DRY HARD 2 - DRY HARDER! Dry January continued. All welcome.

[HPLikecraft]

Shiny new thread to see us through to end of the month... possibly beyond!

KOKOing everyone.

DJ badge is here, and a new goal set. Thank you everyone for the company this month!

Just to still keep with the DJ spirit, our bathroom sink has developed a leak and is now out of action until a plumber has a poke at it. Ah well.

Made it! Last night of DJ saw me fall asleep on sofa at about 7.30pm and wake up now. Crawling off to bed to get a few more zzzz before getting up to face the day.

Gonna have a drink tonight and then will stay on whatever son of DJ thread is around. Going for the 100 - 1.

Thanks to all for your support and company. We all have our own paths to follow but has been lovely to travel alongside you all for the last month.

After a damp weekend I'm back on it for Feb. Addressing my diet too - going to cut out the snacking and sugar, and upping my exercise.

Well done everyone who made the full January

Well done all you DJers! What an achievement.Thank you @HPLikecraft for the thread and the support - I haven't been the most active participant but I'm still here - heading into a dry Feb with no break...not sure I could get back on the horse.😊

Dh has lost 3.6kg and his BP registered as normal yesterday from alarmingly high (red zone) at the beginning of January. We'll be dry until he is back to a normal BMI and waist size is under 37in.

I don't weigh myself - due to past issues with disordered eating but everything feels a bit looser - so as a side effect of the support for dh it will clearly bring me some extra benefits too!

So I'm up for more booze free living and hopefully now the evenings are getting noticeably lighter - we all feel a litter better.
Good luck to all those going damp enjoy every mouthful!

@buzzofthebumblebee I'm so sorry about your mum, you have done so well over it, your strength really is admirable. You should be so incredibly proud of how you have managed.
Good luck this month with the diet. I've been trying to do 16-8 fasting, some days are better than others. My scales are broken and tbh I don't feel any lighter but I'll carry on.
I've put Dry February in the app as my new goal, I am child free again on Friday so that will be my big test. Just have to see how it goes.

Well done everybody, what an achievement! I'm going to do every other weekend dry and see how I get on. I have upped my exercise and eaten healthier throughout January so don't want to undo my hard work, can't see any difference yet, but must be doing me some good.

thank you for your kind words @lunklitdays
Diet easier to start today as it's a Monday AND 1st day of the month! Feel like it's a fresh start for me today, more so than 1st Jan. 16-8 sounds good. Will give it a go!

I'd definitely recommend 16:8 - I've been doing it since September and am over 2 stone down. I find it really easy, because you don't have to worry about what you can and can't eat - you just have to not eat when clock says not to. You can also do as many days a week as you want - I currently do 5 days a week. When I hit goal weight (got another 4 stone to go so that will be another year or so), I will work out how many days I need to do in order to maintain.

And well done, everyone!

Morning all, spring is in the air (it's a bright sunny day here, although still cold). Vaccines are going well. Better times are on the horizon. I feel really positive about the future today, helped by feeling proud of myself for completing DJ.

As planned we are going to have some drinks on Saturday. Then go dry for the rest of the month. I think DJ has made my skin better and I'm less anxious (although still have some work stress that I need to get better at dealing with). Haven't lost any weight but I'm going to work on that this month - hopefully the weather won't be as bad and the mornings will be lighter, so I should be able to get out for a run before work.

Is this thread going to continue for those doing dry or damp February?

We had a bottle of wine between two, last night. As planned, to celebrate our anniversary. I'm not going to deny it was enjoyable.

Onward to Dry Feb now but maybe another planned drink on 27th. If I can get my consumption down to half a bottle of wine once a month, I'll be happy with that.

Well done everyone.

I did it. Not sure what now.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/01/i-feel-loads-better-without-booze-readers-on-the-ups-and-downs-of-doing-dry-january

Noticed this at lunchtime. Worth a read.

Well done everyone, can't believe I stuck it out! So pleased with myself.
I have to say that I am in no hurry to have another drink (my family and friends will wonder what is wrong lol) and I got lots of beautiful gins for Christmas but I have no urge right now.
I'm enjoying not feeling groggy in the mornings and I have had no anxiety this month at all. I'm usually stressed with work and feel like I just can't cope a lot of the time but I've been so calm and chilled since Christmas. That for me has been the biggest gain of this month. I plan to try to stay dry in February but I'll not beat myself up if I don't stick to it.

Not drinking on a week night feels normal now. Might try something on Thursday but am working overtime at moment so don't want to wake up with cracking headache on any days.

Am enjoying feeling calm. In December I had a few teary moments sitting on my own in front of my work computer but this month has just seemed a lot more manageable somehow

I noticed there was a discussion on supplements below. I've also seen a thread today on Vit D helping with mood. Just wondering if those of you who take supplements could recommend anything specific for mood (trying to work on my work related stress that drives me to drink on a Friday)?

Peppermint tea for me this eve. I'm back to Day 1. I suspect I'll cave at Day 28 again this month - but that's OK as it will be mindful, I will enjoy it, and then start the reset button again. I read about the Vit D supplements too. Interesting.

I just started taking a vitamin B supplement for stress reduction and I have to say it seems to be making a difference? I heard on the radio earlier too much vitamin D can be harmful. I remember being told not to bother with vitamin D drops for my babies because we look like Vikings - redheads are very efficient at absorbing the tiny amount of vitamin D we might get access to? Congrats to everyone finishing the month. I now am not feeling massively bothered about drinking? Think I might try some wine next Saturday for our anniversary then go off again for lent. I feel much better after being AF for a month, but haven’t lost any weight! I started 5:2 fasting today, and planning on increasing my exercise. I’ve been walking a lot but want to do something a bit more challenging. It’s a big confidence boost - be done dry Jan, so I can keep it up and also lose some weight and increase my fitness.

Morning, first day of February passed easily. One fleeting moment of 'oh I could have wine' buy being I start work at 6.30am I quickly dismissed it!

@pointythings 2 stone weight loss is amazing, well done! It's given the push to keep at the 16-8, I'm going to buy some scales. I was thinking this morning I am definitely not as bloated so maybe something has come off!

With regards to vitamin I take loads, ive no idea if it has made the damndest bit of difference to anything but I am scared to stop in case they have and I only realise when I stop! I take Vitamin C, D, E, B and magnesium. The magnesium I take because I read it was good for sleep/menopausal symptoms. I've also sent for Collagen supplements as I read here they are good for shiny hair and strong nails. Don't drink but now obsess over vitamins....

@Shanster I live somewhere where we have a lot of Viking genes and we are all recommended to take Vitamin D, even the kids, however we get very limited sun, especially at this time of year.

Hope everyone has a good day.

I had a glass of wine last night. Enjoyed drinking it but then felt hazy all evening after just one glass and thought: this isn't worth it. I would like to try and limit drink to weekends, but am not confident I'll stick to it. I'm a bit of a sheep and if DH is having one, I'll probably join in, but will stick around here to get inspiration from those of you moving into dry Feb. Good for you. And well done to all of us for doing dry Jan.

I didn't lose weight either but know I replaced booze with sweet snacks. Normally I don't feel hungry at all in the evenings but did last month. Need to find a way around that.

Not drinking on weekends has definitely accelerated the weight loss this month. I'm very much a creature of habit, so once I've established the habit (i.e. not eating after 8 pm), I don't find it hard to stick to it. I'm sitting here looking at the leftover Christmas chocolate and not being tempted. I know that's weird.

And I'm really going to enjoy that glass of red wine on Friday, but again - habit. So I stop when I always stop.

Respect pointy on the weight loss, and general willpower. I forgot about 16:8 this morning and had breakfast. Will do better.

All this talk of vitamins I've just picked some up myself in a blend called Calmeze. Vits B & C, and lots of other stuff to help reduce anxiety. Who knows if it will do anything, but can't harm?

Gosh its a bit quiet around here ...

I'm back on the dry trail after breaking all my good resolutions with a couple of shared bottles of wine. They were nice but I think not drinking is probably a better plan.

How's everyone else getting along? Are we staying on this thread or graduating to dry/ damp threads?

Hey, I also broke and had two beers last night, I had intended waiting for the weekend. Didn’t sleep well last night and have been grumpy today...thinking about going dry for lent now.

I'm going to have a couple of glasses of red wine tonight, like I normally do on a non-dry Friday night. My normal routine is damp and it works for me.