DRY JANUARY 2024! 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!

DJ threads are 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 7th year of DJ and I swear it has made all the difference to me. It was so hard first time, but it has definitely 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 DJ2024 Wagon creaks to a start in just 5 days! Join us!

In terms of the benefits, I find my sleep starts to improve after about a week. Skin and puffiness/bloating after about 2 weeks. In terms of liver function, I had some raised liver enzymes a few years ago now, picked up during a routine work health check. I was drinking about 4 bottles of wine a week, which is obviously way over the recommended levels, but I certainly knew people drinking more. My GP put me on monthly blood tests and my enzymes were back at normal levels after 3 months - hence why I'm going to try for 3 months this dry Jan to just give my liver a little bit longer to recover. Just thought that might be useful/interesting - certainly not trying to worry anyone.

Hi. I’d like to join too please. I’ve done dry January before and always find these threads help. Started on the 1st and found 1st evening fine. Slept well too. Got a corker of a headache now. Not sure if that’s me missing alcohol or the storm. I usually find the first 2 weeks the toughest.

I was back at work today and am struggling with the urge to crack open a bottle of red when I get home. It’s so hard!

Have been reflecting a little on DJ, may be of interest to the other red wine drinkers. I am sitting here with a Trip again but have noticed that what I miss about red wine is the cosy feeling it gives me at this time of year. The fizzy substitutes with ice feel a bit too cold! Interesting to notice how for many of us just sitting relaxing with a wine feels like an activity in itself! Thinking I could try AF wine but can’t see much point in paying the £6 a bottle as that is the same as normal wine. Maybe I wouldn’t drink so much of it though 🤣 good luck this evening to all

I think switching to a decent herbal tea is almost the same, as an activity, if it's coupled with a good book, game or TV. The late evenings are certainly less of a problem for me when I have a good cup, and, thankfully, I own quite an extensive selection to suit different moods.

I'm definitely missing the sugar and find that an extra energy drink today has actually dealt with the cravings quite well. Doesn't help the waistline, but even together with the few biscuits it should be less, calorie-wise, than I usually consume, and hopefully fade over time.

Feeling better now, after one friend has finally got his ass in gear and replied. Still waiting for my date, but I'll let that one take the step to confirm. If he doesn't, at least I'll know how much my time is valued.

Thanks @Michiru for mentioning the sugar as I hadn’t thought of this, I did notice I was quite hungry last night before bed which is unusual for me. Will make a note to stock up on some treats tomorrow and the herbal teas sound nice!

I think where I'll struggle the most is that sometimes I use an evening wine to numb myself from work and its chronic stress and with DJ, I'll need to face it a little more head on.

This is what I find hard. I struggle with feelings of not being good enough at my job and worrying that I’ll mess up. I’m a massive introvert and worry people don’t like me for that reason. Drinking offers an escape from those feelings (although ironically it likely makes me perform worse at work and so it’s a vicious spiral).

I need to find another after-work treat that has the same effect as that first glass of wine, but I’m not sure there is one. Especially one that fits in with family commitments.

Just checking in quickly to say that despite thinking today would be easy, I started feeling the “itch” as others have put it when I could smell food cooking from the kitchen, as it’s a food I like to have a glass of white wine with. Luckily there was a can of sparkling water in the fridge so I had that with my meal instead. I’ll be ok now as I’m a ‘wine with food but not on its own’ person.

What I’m stunned by (probably naively) is how hard this is and how deeply ingrained alcohol is in my mindset and in my life.

I’m drinking a lot of tea. Need to keep hands occupied

I’m freezing cold. My tinnitus is really noticeable. And I’ve got a headache at the front of my head.

I’m guessing all those toxins finding their route out.

sipping a sleepy time tea, will try to get an early night.

I have been sooooo hungry!

Day 2 almost done!
I've had a long hot bath and am now in bed watching Corrie with a cup of tea.
Feeling okay today but I think it's the weekend I'll struggle.
Hope everyone else is okay

@gingercat02

Ah, bugger!

I'm going to up my exercise and eat healthier as part of a weight loss programme so hope that will help.

Here's to winter miracle 🤣🤣🤞🤞

Thank you all. This thread is a great support. I find the start fairly easy however staying consistent with no wine after a couple of weeks is hard for me. I started taking magnesium supplements last week just from the health shop and these have been great to aid my sleep. I don’t know why I wasn’t sleeping tbh - def wasn’t due to a lack of booze. Best of luck everyone, we’ve got this 😊

Teenager pushed all my buttons today and a nice glass of rose would have gone down very well, but DJ has kept me on the straight and narrow 😊

Please may I join? Day 2 for me after a proper binge over Christmas. I'm looking forward to feeling half decent in the mornings and having more energy. Currently drinking an elderflower tonic and watching Season 2 of The Tourist. It'll be nice to remember what happened in this episode when I start on the next!

Day 2 done

Had a delicious supper tonight and am now not craving a drink, hurrah.

I'm in bed watching a movie.
Had an AF beer and now it's herbal tea. So day 2 has been dry.

Work tomorrow - which I'm dreading a little bit - maybe it's a sign for 2024.

Here's to hoping for a better nights sleep tonight!

Evening two.
Wishing you all strength, fortitude and unbreakable resolve tonight!

DJ (or otherwise quitting alcohol) is like an exorcism, the casting out of a demon. And like an exorcism it is a process not a quick, easy action. This demon is strong and doesn't want to leave. It is a fight, and won't be swift or easy; it might even by painful, but it is so worth doing. Any amount of AF time is beneficial.
Keep going, everyone.

Hey, yes, @WaxingGibbon I remember you! Welcome back.
Welcome also to our newcomers.

Long bath and tonic water for me tonight!

Day 2 finished for me. Good to have some fellow travellers.

Ha, now that's a good name @GinintheBin you obviously mean business!

Re: remembering telly. I rewatched Breaking Bad last January. There were whole swathes of it I had no memory of at all because DH and I would be having 'just one more wine' when we watched it first time. Quite scary really. I wonder what else booze has stolen from my memory.

Made it through the witching hour, but god these evenings are long! Off to bed with tea and a book now, hoping for a decent night's sleep before work tomorrow.

I think I need to get some decent AF drinks in for the weekend- any suggestions?

Thanks for your wise words OP. I’m really struggling with cravings this evening, so decided to have a bath, brush my teeth and go to bed. Now safely tucked up and AF for a second day.