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!

That’s brilliant @freshstart2023 !

@freshstart that's amazing - well done!

Morning all. Some lovely positive posts this morning!

I didn't drink, but failed miserably with my 16:8 and low carb. Had three bags of crisps and some sweets. Oops. At least I stayed vegan and dry!

Interesting point from @freshstart2023 about being able to hear and read your body's cues without alcohol. Our bodies send us messages about what they feel or need, but alcohol makes us disregard them. It's another insidious way in the demon booze is bad for us.

Have a good, dry weekend everyone!

@SmellsLikeMiddleAgeSpirit - thank you so much 😀

@freshstart2023 - well done 👏 Awesome work

Feeling positive today, still having vivid dreams, usually about work as started a new job last month, so a bit stressed - going to look for some quit pod casts I can listen to when I am cooking- any recommendations?

@freshstart2023 👍
I slept much better last night , woke once to go to the loo ( water , water … ) and didn’t wake again til 08-30 ! ( DC grown up and flown the nest )
Yet more rain outside so no point getting up early

Morning everyone! Day 13 completed and onto day 14. I did have a wobble last night and DH and I nearly talked each other into having a drink. But we resisted (not having any in the house helps!)

He's a musician and has to play in a pub tonight, his bandmate will be drinking so I'd be very surprised if he manages to resist. I've decided ahead of time not to get annoyed if he breaks it but I can't let it stop me getting through the month. I'm surprised and delighted that he's managed 2 weeks tbh...he was drinking A LOT over Christmas.

I've cut down my sleeping meds so am awake earlier but refreshed and relaxed. As others have said, the absolute novelty of not waking up hungover is amazing.

DH is still in bed (we are also empty nesters so no problems there) and I've realised it's easy to tell he drunk last night. He's ever so slightly slower and more groggy, and would normally be up by now. Not doing very much (!) but definitely up and about.

Ah well, there's a pile of ironing half the size of Mt Kilimanjaro that needs tackling, so that will keep us busy today 😬

Im currently finding the AF drinks helpful. I do see the point about breaking the link between a bottle/taste and relaxation, but right now for me I think it's a good step.

On the soft drink side I tried Fever Tree Clementine tonic water last weekend and really liked it. I think our ridiculously chi chi local Waitrose might be the only place that sells it tbh.

Better sleep and the reduced mood swings are absolutely amazing. I felt extremely ill all of last weekend which was annoying, but have dealt with emotionally tricky times at work and home much better this week. I'm genuinely contemplating stopping alcohol for good.

I tried Fever Tree Clementine tonic water

That sounds delicious, I will try to track some down!

I don't know if I feel better, but I do like not risking feeling hungover in the morning.

I've got a couple of social events this weekend where everyone will be drinking and I'm dreading it. I just need to focus on getting through to Monday.

Wishing you peace @freshstart2023. To me the social times are the times to use an AF beer or two.

I found some cans of Aqua Libra in the reduced section at Sainsburys and had one last night - cucumber, lime and mint. A bit wishy-washy, tbh. Belvoir and Bottle Green cordials are much better. But I think my favourite is 50/50 apple juice and sparkling water. I'm not really a fan of AF drinks as I'm always waiting for the nice fuzzy feeling to hit!

I didn't start till 4/1 so I'm behind most of you. Definitely feeling calmer, though not sleeping much better, which is annoying, apart from one glorious night early on, but that's down to myriad other health issues.

<Queen Mother voice> We're all doing simply marvellously!

Im struggling today. Im not a big volumes drinker but I did drink every day. Today really fancying a nice beer, just one, to have tonight. Currently questioning the point of it. What am I trying to prove?

I have those thoughts sometimes but I do think a decent break from drinking really helps to reduce consumption long term. It's one of those things that creeps up and creeps up until you're drinking a bit more every day and every week and every now and then you need to force yourself out of the situation to be able to be able to objectively evaluate your relationship with drinking. (General 'you' of course, not you in particular )

I'm doing DJ because I know that physically it's good for me. My liver will be happier, pancreas less irritated. Things you can't "see" necessarily, but I know it's healthy. I agree its bloody hard in this awful weather.

@SqueakyDinosaur bet the Queen Mother couldn't have managed Dry January...

My birthday today so yet another challenge for January to throw at me

Good luck hedjwitch and happy birthday 🎂

DH had three pints last night. He's admitted this morning that he "knows he had a drink" and then later admitted he felt "rotten" - a shocking revelation indeed 😆

You're so right! I used to work for someone who was Master of an Oxford college and he used to tell a story about her coming to open a new building. They got loads of instructions about how far she could walk, who she'd want to talk to, etc, which concluded with "Her Majesty will expect to be offered a tray with a choice of drinks, which must include a Dubonnet and gin cocktail..."

On the day, when said tray was offered, she asked what every single drink was - "Oh, champagne! How delicious! And this one?" leaving the D&G to last: "And what is that enchanting PINK drink? Ah, well, perhaps I will try it, thank you so much...."

Happy birthday @Hedjwitch ! Hope you can enjoy treats of some sort that don't involve alcohol.

@freshstart2023 and anyone else attempting social events and remaining AF - good luck - I must admit I've deliberately avoided arranging any social gatherings during January which is a bit of a cop out I know.

I am hoping to get a really good 'reset' during DJ. Over Christmas DH and I both drank far too much - we love our wine and can just so easily curl up in front of the TV with a glass of wine. But the trouble is for us that it's rarely ever just one glass and it's shocking how easily you can build up your tolerance to getting through a bottle a night.

My goal once DJ is over was to completely cut out midweek drinking and cut right down on the weekend days to two glasses maximum. Realistically I know this will creep up again over time. But I'm hoping the reset will still do me good.

I can't believe we are nearly halfway! Mind you I'm frustrated at the rubbish weather, I can't wait for spring.

That's a brilliant story!

Happy birthday @Hedjwitch - hope you have a lovely day and celebrate your achievements

Perfectly Temporary, is the Fever Tree Clementine tonic sour and tart? I'm looking for something quite sour, I find most drinks too sweet. I might try the Schweppes Slimline Grapefruit Tonic Water.

@Oblomov22 the flavoured Fever Tree tonics are nice but definitely not for someone who is craving sour flavours.
If that is what you want, I recommend adding a shot of this to a good tonic - it's very lemony, not synthetic.