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.

@HPLikecraft thank you for this thread, it has helped me so much. I have tried DJ before but only managed one weekend off. I think it helps because I feel we're all in it together. Last night I was having a serious wobble, but posting on here really helped. I definitely want to continue the thread.

Morning all,

I was having a real wobble last night. I don't know if it was connected to a frantic day at work but I really wanted wine last night. I started thinking about it early afternoon. I bribed myself and told myself that if I could get through Friday night without alcohol I could have some on Saturday night. I've woken up today, after a solid 8 hours sleep, feeling a lot better. The cravings have gone and I won't be buying alcohol for tonight.

Hope everyone has a nice day.

Wow, 71.9%. If you put that in degree terms, we've all got a 1st 😀. Well done everyone!

@SittinOnTheDockOfTheBay Well done for getting through a difficult night.

I must say that I’m starting to find it hard to again, I mentally am craving a drink and it’s sooo frustrating.

I’ve worked hard all month reading quit lit, eating right, sleeping drinking 2 litres of water and exercising and I’m finally seeing a weight loss of 4lbs.

So why the hell is brain wanting to sabotage all that hard work??

It’s like my brain is treating wine like a lemonade, something sweet and fun to drink, when really it’s a poison that has robbed me of my health, sleep and time with my family.
Gahhhhh

Well done us! I had a wobble too last night, the first really, but I didn't give in. I kept have flashes throughout the day of 'oh a wee glass of vino later will be lovely' then caught myself on. I had a really busy day and it was as if my old thought process just kicked in. I stuck to my tonic water and I'm glad I did.
@pointythings I hope you're feeling better this morning. I only know a handful of people who have had the vaccine but no one has had a reaction. Feel better soon

Checking in. Also had a wobble last night as after I said I was going to bed I didn't. DH pub night leftovers kept calling me. I managed to resist.

I am finding weekends hard as we are on budget restraint due to future job uncertainty so things that I could do for a cheer up all seem to involve spending money. Still at least can look at DJ savings like a kind of Scrooge type miser

Well done everyone who resisted temptation!

I feel a bit less grumpy after DH pointed out that my heartrate etc might actually be affected by the two-week lurgy I had and the fact that I'm kind of having an asthma flare up, and still taking double the amount of all my inhalers I usually would. I had not considered that for a moment!

Had a much better night's sleep and I'm feeling a lot better too. Arm still sore, very slight headache but totally coping with life. And I'm really enjoying the Not Gin with Fever Tree Aromatic tonic. It's a proper grown up drink for the weekend.

I'm going back to my usual pattern of very moderate weekend drinking after DJ. It keeps me within guidelines and I never feel the need to step outside it, so it works for me. Here's wishing all of you happy moderation or continuation of the Dry!

I can't recall when I last posted. Sometimes I lose threads, I don't know why.

Day 23 for me. It's going well, so well that I'm considering a drastic change. I use to scoff at the notion of only drinking socially, but that now sounds like a good idea. I feel daunted by the idea so for now I'm just thinking about extending this in to February.

For the time being my hopes of losing weight haven't materialised. You may say this is because I've eaten cake every day, but I don't believe it. It must be the gremlins normally appeased by alcohol spooning sugar directly in to my belly at night. My diet otherwise however has been greatly improved, reduced carbs, increased fruit, veg and fish. Like some others have posted, I'm dismayed that I can't see or feel the improvements, but it simply has to be better and for the time being I'm enjoying it.

Love the new thread title. This is the last stretch of the marathon!!!

Ooh, I'm just catching up and see there's an idea for extended dry or moderating into Feb - yay!

@dudsville It’s frustrating isn’t it when there’s no change, but I think it does take time for some reason,
It’s this week that the scales have moved for me. No idea why though!

Keep going you’ll see some changes soon

I'm having a grumpy evening. 1yr old is feeling a bit rotten so bedtime has taken an hour so far, and I would happily take a big glass of wine after the day of toddler wrangling I've had. Plus I have a tonne of stuff to do and I'm incredibly stressed. I won't cave but it's very tempting. The only thing stopping me is having got this far tbh.

@HPLikecraft yes a moderate February thread would be great. I’m drinking weekend of 5th February then planning to stay dry for a couple of weeks after that.

@katmarie, I feel your pain. I'm not toddler wrangling, but finding it hard today, and like you,am thinking I've got this far,I might as well carry on.
I'm feeling under the weather, so drinking would only make me feel worse. I think it's boredom. Have come to bed with a hot chocolate.
You're doing really well. Koko. You'll be glad in the morning!

Night all. I am so tired. Hoping for decent sleep

Evening all, day 23! Unbelievable.

Thank you all for the kind words, not had the best few days and did a monumentally stupid thing by sending the ex a text before, which, of course he hasn't replied to. I was doing so well then got all sad. So annoyed with myself but I've now not only blocked I've deleted him too. That way I can't keep unblocking him so I can snoop his FB profile or when he was last online on messenger. It's exhausting and so pointless. I am, however, proud I've not had a drink. God only knows what I would have done had I got drunk, shudder.

Anyway, hope everyone is good and enjoying their Saturday night. Hangover free Sunday coming up.

Had a very productive day and the gluten free chocolate cake for DD1's birthday has totally worked, so I'm feeling pleased with myself.

Looking forward to a good night's sleep and a lie in.

January is speeding past, thank goodness. The weather has been so very dark and miserable.

We had a sunny day today and I was delighted to some clumps of snowdrops and wild garlic on our "we all need to get out of the house" walk. Even the birds sounded optimistic.

And our elderly parents have finally had their first jabs!

Day 23 ticked off (I think this is a first for us).

I've managed to exhaust everyone with a long walk today. DP and DD are already asleep and I'm not far off.

Well done everyone, we're on the last leg 😁.

Gosh well done us!
spacecudet soda, lime and angostura bitters sounds really nice, can’t wait to try that one!
Als o agree with you, and everyone else about continuing a dry thread - I’ve found this thread amazingly helpful. Knowing we are all going through it together has helped me not cave many times. And have got inspired by your posts.
For me a thread that’s just dry would be amazing. I am too wimpy to read about people who can manage moderate drinking, it would just focus me too much on booze, where I find the joy of this thread is that you are posting how much better you are feeling/ sleeping. This is a great reminder that actually, yes! I am sleeping so much better, I’m not so moody.
My Dh actually said he wasn’t going to drink even tho he’d had a crap couple of weeks to support me!!This is after we were thinking of splitting not so long ago. We are both much more even keeled and able to joke and talk. Wonder if it’s to do with booze not making me so stroppy???

Well I made it through the evening, another teacup on the app. And tomorrow I am not on toddler duty, hurrah! Looking forward to enjoying the day with a clear head.

Morning, hope everyone managed a decent sleep. According to my Fitbit I was in bed for 8 hours but only slept for4hours 20mins. I was only up once so not sure about that but I do still feel pretty wabbit so maybe it's right.

Can I ask if your teacup app has updated the 'badges' to give the three week badge? I know this is pathetic but mine hasn't, I don't have the 21 days nor the three week badge and I really, really want it! I've done three weeks I want my badge!!

Thank you so much everyone for this thread, it really does help me. I'm looking to stay dry next month so hope this is still going. I really need all the help I can get (especially if my app is a moody git).

Morning all. Day 24. I had a pretty rubbish night and feel very bloated, crampy and uncomfortable this morning. Fairly sure I'll be craving sugar more than wine today.

lunklit I seem to have the 21 days one but not the 3 weeks one, weirdly enough.

I gave trying to read the book I was not getting on with and downloaded Annie Grace's This Naked Mind instead. It seems more readable and less annoying to me, despite the peppy positivity (maybe that's what I need?) At least she cites sources when stating things as facts and openly talks about her own experiences as her own experiences, rather than as universal truths. The Porter book was making me twitch.

I do hope we carry on having a thread next month. One thread for both dry and moderation is fine for me, if people will maybe refrain from going into lots of detail about the alcoholic drinks and enjoyable drinking they might be doing moderately, if that makes sense?

Gave UP trying to read it, of course.

Morning all ! Great to hear how well you're all doing. Some great advantages cited here on the benefits of an af life. I think I'm definitely easier to live with when Dry. Am perfectly lovely when drinking ( talk rubbish but I'm a nice drunk), but hungover am grumpy, anxious and miserable.
Slept great last night. Think it caught up with me. Fancied a drink last night. I was watching Dinner Date (!!), and all they seemed to do was drink. I never would have thought a programme like that would trigger me. I think I was just bored, so I took myself to bed with a hot chocolate. I think today is going to be a challenge. I can feel it. Sundays are always hard for me. Even when I was teaching, I would drink on a Sunday, knowing full well what the next day would look like. The mind boggles.
I woke up today asking myself what moderating looks like for me. It looks like this.

1. I want to be able to enjoy a couple of glasses of good wine, but stop when I feel like a cigarette ( I do not want to smoke), then eat something ( I never ate when drinking, getting high on the empty stomach feeling).
2. I want to alternate between wine and af beer or cider or even soft drinks. Again, to avoid the need to smoke and subsequent hangovers.
3. I don't mind having a few glasses of wine mid week, but don't want this to escalate into pressing the sod it button and into binge drinking mode.
4. When we can eat out, I want to drink with my meal, but not pop to the shop on the way home and buy more, therefore continuing at home. This will be a challenge for me.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I would love my drinking future to look like that.
What does moderating look like to you ?
I might add that if I can't do that, I am going to have to give up completely.