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 🙂

Morning to day 5!

Thank you @HPLikecraft, I was on a dry thread last year but I'm awful with names, I am more of a lurker here. Delurk to dry out!!

@Candied, thank you for your post, I've read it several times. My sleep is still atrocious, I just can't get to sleep. I think it's a lot to do with being so lazy over the festive, I'm going back to an exercise class I used to go to a lot this afternoon. I'm sitting here not wanting to go but I'm going to force myself. I'm sure doing exercise does help my sleep also pinched some ideas from @FanGirlX (thank you).

@footcushion I'm so sorry about your relative, it must be very difficult for you all. I hope they are okay.

I'm back to work tomorrow, so really need to sleep tonight. I've got very used to getting up too late and lounging around in my pyjamas.

I'm not missing the wine so far but know come Friday I will struggle. I made a Lego set last night, started doing it with my youngest dd but she got fed up. I got worrying into it, it was very relaxing. Ended up looking into buying more sets to add to it. Stopped myself as they are sooooo expensive and I got the fear I might end up one of those people who have who Lego villages set up in their sheds!

Hope everyone has a good day. Off to Google if penguins have flippers 😂

do penguins have flippers?)🧐

Not sure, maybe we can add some David Attenborough docs on to our watchlists 😀

Good morning all. I am delighted to report that last night I slept all through from putting out my light at around 10 pm until 6.50 am. No waking up at all. I can't recall when I last did that!

DH and I have binged the Tourist over that last two nights. Usually DH ends up falling asleep when we are watching stuff due to having had a few wines. No alcohol is certainly enhancing our TV viewing!

Morning Everyone. So pleased day 4 is completed. We will get there!

Can I join? I'm also on the other thread.
I last had a drink on Jan 3rd so will continue a few extra days at the end of the month.
Wine is my vice, I do have a couple of AF days a week but would like a month off to reset.

@footcushion - that’s so sad about your relative. Hopefully she will get the help she needs now she is in hospital. And hopefully someone can get through to her enabler. Her DC’s probably need a lot of support too. AlAnon may be a useful port of call. Apologies if I’m stating the obvious/teaching you to suck eggs!

I’d love a Lego village in my shed @lunklitdays! I love lego. But agree it’s expensive. I find it relaxing too. A cheaper alternative is jigsaws.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts.

@Peridot1 we have tried AlAnon but they do not want to talk about the addict - they focus on the family...feels a bit rigid and purist, we thought would be a safe space for us to go to learn about how to cope, the best approach to take with relative but that's not what they offer.

The NHS referred her to a charity that frankly are not able to provide even a basic level of safe support and should not be asked to care for someone's life-threatening condition when they are so stretched - they should have said no. This charity actually agreed to enabler's interventions, made her responsible for delivering alcohol in measured amounts every day - decreasing every week to detox - it saved them the bother. They prescribed medication that is not meant to taken with alcohol without checking to see if she'd detoxed, not given enabler advice or support despite agreeing to her be in the centre of the storm. And then there's the kids - how do you stop enabling and allow someone to feel the true impact of alcohol dependency without hurting the kids; the enabler - is in a very difficult position.
We are left with Dr Google to guide us as no one else is willing - the GP doesn't - as far as they're concerned the charity is taking care of it and speaking to them at the minute is proving a bit of a nightmare. Letters of complaint are being sent.

Of gosh @footcushion that sounds like a nightmare. Is a residential detox/rehabilitation centre a possibility?

I know you said the DC won’t leave your relative to go to the non resident parent - how old are they? Old enough to make that decision I assume? And of course they won’t see that them staying isn’t helping either. What a dreadful situation.

Oh @footcushion that sounds very difficult for all involved. I'm sorry you are having to deal with this.

Today I managed to pick up some nice cordials for evening drinks. Lemongrass and ginger and winter berry

I'm having to wait to watch any more of the tourist. Dd was watching with us but isn't allowed to stay up too late on school nights.

Just checking in as I didn’t yesterday. Now on day five and feeling good about it. Slightly challenging time at home so am very pleased that I’m not drinking, as one glass of wine would turn into more.

@footcushion - that sounds horrendous. Are their children getting proper support?

@footcushion

Have you tried SMART Recovery friends and family? Less dogmatic than Al Anon.

@footcushion

Also have a look on Reddit. There are some supportive subs on there.

Bizarrely, I found reading one called Crippling Alcoholics really helped put me in the head of an addict (in my case, my ex).

@footcushion that is heartbreaking. I hope there can be a good outcome and some help can be found.

Day 4 was easy enough, the real challenge will come on Friday. I have my very first mammogram (early, at 40) and I am terrified. My DM died from breast cancer in 2019 and I am utterly, utterly petrified of going through the same thing. It is going to take enormous strength as I wait for the results.

Well done to all those still going strong, I like that we are 14% through already.

@footcushion that's sounds truly awful, poor kids.

@Blaziken good luck the wait is horrible but try to distract yourself from obsessing too much.

Day 5 for me and slept a bit better last night

Evening approaches. Huddle in close penguins and we'll get through it.

I had a looong bath last night which helped, as I don't associate baths with drinking. Won't help if you do, though!

I'll be drinking tonic tonight and watching more of The Tourist. Must get back into knitting, too.

And welcome to anyone that hadn't been welcomed yet. Don't forget to keep checking in 🙂

Day 4 for me. Popped to Sainsbury's to check out their impressive array of alcohol-free drinks - loads more than they had last Jan! Bought a few different ciders and beers for my DH to try. I will save mine until Friday night so I can tell myself I am having a treat. Also got some Fentiman's rose lemonade and the Pukka night-time tea someone up-thread recommended. Yes, I was the lady in the queue doing Dry January . For this evening, I have orange juice and ginger beer with a squeeze of lime, which isn't too bad, bit sweet.

Day 5!!! Whoop!

I had a couple of virgin Mary's as reward for cleaning. DH got the vodka out for him but I wasn't bothered.
Am I turning a corner?

I have been very tired today though and I have loads of zits on my nose!! Attractive.

I also watched Sober Dave's Instagram Live with William Porter. Quite enjoyed it, they were both quite plain speaking which I like. I then listened to them do a podcast together, so I can't remember which bits were in which, but they basically talked about not mythologising alcohol or sobriety. Anyway, William mentioned that his book Alcohol Explained is currently 99p on Kindle, so I have downloaded that.

Hi all! Just been catching up, you are all amazing! @Candied great inspiration thank you for sharing.
Im wobbling tonight, stressful day at work & really want to reach for the wine. Reading all your posts has helped me keep to DJ. I think online yoga & I need to watch the tourist I have fomo !

Ps think penguins in the Madagascar films have flippers

Got my cuppa on the go, certainly glad January is cold here in the UK. Where I am it's apparently going to be -7c tonight, I'm pleased I'm drinking something warm rather than you know what from the fridge.
Going to watch Sober Daves live at 6:30pm I think tonight. Then catch up on Stephen Merchants Four Lives. Not started The Tourist yet, saving it for weekend viewing.
Well done everyone, day 5.

Just nipped to the shops for bread and milk. Managed to walk past the wine 😊
Currently sat drinking a cup of tea

My day 2 done as I am now on sofa drinking tea. If I can get through dinner prep and then eating dinner I am usually home and dry...

Well I just overcame a trigger the size of Mount Everest.

My worst of all trigger to cause me to reach for the wine is anger and stress.

Everyone gets in from work and school (I'm WFH today), DH tells me he's working Saturday and he won't change it. All my family are coming down on Saturday, and he won't be present to help with the kids, one of who is very challenging behaviour wise. Basically DH forgot but tells me, tough.

Then my middle son (the challenging one) starts calling me names, tells me to fuck off, because I won't give him back Fortnite (turns him into a violent, awful person), apparently in a fat cunt etc

Then 15yo DS is nagging me to buy GTA on his new Xbox (bday was yesterday)
While I'm trying to bath a very tired toddler who is crying at me because I won't swing him like a lion in a tree on my arm.

DH is in the bedroom because we have just had a row about him leaving me to deal with all this and more on Saturday.

I get the toddler out the bath, I get him off to sleep, I go downstairs and sort out GTA, I come up stairs for a bath.

Then the straw that broke to camels back

Despite me telling middle DS NOT to clean his muddy shoes in the house, and not to use my wipes, and him swearing that he will use toilet roll in the bathroom I come down stairs to him cleaning his muddy shoes ON the 18 month old sofa directly spraying fucking bleach spray on them AND THE BLOODY SOFA!!!!

I hope to God DH has taken this nightmare and realised he better not work Saturday and leave me to contend with all this and family on my own.

I need a medal for not doing bloody meth at this point, let alone wine!

Must get back into knitting, too @HPLikecraft I keep thinking about knitting too - I have a half finished jumper somewhere