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!

Hi everyone, I’m struggling to sleep too despite being on medication which is supposed to make me drowsy. A wake-up call to how much my system had come to rely on booze I guess.

I’m on a calorie counting plan too and there’s no room in it for wine AND cheese so that’s helping!

I'm still standing. Have ordered some Goodrays CBD drinks, which apparently are a bit more effective than the Trip ones - which have done nothing for me on previous attempts.

My day #3 blog post is all about what is classed as an alcoholic according to a number of clinical and non-clinical metrics - and am I one...? Feel free to have a look as well...

https://wellitywellness.com/2024/01/03/dry-january-3-am-i-an-alcoholic/

Hello all. I'm a bit late the the Dry Jan party but really appreciated your thread last year @HPLikecraft so thanks for starting it up again. I'm sitting here a little sheepishly as, whilst I started on 2nd last year (and added the first couple of days in feb onto the end, this year today is my day 1.

Unlike some others, I haven't really managed to reset after doing last Jan and I am really feeling the need now.

I haven't caught up with the whole thread yet but I definitely recognise sone other names from last year too which is good to see!

I'll catch up later - but thanks v much for this thread.

wellitywellness I am appreciating your blog - much to ponder.

Anyone else wondering what to do with their evenings? I'm so used to just sitting drinking wine I feel a bit lost. I feel a bit pathetic too.

Well I have just started cooking dinner and I really felt like a glass of wine (which I would normally pour myself) so I have come on mumsnet instead!

This is the time for me too @MadMadMad! I just spent ages making a big casserole, potatoes etc. for later on, to pass the time. Popped to the supermarket today and stocked up on some herbal teas, chocolate and different AF drinks to try, so will be pouring one of those soon! Have been feeling quite hungry, didn’t realise so many of my calories normally come from alcohol! 😮

I had a really strong craving today, but managed to stave it off with strong peppermint tea. It also helped that I am definitely going out in a few hours to meet my friends, so I know the evening ahead is full of distraction.

What is nice is being able to drive in the evenings. I don't drink and drive at all, not even on what is technically legal, so once I've had a drink I wouldn't be able to go out again. Knowing I can get in the car later to get to where I need to be is a great feeling.

Day 3 and just had a twinge of wanting wine whilst cooking. No danger of me having it...haven't got any in for one thing....and I have to drive later to visit a friend who's in need of some practical support at the mo, and I've got work tomorrow as well.
Felt a definite pull though, I think because I'm tired, can start to feel a bit low when I'm tired, with negative self talk so wine popped inro my head as a suitable distraction I guess.
Not good really but a learning point for me and at least I recognised it.
I'm going to do some online yoga again, then probably read and have something to eat before going to see my friend. My fella will be over later too so that'll be nice.
I'm actually feeling really thirsty so going to have a big drink of water right now!

Day 3 and just had a twinge of wanting wine whilst cooking. No danger of me having it...haven't got any in for one thing....

Day 2 and just thought 'really fancy a beer.' Like you, none in and I'm NOT going out to get one. I think what I want is something cold and slightly fizzy, and have club soda in the fridge, so that will have to do.

@BellaCriesAndThatsAlright - you're not alone - I feel exactly the same way! A little bored - so clearly was watching crap to chill and drink wine, not cos I enjoyed the crap! I also feel a little lost and pathetic in the evenings now!

Good to see everyone is still going strong 🙂

Day 3 here and no problems or cravings so far. Slept well last night. I've discovered that the thought of not drinking is worse than the reality, and that for me alcohol is probably more a habit than an addiction, which I expect is true for most of us. I do have alcohol in the house, but it's all white wine, so as long as I can resist the urge to put it in the fridge I'm OK (warm white wine is worse than no wine!) 😉. Interested to hear about the CBD drinks, which I might try.

Regarding what to do in the evenings, I've taken to going out for a walk, doing puzzles, reading and watching documentaries, as well as going to bed earlier.

Really interesting, thank you.

I am a '3' on the first test (typically get through 2 bottles of wine or equivalent beer each weekend)

I'm an 8 on test 2. 6 for the above factors and 1 each for occasionally being unable to stop drinking and feeling guilt/remorse, maybe once every 2 - 3 months,

Well done everyone 😊.

I've got a cold and would like to be able to say 'so I wouldn't be drinking anyway!', but that would be a big fat fib. I would switch from white to red though 🧐.

Anyway, instead of drinking red wine I am having a bath and re-reading The Sober Diaries. I recommend it, especially if you have children at home.

@pollyannaperspective thank you! I'm flattered that anyone is even reading at all, to be honest!

Hi all, day 4 for me and I'm starting to look slightly more human. My face looks huge and round when I drink and my droopy eyelids get even lower and more crepey.

Someone gave me a bottle of wine today 😬 a lovely client left it for me as a thank you gift. The thought of drinking it actually made me feel sick but that's because I drank so much over Christmas and still haven't recovered. I need to think of someone to pass it on to before the weekend.

@wellitywellness great blog post, really thoughtful and almost like a lot review of stuff we probably should read but don’t. Not judgemental, would love to read daily

I am struggling this evening. It has suprised me.it came on so quickly.
Partner is really depressed due to a bereavement and upcoming funeral. I just want a drink to escape. To numb myself out. It’s what I have always done. I want a drink to feel that rush instant calm and peace. Instead I am feeing edgy. I have a headache.
i am keeping busy doing housework. Perhaps what I should be doing is quietly sitting with myself instead of finding yet another way to distract.
anyone else feel this way?

@ParsnipAndPoppy - thank you! I'll be doing a lot of 'condensed' summaries of key books on the subject, so stand by for more! :)

Oh sorry @BigButtons that sounds tough. Yes, maybe give yourself 'permission' (as daft as it sounds) to just contemplate and give yourself lots of praise. Do you read? Or watch TV? Choose something you enjoy.

Evening all
Had a massive urge for wine tonight, like a pp it came on quite suddenly.
Instead of succumbing I went to asda and bought some AF San Miguel, has anyone tried it? Haven't read good things about AF wine so didn't bother with that

Why did I decide to do this and a new diet at the same time?!

No risk of caving as we've not got any of my usual tipples in the house, but boy I don't make things easy for myself do I???

Did message my friends about it all today as we were talking diets/new year's resolutions. The response from all of them was absolutely LOVELY and they all believe I've got it in me and that it'll help with my weight loss.

So that's good.

Next week I have some training at work which I'm not looking forward to, so that'll be a challenge come the weekend. But the week after I have some lovely things planned.

@CrackersCheeseNoWinePlease , I have tried AF wine and didn't like it (too sweet / similar to grape juice), although a friend who is completely TT really likes Nosecco, and to be fair it did taste just like Prosecco, it's just that I'm not a fan of that. AF beer is OK, but most of them have sugar in them so I avoid them. If I'm honest, I drink alcohol for how it makes me feel, and a substitute is just going to make me want the real thing.

@wellitywellness , good blog. Weirdly I passed all of the tests with low enough scores that I could have convinced myself I don't have a problem, and yet here I am doing DJ... As you suggest, it's a very personal thing. I have ordered some of the Goodrays drinks and will report back.

@LollipopViolet , good for you doing a diet at the same time. I actually think it's a good idea... if you were allowing yourself snacks or sweets instead of the alcohol, you might have ended up gaining weight.

Hang in there all those with cravings - it will pass!

@freshstart2023 I tend to focus mainly on tidying (it's amazing how much better a garden can look if leaves and other debris are swept up, or lawn edges tidied) and planning for spring planting (I'm in the process of building new raised beds to plant a bee friendly mini garden of purple flowers this year). I am by no means an expert but I do love it. I might also treat myself to a new plant at the weekend with some of the money I'll have saved from not drinking this week!

Managed day two quite easily, DD made spag bol for dinner which is normally a glass of red dinner but I had a bath and hid upstairs while it was cooking and was actually fine with a glass of ice water.

Im not where sure DJ will lead me, I think I use wine to mask a lot of feelings that I could probably do with trying to work through rather than reaching for the bottle but I also don’t want to to put too much pressure on myself…I might not even make it to the weekend!

I did give up smoking around 8 years ago (best thing I ever did) just by using Allen Carrs The Only way to Stop Smoking and I still think about some of the tools he gave so I might try and apply to drinking in my head if it starts to feel tricky.

Just about to do an online shop and think I might add some AF largers for the weekend!