Dry Another Day - Dry January and Beyond!

[wellitywellness]

We are officially at thread #3!

That’s a hugely helpful insight @DJ24 thank you, I definitely identify with those feelings of despair and also come from a family where daily drinking was normalised. I am conscious I don’t want to set the same norms for my kids and wonder at what age they pick up on these habits? I agree having a group like this makes a big difference, I’ve never been able to talk to anyone about it in RL and I was beginning to feel like I couldn’t say anything as I’d be judged for letting things go too far. I didn’t start DJ with huge aspirations, just wanted to see what I could do and how I’d feel and I’m glad I’ve been able to come this far. Like you say though it’s only the start… and maybe not the hardest part?

And I understand what you mean about that “blip” on your track record. I felt like that after having two fingers of cider from family member’s glass in early Feb. Without that I’d have done six weeks AF. But that choice I made on that evening was part of me working out how I was going to mange my approach to drinking after DJ. So, whilst I broke my streak, the important thing is what I learned from it and how I can use that to keep me where I want to be over the long term.

@DJ24 thanks ☺️ yes, lovely bring and share meal with friends on Valentines.

I can relate to many of the posts here. For me the goal isn't total sobriety, but very significant moderation and drinking to enjoy the nice taste.

There is (yet another) sober influencer I listened to a lot in the summer who dealt with "slip ups" - unintended drinks/drunkenness well. She said to treat it as data points to feed back into your understanding. Skip the self-flagellation and move straight onto building your new knowledge into your practice.

Morning all, and welcome to those joining or rejoining our Dry / Damp journey.

I had 3.6 units of Sauvignon Blanc last night, which was lovely, although in truth I could have been happy drinking a bit less as there was a small amount left in the glass after dinner. I need to eat more slowly, or open the wine earlier. I almost ditched the rest, but then realised that calculating my units for the Try Dry app would become too complicated! 😄

Good quotes on moderation, @wellitywellness , although there is still the faint whiff of a hair shirt about some of them (apologies for the mixed metaphor!). Some seem to accept without question that any amount of alcohol is bad, or at least doesn't do us any good. I can sort of see the Quit Litters' point, in that some moderators may be lapsed abstainers who haven't realised that they can still enjoy / treat themselves without alcohol. Personally, I'm moderating because I believe wine to be beneficial to my health, as well as enjoying it, so I want it to be a regular part of my life. If I thought it was bad for me, I would just quit. The doughnut comparison is interesting - I haven't touched one of those in decades (or cakes of any kind) and have never missed them.

I think parched March is a must for me! Sorry I can't remember who said it originally, but I love it. My anxiety is through the roof after an exceptionally lax half term (even though it's been wonderful) and my sleep has been really poor! Thanks everyone for the continuing words.

I'm looking forward to a Parched March.
My only very slightly damp February didn't go exactly to plan (not that it was too bad) so I need to do better.
Rather neatly, my birthday is on 28th February so I can have a little drink then, and start in earnest on the 1st March.

I'm still in awe of those of you who've been dry since 1st Jan or before. 😊

I had a 0% Guinness last night - it's really growing on me - absolutely lovely stuff. I'm not a fan of the alcoholic version usually, so either my tastes have evolved, or the AF is actually nicer. I'm finding the same with beer generally.

My damp spell (max 14 units per week) runs to 24th March, but I might carry on to the end of the month. At some point I will need to take the brakes off and see if I can moderate naturally without thinking about it - that's my ultimate goal, and I'd be happy with a couple of bottles of wine per week, spread out over several nights. I'm remembering the quotes about climbing Everest and not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, in case I have to rein it in again. I'm aware that there's a sweet spot, beyond which it does more harm than good.

Happy Parched March to those staying dry, or perhaps 'Temperate Spring' for the moderators 😊

Speaking of doughnuts and junk food, my Dominos based approach to alcohol moderation going forward.... 😋

https://wellitywellness.com/2024/02/27/dry-day58-the-dominos-principle/

End of February!

https://wellitywellness.com/2024/02/29/dry-day-60-end-of-dry-february/

Thanks, Wellity but end of February?
Not quite!
I'd forgotten that this was a leap year and was looking forward to starting my new diet and Parched March regime today, thinking it was March...
I'll start the diet tomorrow then, but will start the dryness now.

Hope other dry and damp people will continue to post to keep me on track 😊

Close enough @HPLikecraft ! 😁

I'm still dry and up for the 90 days! 2nd half of Feb has been a bit tougher though. Roll on Spring

That's brilliant @DJer24 , well done you!

Glad I'll have company!

Hello, I’m still here. So far my only proper alcohol in February has been a drink when out for a meal with food, once a week max.

My “not proper” alcohol has been the low alcohol cider, one bottle spread out over two or three days. I’ve had two of those bottles. I’m not sure about them yet. It tastes ok but makes me feel a bit weird. It’s 0.3 units in a bottle so I don’t think it’s the alcohol. But it’s got potassium something sulphite in, whatever that is so maybe it’s that.

The most successful drink (AF) have been the fevertree elderflower tonic, and the fevertree ginger beer.

I seem to have developed a taste for sugary food though so I need to watch that.

I haven’t tried those @dj24 thanks. I’m still sticking to the AF beer which is ok. Have noticed a few more temptations kicking in, I had a glass in Tuesday then wished I hadn’t and definitely noticed it the ext day, even the one.

I’ve decided I’m not counting it in my dry lent (aka 40 days from Feb 8!) as 1) it was v small and 2) I regretted it as really didn’t enjoy it that much so am not going to let it ruin all my hard work

February ended with me drinking on 14/28 and a total of 40 units. 10 units a week is ok, but it's more than I was hoping for or expecting, and that was with me being pretty mindful (certainly by my usual standards) about what I was drinking and whether I really wanted a particular drink. It also shows that I was probably drinking more than I thought before (when I wasn't measuring/recording). So it's all good, though I do notice that DH (who struggles to leave drink in a bottle for the next day) is probably drinking more because I'm drinking less. If I don't drink at all he will sometimes drink half a bottle and leave the rest, but if I've had a glass and then stopped he's much more likely to finish the rest. Onwards to March. I've set my goal on the app to 8 low risk weeks (ie sub 14/week) and will carry on with that, but will try to ensure no more than 3 nights a week. Hats off to those managing a lot more moderation than that.

Morning all, hope everyone is still on track with their goal, whatever it might be.

Like @pangolinfan , mine is a set number of low risk weeks. I'm on week 3 of 8 (extended from 6). I built up from 6 units in the first week after an extended DJ, 11.5 last week, and on course for about the same this week. So far I've found it really easy, and I've been pondering why this might be after having what I considered, at the very least, to be a strong habit (if not an actual addiction) of drinking 4-5 units nearly every day for a couple of years. Possible factors...

1. Incorporating red wine into the mix. I am satisfied with less of it than is the case with white wine.
2. Massively improved AF options since I last tried to reduce my consumption.
3. Spreading consumption over 4 days rather than 'saving up' units, so my tolerance / appetite haven't had a chance to go back to previous levels.
4. Telling myself I can drink on any night I want to as long as I stick within my limit. I think if I had gone with fixed AF days (as was my original plan), I would have felt stressed and deprived - I don't like being told what to do, even by myself!
5. Understanding the benefits of getting the 'dose' right, in order to reap the benefits of moderate drinking while minimising the risks. I do like a bit of science and data, and the research aspect has been very motivating.

Have good weekends all. I really hope it will stop raining so I can get out for a decent walk. Got soaked yesterday, in the literal sense! 😏

Disappointed in 13/29 dry days for February, but fewer units on the nights we did drink, so better overall.
March needs to improve on that.
It's amazing to still be dry for those who are 👌👏

Ha @Neptunium93 you are spot on - I don't like being told what to do (even when I'm doing the telling) either! Finding the flexibility of the low risk goal helpful (and not sure whether I will stick to my extra goal of 4/7 nights dry- we will see).

I had three glasses of bubbly last night for a celebration, I planned to and I enjoyed it but already it has made me realise how easy it would be to slip back into old habits again. I felt noticeably dehydrated this morning which I think was a good reminder and enough to not make me want to finish the bottle tonight. I’m really conscious I don’t have the taste for it now in the way I used to and that’s the biggest achievement for me. I am questioning whether it was worth breaking my 25 day dry streak over, I think I’ve concluded it probably wasn’t… odd to feel so conflicted!

How is everyone doing?

Lots of stressful issues to deal with at the moment, but I think I have broken the link between feeling bad and drinking to calm down, so stayed dry last night instead of having a half-planned 2.5 units of pinot noir. As @pangolinfan says, the flexibility of the 'low risk' goal is key, but I will try not to drink more later in the week to make up for last night's abstinence.

Speaking of drinking to calm down... I have found that a shot of Sentia with Goodrays as a mixer works very well. (The elderflower one tastes best with it.)

I'm quite enjoying seeing the badges mount up on the Try Dry app. Funny how something like that can be so motivating - my brain must be quite easily pleased! 😉

I'm ok @Neptunium93 . Work has suddenly got much more hectic, and it's been a lot harder to stay the course - though still hanging oin their for now. Work stress a major trigger, and occurs to me now that would never have been able to do DJ and DF had the pressure been on to this degree...

• on in there