DRY JANUARY 2023! 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 sixth year of DJ and I swear it may have saved my life; 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. Everyone welcome 🙂☕️🧃

The DJ2022 Wagon creaks to a start in just 4 days, but always stops for latecomers 🙂

This! We are here if you want to dip in and out. Don't worry.

Don't worry above it Fundays. Forgive yourself, forget and move on.
I drank last night. At my school friends 50th, for 2 nights. A couple of very pleasant pornstar martinis. I'm not gonna feel bad about it.

Had another good nights sleep and have woken up early (for me on a Saturday), done some housework and also fitted in a kettlebell workout.

Who am I?!

Well done to all of you facing very difficult situations and still holding resolve, and cutting down on where you were. This is really difficult and the fact you're all keeping accountable and reducing your intake in the circumstances is bloody amazing.

For those who have 'slipped' I agree that you will still have had much less than usual by 7 Jan. this is a journey which will look a little different for each of us.

I did a workout this morning - my second of the week - I haven't exercised in literally months before this week.

I for one would welcome not hearing about fun or deliberate drinking on this thread. I think when someone is under huge stress and reverts to coping mechanisms that's fine and understandable. @Oblomov22 why tell us? Personally I don't want this thread to descend into oh well it was my mate's dog's birthday so I had a few cheeky proseccos. My opinion only!

Yes I have to admit I slipped last night as well.

But I still feel like I am resetting my relationship with booze, which I what I want to do.

Realistically I cannot imagine never having a drink again. I want to drink sensibly - a couple of glasses of wine on a weekend - rather than half a bottle every night.

I feel like a bit of a cop out but wanted to stay honest on here.

@Greatly
Mine was a big event. And I've never done it before, but I've never seen it be a problem on any DJ Mn thread I've ever been on before. It's all been very welcoming, whatever stage you were at, whether doing a full DJ, or just cutting down, or struggling or whatever the circumstances.

Friday was always going to be the toughest day. At least I bloody hope so!

On to the next of my New Year challenges...my first yoga class! This is going to be interesting. Just hoping it doesn't result in a fibro flare but I need to do something.

Am jealous of porn star martinis😁.

I do like doing DJ as its a reset for me. Love seeing the tea icons on the app.

I was invited out by some girl friends last night but declined. I just couldn't face sitting in a restaurant on a Friday night with everyone else swigging prosecco and me stone cold sober. I also knew that if I had gone, I would have found it a huge struggle not to drink, so I decided to just avoid the situation altogether. Which feels like a bit of a "cheat" almost, and I was disappointed to miss out, but on the other hand I did what I had to do to get through.

Instead I spent the evening doing more spring cleaning - I even pulled the sofas and fridge out and sucked up all the dust and other crap behind them, for the first time in years. I'm enjoying all this new-found energy I have.

I got a decent night's sleep and woke up this morning feeling pretty good. My anxiety levels have noticeably fallen and physically I feel better than I have done in ages. DH says I look much healthier too.

Also, I've just done the % calculation and we're now over 20% of the way through DJ already.

I still don't believe that I have the strength and resolve within me to actually achieve this, because it feels like such a mammoth challenge and is so so hard. But I'm going to continue clinging on as best I can.

Good luck for day 7 everybody - by tomorrow night we'll be a quarter of the way there.

20.3% to be precise!

@freshstart2023 it's not cheating - it's self-protection. I have a deliberately empty social calendar this month too.

Sending you hugs @Fundays12, having just one is a huge achievement in itself.

When the DC were in bed I opened a nice cool can of Coke Zero and it really hit the spot. Wasn't tempted to have a drink at all which is not like me, believe me. Still couldn't get to sleep for ages last night and then struggled to wake up this morning and I have another sinus headache! I feel no better than if I'd had nearly a whole bottle of wine...it's making me grumpy!

Well I managed to stay dry yesterday, but it was the most boring Friday I’ve had in a long time. I ended up going to bed at 9.30pm. My sleep is still awful, but for the first time in a long time I have almost no anxiety. In fact I feel quite flat all round and like I have nothing to look forward to this weekend.

I’m happy for anyone who has caved in and had a drink or even had a planned drink to continue posting on the thread, I like the honesty, previous DJ threads have always been supportive of even those who are planning to cut down their drinking through January.

I’m happy for anyone who has caved in and had a drink or even had a planned drink to continue posting on the thread, I like the honesty, previous DJ threads have always been supportive of even those who are planning to cut down their drinking through January.

I agree, I think it's not the same as a thread solely for problem drinkers or alcoholics. A lot of us have a low level desire to reset after Christmas. And going out once and having a couple of drinks interspersed with soft drinks feels like that.

Woke at 7 am , full of beans and lively !
? what’s going on !
It’s not actually raining , so I’ve cleaned my car , it was going a bit green ( rural life )
We’re off to see the inlaws this afternoon …. Usually drives me to drink … not today though 🤞

Fair enough. I'm not an alcoholic, or a problem drinker, but I'm trying to go the distance - dry January - so don't necessarily find it that helpful reading about people just going out to parties and having a drink because they feel like it. But I guess it shows how tough it is to give up alcohol for 30 days! I'll keep quiet!

Most impressed by spring cleaning efforts @freshstart2023 - well done. And a small win to compensate for missing girls night. And that is incredible for your DH to say you look brighter!

We all have to do what we have to do.

I like your idea @FlightDeckBuckarooo of 4 days permission to drink in Jan. Rather tempted by this, esp as out for a birthday dinner this eve, another family celebration next weekend, and probably more reasons I can find excuses for. On balance though I think I will try and go for AF, and do complete Dry Jan. Need to clear it out my system.

Unlike some, I'm feeling far from spritely. Actually sleeping worse, more sweats and more groggy than at beginning of the week. Wonder if my system was so saturated with alcohol & sugar it is taking extra long to eliminate?!! Or it could just be menopause stuff. Boobs like balloons (I'm 50). Who knows. And despite upping water and AF drinks, and overhaul of diet too, I am also bloated and constipated @paulmccartneysbagel & @WheelofLife My poor body is in shock !!

But all your stories are so supportive. And in awe of you getting through tough times with only 1 glass of wine @Fundays12 . Hats off to you.

Here's to getting through the weekend dry (or dry-ish).

@Greatly there's usually a parallel thread running on the Alcohol board and that one tends to attract the people who really feel they have an alcohol problem. This one has a wider range of people: the resetters, the cutting downers, the want to stop completelies, the commemoratives (I'm one of those) and more.

@buzzofthebumblebee I also feel a bit shit. But I've done DJ before and know that I don't feel physically that much better until week 3. I never lose weight either sadly!

I hear you @Greatly, I think I'm meaning slips, stress and 'events' rather than just drinking a bit less. I'm really proud of not drinking last night - Friday after a stressful week was a prime opportunity. I've bought loads of flavoured fizzy water which is nice as an alternative to hot drinks.

As I've said - I don't really feel I have an alcohol problem. I just want to complete Dry January! I mean, if you are planning on drinking once a week that just isn't Dry January - it's brilliant if for you, that's cutting down of course and cutting down is a great thing.

Glad its not just me then @Greatly . I've done it before but obvs forgotten it gets worse before it gets better ; )

I’m sleeping so much better a week into this. I woke at 6.30am today (which would normally be a good night for me as I’m often awake and fretting from 3am) then fell asleep for another 3 hours.
I’m not sure this is a good thing - if not drinking cures my insomnia I’ll have to give up permanently….