DRY JANUARY 2025! Join us for a healthier start to the year! All welcome 🥤☕️🧋

[HPLikecraft]

It’s that time of year again!
If you need a detox, to lose weight, to be healthier, to undo some seasonal overindulgence, to sleep better, to look better, to have healthier skin, to save money, boost liver function, improve your memory, or to decrease your likelihood of dying earlier of various nasty illnesses (sorry for the sudden hard ball!) then you’ve come to the right place!

The MN DJ2025 Chat thread is for anyone who wants to reset their relationship with alcohol; whether you’re a weekend tippler or a problem heavier drinker.
This is a friendly, non-judgmental thread where we support and encourage each other, exchange ideas and information, share alcohol-free drinks recommendations etc.

Hopefully we’ll have some fun along the way. Please hop aboard the good ship DJ 2025, everyone welcome!

I'm in.
I started a day late - so I'm a day behind most of you!
I started dry January for the first time a couple of years ago and went through until March - when a holiday derailed me.
I'm aiming for no pressure, no expectation -but just to remind myself how good it felt, how much money I saved and how much better my house looked!

Can you plan a health evening? Online yoga, deep bath, wash and condition hair, give yourself a pedicure, a facial and then brew some fruit tea and also get a glass of sparkling cordial on standby (I find having a few non alcoholic drinks lined up and looking lovely can help) and get a notebook out, and journal about why you want to do Dry Jan and how much you love the effects of it.

I never lose a pound during Dry Jan, but I gain evening energy. Normally I am comatose in front of the TV by 8pm but in Dry Jan I skip off and write or read or even tidy the house at night. I love that evening energy. Finding the pluses, so you don;t feel you're denying yourself, but gaining something great is helpful.

As are very nice soft drinks - fancy teas, cordials with sparkling water and loads of ice, sprigs of mint or slices of fruit, even fizzy vitamins. The berry Berocca is good .

I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror and my face wasn't puffy. Went for a long walk in the sunshine yesterday too, so that might be part of it, but it felt good to see a more youthful face that didn't need cold and hot water splashed onto it, and creams massaged in before it looked awake.

I had a fantastic 9 hour sleep last night! It was wonderful, particularly as the night before was so terrible. Just played tennis again (indoors 😬) and am about to have a lovely long soak in the bath. Oddbird fizz planned for tonight, plus some slimline tonic. Maybe I’m imagining it, but im sure my skin is looking better already, and I definitely have more energy. Hoping to go back to an abandoned crochet project tonight 😊.

Good luck to those feeling challenged tonight.

I am feeling very positive about this evening. I have no wine in the house, apart from a bottle of champagne which is not in the fridge, and a half bottle of port, but no cheese.
Also planning to crochet this evening.

OH isn’t doing DJ so it’ll be hard when he’s enjoying a drink later. However, nearly time to open my Kylie pretend pink Prosecco so cheers to that! And happy weekend, everyone 🥳

One in ten people quit DJ by 3 Jan

Puts it into perspective that we are doing well, let’s not be one of those ten per cent!

Which means 9 out of 10 carry on duty DJ which is fantastic

Thank you so much for the advice and support everyone.
The craving has passed, so I know I’ll be fine for the rest of the evening now. If I’m going to start drinking, it’s always when I’m cooking dinner or eating dinner.
I made another early dinner tonight and drank a can of Dr Pepper. Not healthy, but nor is wine.
Phew! I feel so pleased with myself, and very appreciative for your help earlier.

Just that time of day I look forward to a glass of something. Going to drink a load of water then have a bath to distract myself a bit!

@Bookaholic73 great job 💪 Enjoy that Dr Pepper!

I’m in too - started on 30 Jan but have just found this thread. The first days were easy suprisingly but after 2 days back at work, I’m struggling to not have the usual glass or 2 of red wine after work “to relax and switch off”. Think I am more dependent on alcohol than I realised!

I don’t like it because I can’t get the cork out and having to wait for OH to get home with his strong manly hands 😖🤣

Haha, text him to hurry up if I were you 😂

Oh no! I hope it's worth the wait 🤞

Well, fortunately DH did go out and buy nice tonic waters, AND I got out of work early and got some CBD drinks from Sainsbury's to try.

I drank rhubarb and something tonic in the hot tub while DH and DS had a beer, outdoors in the dark at 0 degrees but a beautiful crisp evening; my 'window' isn't closed for a Friday evening but I'm not fighting with myself at the moment!

I ordered 'The Unexpected Joy...' book second hand today, very casually alerting my family that ' a couple of books were coming as I am getting back into reading', but DS asked what they were! 😬 I said 'recipe books'...

Anyway, DH will cook dinner and I'll drink a CBD watching Traitors later...

Good luck everyone! Keep it up!

I’m not feeling a Friday craving as my brain still doesn’t know what day it is. I kept thinking New Years Day was Monday. I don’t drink during week so I am in the clear tonight I think.

Keep going everyone!

Actually it’s really nice! OH had bought raspberries so I popped one in and it feels quite special! Much drier than I thought it would be and nice bubbles.

I am listening to The Sober Diaries audiobook whilst cleaning up after dinner. It’s good!

Phew! Good idea to add the raspberry too. Enjoy!

Checking in - past the wine o clock hour for me so very thankful that I’ve managed it. Just enjoying a cup of tea and shortbread reading a very cosy book - The Wintering by Katherine May, highly recommend.

We had homemade soup and cheese toasties tonight which was not our usual Friday night dinner and not something I would crave wine with so worked brilliantly!

Excited to wake up early tomorrow with a clear head.

My lovely DH brought me an AF Brewdog chilled from the fridge. He also had one and has decided to join me bar the weekend away with his dad that has been planned for ages. Feels good to be doing it together (mostly!)

So much inspiration and good ideas here. 2 days in for me. I have been looking at some of the resources here (also have the book) and they look good, may be of interest to others…
thisnakedmind.com/

I think it helps that DH kicked the drinking too - he hadn’t had a drink since!

I have got a virus that just won't quit. I thought I was getting to the end of it but it seems to be getting worse again. The only upside is that I really do not feel like drinking. I think there's a tiny amount of alcohol in Nightnurse but I'm definitely having some of that later.
Also, it doesn't really feel like Friday night because no-one here is back at work yet. It's been Friday for at least a week