's onboard, too, which will make it easier, I'm sure.

I'm a tiny bit worried whether I might have slightly crossed into the territory where I should ahem discuss quitting with my GP before actually doing so. Too ashamed to do that, as sad as that is. I'm not a heavy, daily drinker exactly, but still worried about some withdrawals.

Count me in, my go to drink will be Cranberry Juice in a wine glass for obvious reasons lol :). Good Luck to everyone, I am going to put the money I would have spent on booze away so hopefully be able to treat my grandkids :)

I'm not a big drinker but I just find I feel shit after a drink these days. Really sluggish and tired. I think a month or two off will do me the world of good.

I'm in, I do it most years but really feel the need this year. I said to dh last night I am really looking forward to it actually. However after discussing the return to schools and the implications for us school staff with my friends yesterday, I feel like this year might be more of a challenge.

This year at the least the first weekend will be under our belts straight away, and I am really looking at the positives: better sleep, not feeling crap on Mondays and maybe lose a few lbs

I did it January 2020 for the first time. I was scared and it was a day by day process for me. And because of that it told me all I needed to know and motivated me.

After DJ my confidence in my ability to make better decisions for my well being soared. I gave up smoking in the pandemic, and took dry weeks here and there throughout the year and have been looking forward DJ 21 to keep me in check.

One of the reasons it was so scary is I use alcohol to sleep. I'm a life long insomniac. Nothing works regularly for me as I habituate to anything, but half a bottle of wine every three nights ensured I'd get some sleep that night. Its not great quality obviously but insists take what they can get. I've since just got used to sleeping so much less and since I wfh now I'm less worried. For example, I slept from 4 until 7.30 these last few nights but can cope.

I also want to use it this year to kickstarter the diet I left behind at the end of November. Still 10 lb to lose. Thanks for the thread op!

I will do this.
I've done it before and it was long and boring but it is a small achievement and it did make me feel better.

Also when I did whole30 in July (also alcohol free) I really enjoyed very cold sparkling water (what's that posh French one in the green bottle? The name escapes me- but that's the 'driest' tasting one I found), lots of ice, lemon and lime. Not sure if it would have the same effect in winter though but in summer it really did replicate that first sip of g&t feeling at the end of a day.

I'm in. I drink too much - its been creeping up over the last year or 2 and now I have at least 1 drink daily, and more at the weekends. I need to reset my relationship with booze, and lose weight.

I'm in!

I’m joining! I recently read last year’s DJ thread, and it was really inspiring. My downfall tends to be going to restaurants/pubs and socialising, so the new lockdown is an oppotunity to reset without the usual temptations. Cocktails on zoom are planned for tonight, then full steam ahead tomorrow. I’m actually excited! X

I'm in. I'd like alcohol to be an occasional thing in my life rather than a habit. Nice cups of tea, here I come.

I've not thought too much into drink alternatives so far, but there is ginger ale and sparkling water in the fridge, so I guess that's something to start with. And a healthy selection of teas in the cupboard.