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 🙂

Im in and have already started. I’be been alcohol free for the last 3 days and had cut down the week before as o realised I was drinking way too much. New Year’s Eve might be tricky as I’m going to a party but hope I’ll be ok.

I prefer to not go down the alcohol-free beer/wine/spirits route. But for those that do, can I recommend Smidgin which tastes exactly like gin.

I'm in! I did half last year and a full one the year before.
I'll do a full one this year though.

Welcome everyone. 🙂

I’m in from the 3rd (on holiday abroad til then and want to partake!) and hope to go til next holiday in mid March/ St Pats day.
DH is on board too.
I am ordering a mix case of Remedy natural kombucha in different flavours and will also get AF beers and nice tonic in.
have a couple of sober audio books as well to keep motivation up and an app to track everything. Bring it on!

Oh go on. I'm in.

Annoyingly, we've got DS and his GF here for a few days and they've illustrated something to me.

They're both 18 and back from their first term at uni. They are young, fit and healthy, and actually seem to enjoy drinking, along with it having little effect on them. They also appear happy not to drink on occasion, where DH and I would feel cheated.

DH and I OTOH, drink regularly but it appears with little joy. It's a habit and not one that truthfully does us any real favours ☹️

I’ve tried a few non alcoholic wines. If you like white or sparkling you’re more likely to enjoy them I think. I’ve not tried any reds recently but previously I’ve found them very syrupy and grapey. They don’t have the dryness of alcohol.

the nosecco and freixnet sparkling are both very nice. I also liked the mcguigans Sauvignon alcohol free. They are all fairly cheap compared to wine so I would risk £3-4 on trying a bottle. I much prefer the ‘dealcoholised’ wines rather than the grape juice type shloer ones.

I also really liked the cbd/ trip drinks you can order online. They don’t profess to be alcohol subs but they make a nice change if you just want something on an evening. Aldi also do an elderflower and Mint soft drink which is really lovely.

I find Nosecco too sweet on its own but like it mixed 50/50 with tonic

Thanks for letting me stay @HPLikecraft ! I’m feeling more determined because of it!

I’ve bought a herbal tea selection box and some tomato juice to drink for the time being. I’m also heading down to the charity shop later to buy a pile of trashy page turner thrillers to read in the evenings which will hopefully keep me distracted.

I've also found that home bubble tea kits are brilliant so might get one of those for a weekend evening treat!

I'd love to join in too, been planning to cut down and this will be the perfect beginning. It's my birthday early Jan, so will probably join in after that, will see how it goes, but am hoping to continue into Feb to make up the shortfall. Need to do this, as I've been drinking far too much and the weight gain and bank account need a break!

Brilliant. I'm in. Was just thinking this morning how I'd put on rather too much weight recently.....and have been drinking far too much.

I'm in. I don't think I have a healthy relationship with alcohol and that scares me. I've attempted dry January in the past and have always failed. I'm glad I've found this thread. I need it

Gibbon a few years ago I was very unhealthy and probably heading towards alcoholism. I saw a Dry January thread here on MN Chat and joined in. Amazingly, I managed and it was the beginning of my taking control. I go dry for periods every so often, and during “wet” times I have more control and drink less. I drink here and there but no longer have an alcohol problem. I’m so grateful for that thread, which is why I always start a DJ thread on chat each year.

I'm glad you - and others - have found us, and really hope it helps.

Little bump for the Thursday evening crowd 🙂

<waves>
Im on the wine! This kids are driving me bananas.
But I will be sober in Jan

Thank you @HPLikecraft

I've lined up some herbal teas like @FlightDeckBuckarooo and also planning to stock up on tonic water and those CBD(?) cans which I've tried in the past and are good.

I have a stressful job and my biggest challenge will be getting through wine o'clock every evening - if I can make it through 7 - 9.30pm then I'm usually ok after that. So I'll need mind distracting ACTIVITIES preferably healthy ones. Maybe yoga?

Yes please.

Me me me!! I am a penguin. I’ve done a few. I was around back when we did a lot of Epsom salts baths and haiku if anyone recalls that.

I’m in with caveat. My DGM, much much lived (I lived with her till I was 9) is on end of life care in hospital. If she passes in January and I have a funeral to arrange, I may well crack.

I’m in. This will be my third year.

I’m also in, and going for 100 days this year. I’ve successfully done DJ several years now, so want to push myself a bit further this year.

Yes please! I have got into too much of a habit of every night wine the last few years that have been really stressful (Teen DD with MH issues, single parent and a few other things) and I need to press the reset button.

I'm still having a few drinks now but honestly looking forward to to black and whiteness of dry Jan.

I’m in. I did it last January and in Jan 2021 went from Boxing Day until the second week in April without drinking. Found it quite easy after the initial few days of habit breaking. My drinking always creeps up over the summer - warm holidays, rosé in the garden, white wine sundowners etc. Thems the triggers. This year, it stayed up.

I’m drinking too much. No drunken nights or parties, but consistently a couple of glasses of wine a night, often more, with only a few days off here and there. DH drinking too much too. My sleep is affected, I’ve put on weight and so I’m tired.

Welcome aboard, newcomers!