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!

Morning Everybody,
may I join?
I’ve never managed dry January before but this year I need to get fit, lose weight and be healthier and this would be a great start!
I just counted my alcohol free days for last year which wasn’t too bad but could be a lot better…
planning on upping my water intake massively and not going for the AF alternatives due to the sugar although I may try AF gin at some point.

Morning all, also checking in. I had my last drink on 28th, saw the NY in with lemonade & rose syrup so feeling good this morning! Must be my 7th or 8th DJ and it always makes me feel fantastic so looking to do 3 months this year - then who knows! I’d love to give it up permanently, but not sure that’s completely realistic. Will see how I feel after 3 months.

Morning can I join please I polished off the Prosecco last night now determined to stop drinking as feeling awful DH stopped so it will be easier good luck everyone 😘

Happy new year everyone. I had a few wines last night and am very much ready for DJ. There is half a bottle of wine left in the fridge and if I can't give it away I'm pouring it away. Heres to not having a fuzzy head every morning and losing some of the excess 4 stone.

Happy New Year everyone!

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with family members to whom the concept of dry January is completely alien. I know I'll have no issues with friends, but family is another thing.

It'll just be expected that I have a glass of wine (or three) if we're at a social event. To make it worse, I had a miscarriage last January so if I wasn't to drink there'd be an assumption I'm pregnant (which is sadly not the case) but I don't know how to navigate it.

Checking in for this: done it successfully for a few years … and unsuccessfully for a few years!!

Happy New Year to all. I'll be joining in, and really pleased to have found this thread - thanks to the OP for starting it and making it a regular thing.

I've had a difficult couple of years so my consumption has drifted up to half a bottle of sauvignon blanc a night. I've not suffered any ill effects and am never hung over, which makes reining it in harder, but 30+ units a week is too much.

I did DJ a few years ago and found that the following helped:

1. Print out a schedule and tick off the days. Leave it in the kitchen or living room so it's always visible. Seeing the ticks increase is very motivating. It's similar to an app, I suppose, but works better for me.
2. Change your routine to remove triggers. I associate wine with sitting down of an evening and watching my favourite TV shows. I'll still relax, but will do other things, or watch different programmes (anything with subtitles is good as it engages the brain in a different way).
3. For me, AF drinks don't help, so I'll be sticking to water, chamomile and redbush teas. (Redbush is also nice chilled.) Teas are cheaper too.
4. Fruit flavoured chewing gum after a meal.
5. Socialise during the day wherever possible if going out is a trigger.

Best of luck everyone.

I'm in. Had my last drink on Friday and want to do a reset. I don't find it difficult to not drink but it easily slides back to semi regular again. I like my red wine so there are no convincing AF options. I've got AF gin and a bottle of AF mulled wine that I better have soon while it still feels festive.
Looking to use it to kick start healthy habits. I have done it before and find it helpful but can never really convincingly settle on whether to be teetotal or just moderate. Anyway, I'm here now for as far as I get.

Morning all. Feeling bright and ready for the day.

OP's advice of just taking it one day, or one hour/minute at a time works well if you feel the urge as it will pass.

Morning! I would like to join. Drinking has become a big problem for me recently and I know I need to kick it altogether. So this is day 3 for me! First time in a long time I don't have a NYD hangover. I want to remember this feeling for as long as possible so I can hold it in my weaker moments.

I'm doing 3 months this year too!

Just back from a walk with the dogs, they're happily snoozing now. Felt good to be out in the fresh air.
In response to a pp I've never completed dry Jan neither. I'm determined this time though, we can all help and support each other

Day 1.
The DJ2024 wagon has creaked to a slow but positive start. Welcome yet more newcomers, find a seat.

So, this thread is for the benefit for all its followers, to use as they find most helpful, so there are no rules. But might I make a couple of teensy requests?

1. that you try to check in often, to share your progress and ideas, and support others. It also helps you stay on the straight and narrow if you make yourself accountable! I read every post, even if I can't reply to each individually.

2. that you keep it positive and friendly? A tiny disagreement on a DJ thread once nearly drove away a very fragile poster who really needed the support.

Ok, housekeeping over! What are your new year's plans and resolutions?
Well, I'm predictably boring, but I'll be losing weight and getting healthier 🥱
Also, I'll be doing more in the garden and more knitting. I know, I'm just so rock and roll! 😎

I'm in, but not until tomorrow. We always have a drink on NYD. Will do an extra one at the end.
Our bottle recycling is full (and there is overflow in the garage) but goes tomorrow, so that feels like a fresh start, too.

Got far too drunk last night and stayed up till 5 in the morning. I feel really rough and am so happy not to be drinking for a good while. I am feeing fat and fuzzy headed- can’t wait for an early night with a book and no alcohol. I suspect sleep tonight will be rubbish as it always is on my first alcohol free day.

I just keep it open and breezy Holly

"No I won't, thanks, I'm doing dry January this year... being good and healthy, new year's resolution, you know... you're not trying to sabotage my good intentions, are you?" Big smile all the while, be a bit jokey with it.

They'll hopefully soon lose interest in trying to persuade you.
I'm sorry for your loss 💐

I also find a firm ‘no thanks, I’m doing dry January’ works for me too. More and more people are cutting down/out alcohol so I’ve found the pressure from other people is less than it was a few years ago.

My other plans are to try and be more active. With WFH, I find myself just hanging about inside the house far too often. I need to try and get outside more, just a walk and some fresh air on a daily basis would be a huge benefit for me.

I'm in, first time I will have done Dry Jan but determined

Hello and officially signing up too. My red wine habit is a biggie for me to tackle, and Dry January is my first step in the right direction on that front. I'll be blogging about my experience by the day and would be made up if anyone on here wants to read along with me!

https://wellitywellness.com/2024/01/01/dry-january-1-hello-world-again/

Jumping on board, pouring the remainder of the red wine down the sink… just need to empty the fridge of the remaining Christmas stash but that can go in the garage… Never done this before but have absolutely overdone it this Xmas and in the run up so looking forward to it!

Happy New Year, all. A couple of glasses of champagne last night and that's it. I don't drink during the week normally, but enjoy a wine or two at the weekend, but have joined up to see if I can do it. Aim this year is more activity and eating better - the last few months have been not so good mentally so the diet slipped.

Day one check-in:
Had half a bottle of fizz and a Bailey's last night, then was in bed for 10.30, so feels like a mini win in comparison to the last couple of weeks!
Made it to parkrun this morning, healthy lunch and an easy dinner planned.
Planning on early nights with tea and a book until the wine craving settles- will help with my resolutions of more sleep and more reading!
Good luck all, one day at a time 💪

Checking in - is it normal to be a bit scared of telling people you're doing DJ? I have lovely friends but still feel a bit nervous! But I want to lose a good amount of weight for holiday in May so a month with no drinking will certainly help in that mission. I may put any money I'd normally spend on alcohol during meals out into a savings pot and see how much holiday spending money I've got by the end of the month!

HNY all.

I drank a couple of cocktails and some champagne last night. Was in bed before the bells as have a nasty chest infection at the moment. Off to the dr shortly as think I might need some antibiotics.

Looking forward to feeling better, think I've tried to push through over Xmas even though I've been unwell, which is daft as I feel mega crap now!

I wouldn’t have a problem telling friends but I’m still debating whether to tell family in case I don’t manage to stick to it.

I’ve tried going AF before but only succeeded once which I think was 2020. So I feel if I announce it and don’t stick to it, it’ll be another of my failures.

What is it about telling your friends that makes you nervous? Are they likely to be unsupportive?