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 think just eat what you like. One thing at a time.
sorry to hear cat news.

“I'm trying to use DJ to set some healthier routines and habits but with very small changes so it doesn't feel completely unrealistic.”

Same here. DP does the cooking and I realised we only eat veg twice a week. Which is ridiculous, especially as I actually like vegetables. And I also realised I was basically living off beige food (eg crumpets), chicken, carbs, and hardly anything wholemeal apart from sandwiches.

I’ve started snacking on a raw carrot, a couple of radishes, and a satsuma whilst my crumpet is toasting in the morning so at least I’ve got some vitamins into my system first thing.

I like peppery foods so I love radishes, rocket and watercress. And it helps keep me away from the crisps which I’m a bit too fond of.

I need to get a couple of glasses of water in my system before DP starts cooking, as that’s when I start getting the “twitch”.

Well it's twitch o'clock... I am resisting. I have eaten so much crap today, possibly my own body weight in left over Christmas quality street. Weigh in is on Monday and I'm sure it's not going yo be good news so all the more reason not to drink tonight!

Would love to hear what it's like!

Off out to a dance class tonight, which means driving, as well as occupying myself for a few hours. Had a very enjoyable af GnT this afternoon, and will have a sleepy time tea when I get in.

in positive news, my eczema is noticeably improved!

Another one snacking here, but still better than the nightly bottle of wine.
Tried the 0% Guinness tonight and its not bad at all! Managed an hour in the garden today making a start on all the jobs that should have been done in autumn so pleasantly tired and achy.

I had a blip at 9:20 this morning. Finished my walk and was looking forward to Saturday night wine, and then I remembered I wasn't drinking, and then started trying to talk myself into why it would be OK to just drink on Saturdays...at 9:20am! DH also talked about drinking today, he hasn't really chosen to join me doing DJ, but has been guilted into it. However, we overcame the blip and had a busy day, off to bed now.
( We're 3 hours ahead of the U.K...I'm not really going to bed at 18:59😆)

Evening all. Feeling much stronger this evening as I've got supplies in. I was always a bit sneery about 0% alcohol and thought there was no point to it. How wrong I was! I've got some 0% Peroni and extra spicy olives to finish the second half of Saltburn once the kids are in bed. Really looking forward to it!

I actually can't believe I'm checking in on day 6 and still AF! God knows when the last time I managed this long was- definitely not since March 2020...

Had a wobble at about 4.30, was getting last bits of cleaning done after taking Christmas decorations down and started thinking about having a glass of wine in my clean living room. DH is out tonight, so I thought I could just have one and not tell him (as he is also doing DJ). Gave my head a wobble and finished off jobs, but was miserable about it.

Once DH went out I sat with my book and a 0.0 Guinness again, before making dinner and now the urge has passed 🥳

Thanks all for the thread, it's been so helpful to keep me going!

Well, it wasn't awful... I suspect that a £4.25 bottle of Actual Merlot wouldn’t have been much good either, but it would at least have had the alcohol. It’s very fruity, definite notes of Ribena... One glass with dinner was enough for me but DH is ploughing on with it 😆

So no urge today - had a bit of one yesterday but didnt cave - sleep still a bit rubbish so trying the magnisium suplament todat

I've been struggling a bit this afternoon...5pm-7pm seems to be the point where I go oh maybe I'll just break DJ it's pointless anyway! But it isn't pointless and it's actually really important to me. Anyway I think having a good dinner is the key...once I have a belly full I'm not just as keen for alcohol. I do miss Captain Morgan's though, I might buy a bottle of their 0% to try.

Tricky evening as DD2 went back to her flat after being with us for Christmas. It's not that I miss her, she's only a few miles away, rather that I would normally mark the change with a 'hurrah' of sorts. Mind you, normally I would also mark every evening with a hurrah, 😂 so pleased to be gaining perspective.
Still going...

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat @baggienat. I love cats and I know how they get into your heart 💔

I'm doing surprisingly well this year. Last year I was checking into the thread multiple times a day for moral support but this year I'm not nearly as preoccupied, it's great. Last night was, dare I say it, easy, and so far this evening I'm also good.

There are profiteroles in the fridge with my name on them, so certainly not going to be losing any weight!

Best of luck this evening everyone!

the awful gnawing hunger is abating
I am peeing for England though.
i am absolutely loving the kylie fizz- infact I think I might drink the entire bottle😂

Dinner finished. Planning an early night. Day 6 has been OK. Hope that is the same for everyone else.

Well, I’m feeling very proud of myself. Went to an event with a bar but just drank Pepsi Max. Then I had volunteered for a Saturday evening work call (not popular as you can imagine!) so witching hour passed easily. Stuffed from a nice dinner now and looking forward to a decaf cuppa before bed. Rock and roll

Well done everyone! Great to follow, I resisted this evening… partly because of the conversation we were having earlier about a lot of the things being sold to boost the addiction industry and not actually being very nice. And I was in a restaurant where the wine was fine, but actually not a real treat if you know what I mean?

I think if someone had put a glass of really amazing wine in front of me I’d have found it really hard to say no, so that chat definitely helped thank you!

I don’t think I’m ready to try the AF alternatives, I don’t drink beer and have never liked the AF wines, but definitely interested to know of what people like.

also - the burning thirst that I had last night seems to have gone, and overall less thirsty today but I’ve been more consciously drinking water regularly. Has anyone else found the same?

Struggled tonight and I've ate crap instead just had a can of coke feel bloated now aaargh I've been so good all week

@madmumofteens but you are being good! Give yourself a break! This is Dry January - not ' Don't Eat Crap January', or 'You Can't have A Coke January'! If anything, it's 'Whatever Gets You Through January'. You've got this. 20%done tomorrow. Keep going.

Aww thank you as you say at least I've stayed dry 😜

Still drinking pints and pints of water, I am so thirsty!! Maybe there's something in that detox thirst theory.
Went for an early meal out tonight, family restaurant and had a momentary pang as I'd normally order wine there but ordered sprite instead. Looking around I couldn't see anyone else there with an alcoholic drink, not sure now why I think it's normal to drink there . Still far too preoccupied with booze, I seem to think about it far too much but feeling strong and a little virtuous

Well, today was a faff, taking down all the Christmas decorations and dragging the tree out!

Glad I’ve got today out of the way, and have not had a drink.

Safely tucked up in bed after another dry day. £90 saved and 60 😮 units NOT consumed that otherwise would have been.

Well done to everyone for getting through today.