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!

I’m doing ok and not really craving yet, although one of my best friends who I was catching up with next week, just an evening at hers with pizza, has said there is no way she is sitting with me while I drink alcohol free drinks! Which has upset me a bit but I think I’m being overly sensitive about the whole thing.

This is great thank you, a couple of really interesting things to think about. The idea that each “hit” is just the next step really resonates.

Also interesting to think about the companies involved. I’m a wine drinker, I don’t drink spirits or beer, I also generally only drink “good” wines rather than cheap stuff. For that reason I guess I (maybe mistakenly) see wine as a bit of a luxury / artisan type product rather than something that producers are trying to get us hooked on.

But you’re right, when you see the big bulk buy deals that especially the major retailers push on us, you really have to question their motive. Much of what they’re selling isn’t even very nice, so why are they pushing it so hard. What are the profit margins on alcohol, are they high or do they have to sell in bulk to do well? Maybe I do need to start thinking of everything, no matter the price or producer, as part of the big machine akin to tobacco industry which… as a fellow ex smoker I detest.

Thank you.

@freshstart2023

I did 2 and a half years AF after starting a DJ.
It feels like freedom.
Every morning swearing I'm not drinking today, every evening calling for a bottle of wine on way home. Always planning how I can drink, curtailing events and activities so I can get home and have drink. All gone.

I was present in every moment.

Checking in for my day 1 today (planning on doing until at least 3rd Feb). Today went surprisingly easy - I had planned a 20km hike today & ended up with lunch in a pub. Was happy just to have soda water & tea. DH has decided he’s going to join me with it too which I’m hoping will make weekends easier!

@Hepzibar See I feel the opposite - like I’m curtailing my life by not drinking. Pretty much my whole social life and weekends etc revolves around booze so without it I feel lost. Getting home tonight after a v stressful and busy day at work, pouring a glass of wine would have helped me unwind, but instead I just feel miserable and grumpy.

Anyways, I’m safely in bed now so can tick off day 3. Phew, that was tough.

Can't keep up with this fast-moving thread, but checking in for Day 3. Had a really stressful night last night and although I would have liked a drink, was also glad I was sober to deal with it better. Today has been better and I have felt calm all day and not really thought about drinking. Just on the camomile tea and water this evening.

I am also fully leaning in to the health kick and have been finishing my morning shower with 30 seconds of a cold blast; am starting the day with ginger shots and multivitamins; today I enquired about joining a new gym; and have decided to make a late start on Veganuary. Fully expect to be glowing from head to toe by the end of next week! Well, it keeps me busy and distracted 😂.

Checking in for day 3.
Managed to be AF today.
Worked was meh, but I cooked a healthy dinner, and after putting DC to bed, we went and watched a movie in bed to avoid the temptation of wine and snacking.

It seems to be our current strategy at the moment - just remove ourselves from the fridge, food cupboard and wine cabinet and have an early night.

At this rate we'll be super early morning people!

Fingers crossed for a good nights sleep!

Thank you! I'm going to try one, I think. Good for something different at weekends. Though I also agree with the hot drinks suggestion. Making it different rather than substituting

Sorry - that was supposed to be in response to the gin recommendations

I drink to keep my anxiety issues at bay; despite extensive therapy and medication for years I'm in constant fight or flight mode. And while In understand that alcohol can make that worse, in the moment, it blocks that state from emerging and I get a break, if that makes sense. I had to kick the medication because of the huge amount of weight I piled on under it.

It's funny, though, despite being one of the heaviest drinkers on here I seem to be struggling only the same or less than some who say they drink far less and far less regularly than I did. So if I can break the habit, perhaps, at least there'll be no physical hold and less of an emotional one than might have been suggested by the experts.

In any case, the outing was lovely and I stuck to drinking J2O, so it's another successful day.

Sorry I'm late (or early!) but I hope you all had a good evening. I'll post again tomorrow, but thought you should know that the end of day 3 saw us...

9.67%

of the way through!

Fantastic!

Day 3 done and dusted. Have done my best to read all the posts but there are so many! Nice to feel part of a crowd.

@Michiru - I do think that if you stick with it you will really find that not drinking helps a lot with anxiety. A few years ago I was AF for most of the year and it came as a revelation to me how much calmer I felt despite several stressful life events.

@Mykittensmittens - I think it was you who mentioned haiku night - that was one of my favourite DJ nights ever.

And anyone in search of AF drinks - I have to say AF beer is my favourite. Ones to avoid are most AF wine and worst of all, IMO, pretend spirits like Seedlip which are expensive and taste horrible. But I'm interested to hear what other people think.

Anyway - onward to Day 4.

Day 3 done.

Still on it

Day 4 here we go 💪🏼

Weird dreams again and I am shattered this morning, SO tired!!

Day 4 here too.
I woke up this morning and for a brief second thought I'd had a drink last night, was very happy when I remembered I hadn't.
I've noticed since stopping my sleep has already improved, I'm getting a solid 7 or 8 hours a night.
Onto day 4!

@frefreshstart2023
It feels difficult at the moment but as soon as you have 1 week find its manageable, after 3 weeks I recall just feeling reset, I really appreciated the deeper more refreshing sleep, felt energetic, more motivated and happier in general, really proud of myself, so I just carried on. Hold out for now, try and just make it to 7-14 days to get out of the difficult zone. Have you read any quit lit? Claire Pooley is a good read, I think it was called the sober diaries? I'll check

Clare Pooley the sober diaries. I bet some of it will resonate with you, did with me

And anyone in search of AF drinks - I have to say AF beer is my favourite. Ones to avoid are most AF wine and worst of all, IMO, pretend spirits like Seedlip which are expensive and taste horrible. But I'm interested to hear what other people think.

They can taste quite nice, but I suppose I should be a bit ashamed to say they seem pointless to me, because my drinking isn't really about the flavour of the drink, but about the feeling of getting drunk. I stick to normal soft/hot drinks as it doesn't seem worth spending extra money on AF drinks, especially bearing in mind that saving money is quite a motivator for me - working out what I have saved on each occasion when I would normally drink alcohol; if I do not buy a substitute this is a 'pure' calculation.

I had really vivid dreams last night, I was trying to empty an old house of hundreds of pounds worth of treasure before some bad guys stole the lot. Not sure what meaning that has when my post christmas bank account is looking very empty! Oh well, at least not buying booze will help with that! We are onto day 4, and approaching the first weekend.

Day three done. Another £15 just transferred into our AF savings account - Dh and I transfer £7.50 each for every day we don’t drink. It’s starting to mount up. Will be over £450 if we both finish DJ!

I have a fab podcast recommendation - "Dry Jan like a Sober Rebel" - it's one episode a day and they're short - just over 15 mins.

It's really helping me with my mindset that I'm giving up one thing for many benefits (ok they may not be here yet but they will if I stick with it)

Thank you @Hohofortherobbers - hearing that really helped.

I don’t really buy AF drinks, other than the occasional AF beer, as like others said, saving money is a big incentive for me. I was drinking a bottle of wine a day (my wine of choice was about £11 from our local offie) and I was spending around £30 a week in the pub too. So I figure I’m saving about £15 per day on average, which is a huge motivator.

Good luck with day 4 everyone!

Morning and good luck with today. We've done 3 days - that's a massive achievement.

Woke up with a dreadful headache- this happened to me last time and it lasted for weeks, luckily it doesn't hang around.

I feel groggy and sluggish, thinking despite the awful weather I should get out and walk.