DRY JANUARY 2022! Been overindulging? Drinking crept up? Want to begin a healthy new you? 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 fifth 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 most years. It has broken my habit, banished much of the craving and reset my relationship with booze. I imagine it's added years to my life.

I won’t be finding DJ too difficult this year, but some will. Hopefully this thread will help.

Throw your hat in the ring, pull up a chair and let's do this together. 🙂☕️🧃

The DJ2022 Wagon creaks to a start in just 5 days, but always stops for latecomers 🙂

Just trying the hot cranberry juice with mulled wine spices someone recommended up thread - delicious!!

I am starting the low carb boot camp on 17th so will have to avoid sweet drinks after then, but in the meantime it is a great transition drink.

I looked for interesting AF drinks in Aldi today, but was quite disappointed. They didn't even have a sharper juice like grapefruit or breakfast juice. I did buy some AF beer and lemonade, but have been mostly drinking tea today

Day three done and dusted here. I've been feeling grumpy - possibly because my sleep has been so bad last two nights but I've still achieved lots. Kept busy all day and evening. Drinking in the evenings is very time consuming! Keep going everyone, the rewards will soon come.

[quote Crunchymum]@Candied

What an amazing (and aspirational) journey you've had.

I will sadly never be a runner [I have arthritis] but I'd love to be a non drinker.

Day 1 done for me. Wish it was day 3 but hey ho. I'm hoping for 100 days so doesn't matter too much when I started.[/quote]
My only advice is keep going! After day 7 my sleep started to get better, after day 14 I was sleeping like a baby. For me, the first 4 days were the worst. I will never deny it was difficult, fizzy chilled water seen me through many hard days, the worst part was thinking about alcohol at 5.30 every night. My house was so clean as I busied myself before the evening walk that I dragged my children on. When I think about it now I probably was verging on becoming an alcoholic. I often see FB posts now like “it must be wine time somewhere” and I often wonder if some people are falling down the slippery slope that I did all those years ago. I’m certainly no expert and as can only tell people what it was like for me. Life did seem boring for a few weeks because I wasn’t drinking, however that passed and I realised how often I’d been in a slight wine haze when my children were with me and my DH was working. It would have been a slippery slope for me but that was just my experience, everyone’s different ☺️

I found today quite easy. But that is because I am consciously allowing myself sweets instead. Four Lindor chocolates and two (small) slices of cake. Not good but, I hope, transitional, and soon all the Christmas sweets will be gone anyway.

Currently drinking the pink (tropical flavoured) sugar free Fanta mixed with sparkling water to make it less sweet, with loads of ice. Really refreshing and interesting flavour. Watching The Tourist which is entertaining.

[quote Runninghorse]@Candied. Your story is very inspirational[/quote]
I suppose my experience depends on what you want from life really. I never ever intended on not drinking again, I never thought of it that way and back then there was no dry January. Some people can moderate their drinking and some can’t. I suppose I fell into the category that I was too scared to try to moderate as I seen how easy it was to fall into the trap that my mum did and I never wanted to end up like her - my mum was an alcoholic.

Anyone doing a dry January you CAN do this and when you wake up in the mornings look in the mirror. You’ll see your eyes are brighter and your skin is brighter, you won’t feel like shit either. The path I chose isn’t for everyone but I remember the first few weeks and it wasn’t easy.

DH said to me earlier ‘you sound like your lecturing people’ this post honestly isn’t intended like that, I just wanted to offer support because I’ve been there.

@Candied how did you handle social events like parties and dinners at first? I'd find that hard. But I know I drink too much too quickly when socialising, out of nerves, which isn't a good habit at all.

Hi all may I join you? I’ve done it a couple of times before. @Crunchymum I think we were on the same DJ once. I’m so sorry for your loss. Im day one as had social commitments that I knew I would drink at so planned it this way. Am having sainsburys finest flowery tea- can’t remember name. The night time teas are lovely too. Last time I lost no weight so am going to try and get my exercise mojo back and avoid the sugary stuff. Penguin wing flaps to everyone.

Morning all. Dh and dd are back to school and work today. I'm off for two more days with the boys. Normal life is resuming and the treadmill restarts, this time without the alcohol for a while.

Morning all, happy back to work day, for those returning after the Christmas / NY break. I'm just enjoying a coffee before logging in. Fitbit tells me I had a solid 7 hours sleep last night but can't say I'm feeling that refreshed.

Morning all! Slept a little better. Had 11-5 but then awake after a recurring bad dream I have. Still - it's day 3 down which is more than I've done in months. Seems silly writing it down but it's a great start. Have a good first day back to those like me with day one back at work nerves

Morning. Another day done and a better night’s sleep.

Morning all. I slept well last night although my Fitbit tells me I only had 51 minutes ‘deep’ sleep.

It was nice not to wake up around 3 and be awake for hours feeling crap because I’d had too much wine. That happens way too often.

Day 2 here I come! Will be interesting to see if DH stays dry tonight. I’m ok if he doesn’t once he doesn’t open wine.

Morning all. Flipper wave!

Slept a bit better last night. ASnd at 10pm DS2 emerged from an essay he'd been working on all day and said he wanted to go for a walk. We ended up walking until 11.30. Would have been far too lethargic to do that if I'd been drinking wine. It was a lovely way to end the day. And helped offset the chocolate consumption.

@Candied - thanks for that post. Day 1 for me. I've done dry Jan and sober October before and felt great but always slip back into boozy ways. I really want this time to be different but don't think I am ready to give up completely.

Morning Everyone. Day 3 completed ✅ woke up with no headache and feeling good which just makes me more determined to continue. Last day of leave before work tomorrow so hoping to get lots done today. Have a good day everyone.

I slept much better last night too. I feel like a new woman today!

Morning!!

I've got SO much uni work to do this week to get to the end of semester 1, I'm grateful for not having any cloudy heads. Also got an exam on Teams at 9.30 this morning.

I'm not getting the good feeling for good sleep because my three year old still wakes several times a night and did so last night.
But it's very nice not waking at 3am with that dry mouth regret and cloudy head in the morning!

Coffee gives me a buzz!

When im hanging, coffee does nothing.

Happy Monday!! (I know it's not Monday technically but it feels like it should be).

I am so glad it's not Monday and there are only 4 days until the end of the week! Back to work blues...

Ugh back to work
Any one got tips for how to manage when others are drinking around you? Last time I did DJ my OH did it too but this year hes not so there will be open wine around and its going to challenge me :)

Morning all, happy day 4. Getting to sleep is still horrible but at least when I'm waking up in the morning feeling rubbish it's because of that, not because of having had a drink the night before.
Back to work today, wish I had, had the sense book this week off like my manager did 😜 but looking to find the positives - at least it's only 4 days.

Day 4 here. Fitbit says resting heart rate coming down nicely, but I am peeing like a racehorse. Anyone else?

Morning all, hope you're not too busy. I'm snowed under with emails this morning! Sleep has not been too bad. I sleep good if I have one drink but if I have a lot I sleep really badly, go off okay but then wake up in the middle of the night with my mind racing. Maybe its the sugar in the alcohol?

Anyway, so far so good, I guess Friday night will be the real test.

Morning
Day 3
I’m feeling poorly still but mentally already much better in the knowledge I have not drunk alcohol since Saturday and I can actually get to sleep without it! That is always my main concern with taking time off drinking.
Good luck to everyone back at work today.
I’ve got plenty of studying to do and going to crack on with it.
Fizzy elderflower waiting for me at witching hour!

@Candied, thank you so much for that, some really good suggestions, and very inspirational. I suspect I fall into the same camp as you, but I'm just not quite ready yet. . .

Welcome to all the newbies, it's wonderful having more pengiwings to huddle in to and with, and to touch flippers with!

Lush's Log (speaking solely for myself of course), dry date four. Have had first night with no sleeping assistance, and got to sleep way late, but slept through the night (helped by DH being rotisserie chickened by the cat instead of me). Halfway through the day. Finding it easier day by day. And it's trying to snow!

I reckon for those of you who are on your own, particularly single parenting, and when it's with kids with additional challenges besides just being kids (which in and of itself can be challenging), to boot, it must be so much harder to stay on track, and while away the time where you'd normally have a glass of something to wind down and reward yourself for making it through another day. You're so impressive just in making the effort - make sure you huddle on in!

Sorry for the essay. . .