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! 🙂☕️🧃

Well, it’s over, day 11.

Jeez I want to drink that Tesco Finest Cava in the cupboard!
But I won’t.

34% out of the way now.

Well done and goodnight, all.

Did a red wine drum roll tonight - doesn’t work! Alcohol free beer was good though.

Day 12, another Monday behind us, and only two more dry January Mondays to face down now people. I went to bed at 7.30 last night because I felt crap, and feel a thousand times better this morning :)

Morning everyone, day 12. Managing okay, back wfh/home schooling so starting work at 6am so I can fit everything in. Big shock when the alarm goes off at 5.20 but I'm mighty glad I've not got a hangover head. Once I'm actually out my bed I'm fine.

I have been having horrid memories of things I have done whilst being drunk. Nothing to hurt anyone but being so drunk I act like a fool, falling over, talking rubbish. I think I'd pushed a lot of it to the back of my head but it's almost like the beer fear bringing up things I've done. It is helping keep the resolve as I don't want to be that person but tbh it has been bringing me down a bit.

Never mind, hopefully as the time passes it will recede if I can believe in myself that I won't do it again. I'm thinking to do Dry February too but I am going to see if I can do this month first, I really, really want to but I know what I'm like. Wanting to do something and actually doing it are two different things for me!

Hope you all have a great day

I think I have memorised this month's calendar/days of the week!. I usually convince myself that DJ just needs to last 28 days; there are 5 weekends in this month!

So far, so good. I think the sheer tedium of staying at home is helping.

@Madcats

I think I have memorised this month's calendar/days of the week!. I usually convince myself that DJ just needs to last 28 days; there are 5 weekends in this month!

So far, so good. I think the sheer tedium of staying at home is helping.

I'm just counting down the days rather than thinking about the individual weeks/weekends otherwise I'd go barmy. Last year it fell perfectly, I think the 1st Feb was on a Saturday, this year it's on a Monday

I usually insist that 4 weekends is enough - I won't do 5...but think year, dh really needs to lose weight and it's the dreaded booze that he's pinning the blaming on - I feel the need to be supportive - he is not asking - so I think I'm going to break my 4 week rule and roll into Feb on a sober wave.
I slept through last night - for the first time in years - previous January's have not been so rewarding on the sleep front however I am struggling with neck and back tension headaches - I have a massage gun which is helping a bit.

Interesting @LarryUnderwood . I experienced the same for the big full lockdown last year when I bravely gave up alcohol. My boobs, normally as sore as you describe, stayed soft and normal all month. No change to HRT. I too put it down to reducing alcohol & sugar too. Plus being really mindful of eating, and a decent walk / run every day.

Morning All - Day 12. I slept pretty well last night. Still woke up early, but felt like I had slept more deeply. Wish I had a sleep monitor! I've promised myself an Apple watch if when I get to the end of DJ. It's my birthday at the end of the month, so I'll ask DH for a contribution and, well I am saving a lot of money at the moment (at least that's my justification ).

I had really strong cravings last night, and what with all the bad news, and the cold and the dark, for a moment I thought "F**k it, what's the point?". I didn't really feel like I was getting any benefits for all this deprivation! Somehow managed to distract myself and push on through. If I can make it to 9pm, I'm alright.

I do feel as though I've got a bit more of a spring in my step today, plus every little willpower win is a boost, isn't it? Once you've invested a certain amount in Project DJ, I think there is quite an incentive to stick with it.

Anyway, it's a lovely sunny day here today, so I'm going to wrap up warm and go for a long walk. Have a good day everyone!

To my huge surprise I didn't really think about having a drink at all over the past few days, but partly because our freezer died and I had to work out what to throw, eat or keep! Really annoying but a good distraction.

Am trying to drink more water and have done ok today. Off for a walk now before it rains as I've not been outside yet and I find that gives me a real headache.

We're getting there.....

Day 12 here. I'm feeling pretty rough mentally today (only a couple of hours of sleep), but more tempted to comfort eat than to comfort drink right now. Thankfully we've mostly eaten through our snack stash, and I don't feel justified going to the shops unless we need some actual essentials, so I'm mostly stuck eating fruit and seaweed thins. Not that I'd trust myself to turn down a nice glass of cold white wine right now, either, if someone was to bring me one, but no fear of that.

I'm glad to be getting along okay with DJ, but part of me dreads it ending, too. I know I can't go back to drinking like I have been doing, and after this month's experiment I'm going to have to decide what it is I'll try to do on the longer haul. I know what I should do, but it's not what I want to do.

Thanks for the kind comments re. DH's work. He wasn't given his notice after all, but official notice that he will soon be given his notice, or something along those lines. Oh well. Hopefully we'll know details of redundancy pay and all that soon.

My husband has caved. We are going through some stuff and he’s turned to drink. He’s not a big drinker at all, but now he’s drinking again it’s going to be so hard for me to continue. I just hope he doesn’t start opening the wine. Am I allowed to ban him doing that?!!? 😂 If he just has beers and whiskey I think I’ll be ok....

@ThePenIsBlue

Can you ask him to go and sit somewhere else to drink?

I send my DP to the summer house to drink (and smoke), even though it's freezing in there at the moment. Does he have an office or a shed of some kind?

A Discovery of Witches series 2 is now on Now TV. Series 1 is on there too, for those who missed it the first time.

Not for everyone but if you liked GoT, Buffy type things then you may like it.

I'm desperately waiting for Britannia series 3 and Handmaid's Tale series 4 to come out.

TeaRose29 'Once you've invested a certain amount in Project DJ, I think there is quite an incentive to stick with it.'

Absolutely agree with this and it is definitely this thought that stopped me having a drink this evening (after a shocking work day)

Day 12 - beginning to drag a little bit but am full on at work at the moment so enjoying getting up with a clear head. I have felt a little tempted in the evenings as it is sooo dark outside - going for a walk is no fun as there are not many street lights where I live so routes are limited. Nothing good on telly. Nothing much to distinguish evening from bedtime.

Hey ho. Better go off and moan to DH rather than putting off you Djers

Horrible day with home schooling and online learning problems, then work worries and family clashes with everyone cooped up

If I had wine I would drink it but I dont. So off to bed feeling sorry for myself

@ThePenIsBlue he's at least banned from drinking "your" drink surely.

@InTheseUncertainTimes "I'm glad to be getting along okay with DJ, but part of me dreads it ending, too. I know I can't go back to drinking like I have been doing, and after this month's experiment I'm going to have to decide what it is I'll try to do on the longer haul. I know what I should do, but it's not what I want to do."
This resonates with me too.

Hello, I have been lurking and watching. I am now on Day 13 of DJ. I am wondering to run it into Feb as I honestly think our habitual drinking over 2020 got seriously bad.

But, that aside, can I ask others experiences of physical symptoms?

I am constipated. This may be my new healthy eating regime but I am also exercising which normally keeps me regular. Is anyone else suffering?

I am not losing weight (despite healthy eating
1400 cals a day on average) and exercising. I feel like I have loads of water retention though. Puffed fingers and big squishy belly.

Night sweats. I used to get these after a heavy session since starting DJ they are nearly every night. I just turned 40, so a bit young yet for a menopause.

My appetite has reduced which is good too.

Is anyone else getting anything like the above? How do you deal with it?

@dugee @brassicablue

We don’t have a shed, but he’s promised he won’t open the wine! He’s not a big drinker at all, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t drink now for another week. It’s just he did have a whiskey last night.

@LabCoatPocket my appetite seems to have reduced as well. I also think I’m mildly depressed so that might be why.

"I send my DP to the summer house to drink (and smoke), even though it's freezing in there at the moment."

He has to drink in the freezing cold?! Smoking fair enough but drinking? Poor guy, cmon. It's not that long to go now is it?!

A 100 days sounds a bit scary to think of right now, at only day 13 (which is still by faaaar the longest I've gone for at least a year and a half), but I'd probably want to give it a good go, too. At least it would push having to make even longer term decisions further!

Slept well last night - phew. Going to head out for a rainy walk soon. I think I might prefer the more miserable weather these days - the town is nice and empty, and it's easy to keep your distance from the odd dog walker.

I was obviously in my sleepy state looking at page 1 of this thread where the mention of the 100 days came from, thinking it was the last page. Oh well. More coffee.

Day 13 here too. Nothing positive to add (I'm rather grumpy today) so rather than moan I'll just wish everyone a good day

Morning all !
Weird sleep pattern developing here-3/4 hours in bed, go downstairs make tea, go to spare room (not to disturb DH) read then fall asleep for another 3/4 hours. Sounds rubbish but is actually way better than just having 3 hours total which I was used to !
Feeling a bit down the last couple of days but I think that's mostly lockdown related- I'm retired, bored and worried about catching covid so Groundhog Day is really getting to me now.
TeaRose29 'Once you've invested a certain amount in Project DJ, I think there is quite an incentive to stick with it.' - This also rings true for me, I'm very determined to see it through and wondering whether to be AF for life or just trying the 'high days and holidays approach is for me. I come from a family with lots of addictions and know I could easily become an alcoholic so if I can do it I know I should be avoiding as much as possible - I really believe there's an addictive gene.
My skin generally is looking and feeling lots better but I have had a breakout of red spots in my nose which I've never had before ?!