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!

Stressful early evening with oldest DS here (final year uni stress coupled with fact he's just realised he's missed an appointment he was supposed to have attended today) and for a few moments I was very very tempted. I have an open bottle of a favourite white wine left in the fridge after NYE and it would be so easy to just cave.

I haven't, though, which I'm proud of. Hoping I've passed the witching hour now.

Well done @FlyingPandas 👏

I tried a CBD drink tonight, really enjoyed the taste on it. Not sure if it helped relax me or not but preferred it to a soft drink. Now a cup of de caf tea before bed.

Off to bed now, feeling very smug for not drinking 😂

I forgot to tell you all-I put the recycling out this evening and was horrified at the amount of wine bottles in the glass box.

When the cravings hit earlier, that’s what I thought of. I was so disgusted. I was half tempted to try and hide it from the neighbours, but needed to put it on the pavement to be collected in the morning.

In bed and didn’t drink, despite getting the usual Friday night cravings after leaving work. The post by @SereneCapybara about reframing things to see the positives of not drinking really helped, so thanks for that. Three days and counting.

Just catching up on the day's posts and can see how 'in the moment' anxiety about cravings have, in real time, passed and now lots of us are post the witching hour and that is day 3 finished.
Sleep well.

I'm in the "no clue what day it is" club too, so I'm not feeling Friday cravings either. Plus, I was drinking pretty much every night, so there's that too.

Late getting to sleep again last night, but that's probably partly due to sleeping late-ish in the mornings, around 8.30am most days over Christmas. However, this morning I woke at 6.30, and although I was tired and would have liked to turn over and go back to sleep, I didn't. I had a cup of tea in bed, and then got up to do some work. <Smug face, but also shouldn't have left it this late and then I wouldn't have had to face.>

Dinner out with the kids and DP this evening, but at a cheap & cheerful family restaurant type place, not a fancy grown up date type place. I drove, so no temptation there. I've got my Apple Loves Mint tea, and I'm going to try my best to be in bed by 11.30.

Well done everyone.

Day 3 complete but it was an easy one as I had plans that involved driving so I knew I'd not be drinking tonight. Kind of dreading tomorrow as Saturday night is always relaxation night and Sunday is forecast rain all day which is a perfect reason to stay home and be lazy. Usually it would be prime drink time but I'm going to have a can of Trip and try to stay strong!

In bed, nice relaxing evening, after about 8.30pm any craving or thought of a glass of wine was gone. I think this thread will really help me, was nice to read that other people were having a little wobble and overcame it. Sleep really well everyone, looking forward to waking nice and fresh in the morning 🙌🏻

Another day done, I did think about having a drink but didn’t want to fail on day three!

Onwards and upwards, hoping I can get through the weekend. I think I can! 🤔

Day 3 done, post work chill treat was Cola Zero. Box of gifted Thorntons open with a cup of tea. Was up at 6 am second day running to go to the gym and so much easier to get up without dry mouth and foggy head. Sorted loads of personal admin and completed 3 pages of my beautiful colouring book while listening to podcast in the evening. I do not like tiny detail colouring like mandalas but enjoy bigger shapes. Julia Moore fashion books are perfect, and also I get to enjoy fashion without spending money, fuelled by intoxicated carelessness. Also updated Whering wardrobe planner app with gifted items for Christmas. I don’t think I will ever drink other than on birthdays and major celebrations. The evenings are so much more productive and interesting. Face de puffed, even hair looks shinier. 😂 Good luck for Saturday!

Still can't shake my horrible cough and was so tempted to reach for the wine but ŕesisted hurrah!

Discovered M and S sparkling presse - elderflower one is lovely but the ginger and Mexican lime has that tang of a grown up drink! About £3 or a bit under for a large glass bottle. Highly recommend

I find you still need a glass of something special to look forward to - just non alcoholic. I like Vimto with ice or a Virgin Mary with lemon and tabasco or if I feel stressed and want the kick of alcohol, a zero alcohol beer works - they taste so good you trick your mind into thinking it's real.

No craving for booze yet but the sugar craving kicked in and I ate an entire bar of berry nougat while binge watching Missing You. Not quite the healthy evening I had planned. But I did go for a hill walk this morning and stayed off the booze.

Woohoo, Day 3 over!

We are now

10%

of the way through DJ2025!

Actually, it's 9.67% but I was feeling generous so I rounded it up. We'll hit the real 10% mark as we sleep!

Well done you wonderful, strong dry people 💪💪

Checking in to say day 3 completed and I had no thoughts of drinking alcohol at all. Well done to the people who had cravings and got through them. 28 days to go.. one day at a time.

Late finding the thread so hoping I can still join. On the 1st I poured out my leftover wine and haven’t had anything since. Tried sober October but 3 weeks in we had to put our kitten to sleep and I turned to the wine, hoping to do better this time.

I'm afraid I started late as I caved to an open bottle on the very first evening, 😡. Upside is it's made me even more determined to succeed from now on. The recycling was collected yesterday, so I keep visualising the bin staying bottle free. Was a long evening last night but I am now hopefully on track.

That’s so sad, I’m sorry to read that. 😓
Good luck this time. We managed day 2, and my sleep score from my Garmin is 93! I think that is the highest I have ever seen it!

Morning all!
A successful AF day yesterday and 1.5lbs down. I’m trying to lose weight for a holiday next month, so pleased with that. Trying to limit myself to 1 AF beer a day and fill up on tea and water. Still finishing off the Christmas chocolates, so should be better next week.
Off to the gym this morning. A Saturday exercise class without a hangover will be a novelty!

Morning all. Day five for me. I always rejoice when I wake up with no hangover. Slept well. Was out for a meal last night but wasn't even tempted! Definitely remember more of the night and what people said but wasn't even tempted quieter. Didn't have a worse time either than if I was drinking and so worth it for the feeling this morning.
Hope everyone is doing ok today.

We need to ask MN HG for a Well Done React button! May be we should have another thread with ideas on what it should look like?

Morning! Slept better but still not amazing. Out for dinner tonight in a gastropub… going to drive so not tempted as in the sticks and I never have even one if driving.

if we can all get through weekend, next week will be so easy!!

I didn’t cave and feel very proud today that I had a sober Friday, I actually can’t remember my last sober Friday.

Im going to take my clear head and rested body to John Lewis to spend my Xmas gift vouchers as a reward.

One problem….Im substituting with snacking, can’t be doing that. I have 10lbs to loose!