Old habits DRY hard! It's DRY JANUARY thread #2... newcomers always welcome!

[HPLikecraft]

Here we are, a shiny new thread to help us stay dry.

Thread one has been great and supportive; and thread two will take us through further challenges and milestones. Hop aboard; you're all doing brilliantly!

@Veryfishy request granted and marked as "authorised absence". Have a great time. January is pretty much over by then anyway.
Again, it's a decision you're making, not a caving in to temptation.

And I'd be buggered if I'd have a 'dry' holiday in the Canaries!

Looking back, I think I'd summarise my experience of DJ as follows:

Week 1: Woke up with a nasty hangover on New Year's Day, then struggled hugely with mental withdrawal, cravings, irritability and very low mood.

Week 2: Still really struggling with cravings and low mood but things slowly getting easier. Also feeling so much better in myself - fresh and clear-headed.

Week 3: Boredom was the biggest struggle - fighting the urge not to throw in the towel because the end still seemed a long way off. Still struggling when out but finding nights at home relatively okay.

Week 4: Still feeling good physically and mentally - thinking about alcohol quite a lot and I know I'd still struggle in restaurants and pubs, but feeling newly motivated by the fact the end is finally in sight.

From February 1st my goal is to stick to two bottles of wine (20 units) a week, spread over four nights - so half a bottle per night. Then I'll have the other three nights off.

I know that's still 6 units over the recommended limit, but I'm happy with that for now. It's a huge reduction on the 70-90 units I was drinking before DJ.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone. I now feel like a bit of a drama queen as I managed to get some sleep and it seems to have eased off a fair bit now, so will see how it goes. Things always feel worse I think when no one else is awake!

@Veryfishy hope you have a lovely holiday! A glass of wine on a sunny balcony is wonderful.
@freshstart2023 that is a big reduction. I was also on about that many units so the fact you managed to just stop and do DJ is brilliant. We are all on our own journey and if we end in a better position than we started it, then that’s the main thing.

I cracked last night and drank two gins. Very disappointed in myself! But sure that's life. Back on it today.

Thanks @Fuwari . I honestly can't tell you how difficult I've found it - it's been such a hard battle. I'm still struggling but week 4 is definitely easier than week 1.

@MeinKraft well done for putting it behind you and getting back on track straightaway.

Hi everyone you are all doing so well. I will be honest and say my DJ wasn't totally dry but largely minus a couple of days. These normally were after DS1 meltdowns that are physically and verbally abusive. He has ASD and ADHD and is very difficult to live with.

However my DJ were far more than they would have been had I not started trying to complete DJ. I was drinking 4 nights a week but feel so much better since I stopped this. I have far more energy and my skin is better plus I have early saved £110 so far which will cover a lot of ds1 birthday activities. I also realised how much I hate feeling rough the next day. I enjoy taking my kids swimming, doing arts and crafts etc with them and enjoy it much more if I haven't been drinking alcohol the night before

I'm still trundling on with my DJ, it's been such a chore.

Like @Cherrymix there's little I don't like, I'm also a fan of sherry, and whiskey, and Guinness and beer and wine and gin and baileys and rum and ouzo and martini...brandy is the only one I'd pass up but I'm sure I could get used to it!

It's disappointing to see people bearing such grudges on the thread. It's not pleasant and not necessary.

fundays, it's such a shock isn't t it?

I had genuinely begun to believe I hated early morning dog walks, despite being a huge fan in my youth. It turns out that (despite DDog2 being a wilful old hag) I just didn't like early morning dog walks when I was hungover. And even if I wasn't hungover, I would be "rough", even if I didn't realise / accept it at the time.

Now I'm fresh as a daisy and thoroughly enjoying the frosty mornings.

I think I will be remaining dry for the foreseeable. I intend to drink when I go out, but as a treat rather than "shall we pop in for a few pints on the way home from Waitrose" which was our default. As for drinking at home, I won't be drinking on work nights (I work a six day rota so no fixed days off) and would like to reserve my drinking for days when for example, the weather is nice and I haul the BBQ out, rather than every night just because I can.

I also get what a PP said about holidays, however I do wonder how much I've missed from previous holidays by sleeping late and being a bit ropey and crotchety during the day 😬

I also realised how much I hate feeling rough the next day. I enjoy taking my kids swimming, doing arts and crafts etc with them and enjoy it much more if I haven't been drinking alcohol the night before

I feel the same. That rough hungover feeling is just so dreadful.

Hi everyone!
Well here we are at Monday again with the weekend behind us. I managed pretty well with no fear of caving despite being out for a curry on Saturday night.
Tried M&S Fizzero which was pretty disappointing I have to be honest....it tasted like fizzy apple juice, and I kept expecting the alcohol hit which obviously wasn't there. Just a bit confusing to be drinking fizz out of a fizz glass and no hit! Think I'll stick to my tonic with ginger cordial and loads of ice.
I'm somewhat conflicted about the end of dry Jan, which will be Friday 3rd Feb for me. I'm definitely feeling the benefit now of being AF, mainly through improved sleep and the relief of waking up with clarity about what I've been doing the night before and no sinking dread that I might have done or said something regrettable. That is such a good feeling. Also, seeing FB pictures of friends having a 'good time' and it's clear that lots of booze is involved.....its pretty uninspiring in the cold light of alcohol-free day. And that has been me on many occasions.
I've always loved a glass of wine, but I feel unsure about going back to it, though don't see myself as never drinking again. Do I have the resolve to drink moderately? I'm not sure....

I'm just trying to remember how it feels to be hungover: exhausted, hot and sweating, paranoid and anxious over things I might have said or done the night before, feelings of dread and self-hatred, memory loss, racing heart, feeling as though I'm go to be sick (and occasionally actually vomiting), blocked nose, headache, light-headedness, no energy, aching and sore/tender all over, dry mouth/dehydration, not wanting to do anything at all other than eat junk food and slob out on the sofa.

I never want to feel like that again.

Just popping in for my weekly check-in. Loved the Saturday night talent!! 🙌

I felt this week like I turned a corner and had very few feelings of craving or missing out. I know from previous years that I very quickly fall back into bad habits once I'm drinking so I'm going to take advantage of this momentum as I go into Dry Feb. I'm enjoying perkier mornings and evenings where I get to do things I enjoy or cross things off my to-do list. I'm really trying to appreciate the upsides to this journey.

I've lost 5lb this month so am back to my pre-Christmas weight. It's probably due to getting back to normal eating after Christmas more than anything, but I'm still pleased.

I've also saved £352 so far, which is staggering really.

See I never felt I was getting hangovers because anything I felt was just my "normal". The poor sleeping I put down to peri menopause, which yes has been a factor but I realise now the alcohol was a worse factor. Ditto any brain fog, sluggishness etc. It all got blamed on peri! But I can see the difference in myself now. I'm so much more rested and alert. Well when I'm not a big bundle of germs like I am right now!

@freshstart2023 That's great that you've lost 5lbs. I've put on 5lbs! I've been a complete glutton since before Christmas.

Another motivating thought:

At 8am tomorrow we will be 75% of the way there!

Still AF, and not really minding it, though it is a bit boring at the weekends. There are also certain meals that cry out for an alcohol accompaniment - lasagne yesterday would have been much improved by a glass of red.

I rarely got bad enough to have hangovers, but I was often bunged up. I am not missing the histamine response I used to get.

Wow £352 freshstart2023 is amazing. You could have a holiday abroad with your savings in less than a year.

I have already made some plans for this weekend with the kids. I am not working this weekend and the 2 younger kids want to go to our local Library to swap the books we picked up after school today and attend Lego club and story club that they run there on sat (it's all free so even better plus within walking distance). On Sunday me and dh will take the kids swimming late morning which they love.

Hey everyone, tomorrow I'll be posting about mental health and longer term effects on the brain from alcohol, but today I'll focus on the immediate social ill-effects.

Well, that first, second, third drink may make you may feel relaxed, less anxious, and more confident, but these effects quickly wear off. The chemical changes in your brain can soon lead to more negative feelings, such as anger, depression or anxiety which in turn may lead to aggressive, antisocial or reckless behaviour, fights, damage, assault, arguments, and strains on relationships.
Alcohol may also lead to accidental injury because of loss of physical control...falls, burns, car crashes etc. and may lead to unprotected or unwanted sexual encounters.

Nearly half of all violent offences are alcohol related, and more than 1.3 million children suffer alcohol related abuse or neglect.
Alcohol is responsible for 18% of suicides, 21% of interpersonal violence, 27% of traffic injuries.
Drinking also takes a big financial toll.

Drink less, behave better!

So it's the 23rd, golly!
I'll do a few sums... well the end of today sees us

74.1%

of the way through! We'll hit the 75% mark at 6am though. I messed up with the awards this year...I gave out bronze at 25%, silver at 50% so assuming gold is 100% I've got nothing to give you for 75! Sorry about that. However, have a massive big well done for still DJing, 3/4 of the way through January 🙂

Another very sobering (and also very motivating) post, thanks OP.

Dry today after fucking up the weekend. Previously I would have given up after a slip,so pleased to be back on it.

So, day 24 and 75% of the way there!

For me the home run officially begins tomorrow, when it’ll be the last of each day for DJ - the last Wednesday, the last Thursday, the last Friday etc. I just need to keep focused and tick off today first.

Read Sober on a Drunk Planet. Very short, overtly evangelical, lacked nuance and had far too many explanation marks. Not on my revisit list.

Now on to Drink by Professor David Nutt.