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 finding DJ is dragging on a bit this year, but then we are coming up to the first anniversary of my mother's death and it's just very much on my mind and I feel out of sorts. Definitely not my usual cheerful self. So it's confusing.

I am feeling NONE of the benefits of not drinking alcohol, not a single one! (oh except I suppose more money but I haven't really calculated that or noticed a difference in the bank account). I spent some of that saved money on an £8 bottle of Martini Vivante which has just arrived with my shopping delivery this morning. Will report back.

Anyway, onwards. I haven't thought about 1st February yet. Am finding everyone else's posts so interesting to read, as always!

Eek, with all this talk of February I went back on my app and looked at what happening Feb 2024 after I did DJ. I drank 30 units in the first 3 days of Feb, and 97 units across the whole month. It’s my DP’s birthday 1 Feb - last year was a milestone one - and we went out for a meal and had one of those tasting menus with matched wines and probably started with a G&T, then went straight on a weekend away so lunchtime and evening drinking both days. Ooops.

I will go back to drinking after this DJ too. But I know this year will be different. We are off to the theatre for his birthday instead of dinner so possibly a pre drink and interval drink only. And no weekend away, instead 2 Feb is a Sunday and I won’t drink Sunday to Thursday. So moderating looking more promising in 2025 already!

Oh the irony, @Fordian !

I'm on day 8 here and actually finding it pretty easy which I'm really relieved about. It's taken me longer to get to sleep, but I've then been sleeping through the night which is great.

I'm particularly pleased with the fact that I've been snowed in and WFH all week and haven't turned to all the leftover Xmas booze. Kind of shocked I haven't actually.

Day 8 for me. Interesting the chat about the 1st of February which unfortunately falls on a Saturday! Rather than excited about that which I would have been previous years and would have happily sunk lots of red wine it’s actually making me feel more nervous and panicky. I’m determined not to go straight back on it. I’m feeling so much better without the constant noise in my head moderation brings. I’m trying to really absorb myself with sobriety podcasts, books and social media and enjoying being at home.

Day 8 for me and still finding it surprisingly easy

I get my trigger when cooking tea but it passes

Im not looking towards anything further than today. I have chosen not to drink today

Exactly the same with me. I'm so far okay with not having wine available too. Like some, cooking the tea after a long day is my trigger to have a glass of wine, in my case. After tea, no desire and I don't feel the need during our regular meal. However, we are leaving soon for a family birthday and the wine carafe will be stationed within easy reach of my usual place at the host's table; oh wish me luck! First wine I'll have been near since NYE!

Day 8 for me & going pretty well although I have been spending the week away for work in a very remote area with no access to booze. Have been travelling all day today & now have 3 hours to kill at the airport and I’m trying to ignore the siren call of the airport bar. Instead I’m sitting with a peppermint tea & a can of kombucha

Day 9 for me. Blimey! As I said before, it's been quite a revelation to see how much my desire for wine (I don't really drink anything else) is driven by wanting to block out uncomfortable emotions, rather than just sitting with them. And I thought I just really liked wine! (I do).

Well done everyone for getting this far. Another win for me is that I am not suffering from acid reflux anymore. I get this with wine, so I think I may have to give it up for good. Will have to think about that.

Tough day today with my toddler running rings around me. Feeling drained and stressed and could easily have a drink tonight. I won't, a Trip drink will have to do. Not sure if my resolve will stick tomorrow.

I've still got booze in the house left from Christmas so I'm glad I haven't caved before now!

Day 11 for me, now its getting tough. Got through my birthday with a lot of planning & determination which felt great, I thought I can do this! - but now end of January feels like a long way off. I also feel terrible, am getting migraines which I never normally get and am just out of sorts most of the time. Maybe it is my body de-toxing? I hope the next week gets easier.

@Fordian

Oh that's tough having to get up for the loo three times!

I might keep up with the teas but limit myself to none after 9pm.

Yes I'm going to try with the no drinks after a certain time. I think the problem was I was getting into bed with a big mug of tea whereas I would never have wine in bed!

I quite like hot water too in the mornings - sometimes I'll add a teeny dash of lime juice.

Not drinking tonight but very bored and flat at home. The evening is dragging majorly.

I don't have any wine in but loads of other Christmas booze. I'm not remotely tempted by any of it though.

I might just stop buying wine after DJ or DFeb.

If I had no access to wine I’d happily never drink alcohol again - house could be stuffed to the gills with beers and spirits and even red wine and I would not be remotely tempted!

Not having white or rose wine in the house would be a sensible option for me but at the same time I find it hard to imagine a world where I never drink either of them again…Oh I don’t know!

Onwards anyway. I didn’t even think about a glass of wine this evening (traditionally Thursday night is always a wine night here as it feels like the start of the weekend) so I’m taking that as a win.

@BurntBroccoli wine is my vice as well, other drinks just don't have the same appeal at all!

At the moment, I have 3 bottles of wine, a bottle of prosecco, a bottle of champagne, gin and beers and thankfully none of them have been calling to me which is great. The one I have given a second glance to though is the bottle of Baileys... nothing like a Baileys coffee when it's snowy outside... but I'm abstaining!!!

Made it through the evening with a couple of non-alcoholic beers. Relief. Just had a bath and now in bed. 9pm is quite early for me, but sitting downstairs without wine just wasn’t much fun.

I liked this article on what days you will notice differences, etc:

www.priorygroup.com/media-centre/priory-expert-shares-the-key-dates-of-dry-january

Dropped off the thread for the weekdays but hopping back on again as I think tomorrow will be tough without wine! Friday is my wine day and it’s been a long day at work. Had a couple of CBD drinks tonight and I do seriously notice that they help me relax.

Thanks so much for sharing this @newme2025 🙏 This is really insightful

Checking in for day 9. I had some bad news earlier in the week and almost caved...but didn't. I'm determined to see this through and hopefully beyond January.

Keep going, everyone!

Day 8 done. Stress at work but I went for a walk, had a cry and a biscuit, craved a glass of wine but also knew I would be annoyed with myself and stress even more, so abstained. Happy Friday almost!

Day 9. As @LindorDoubleChoc says, hoping to feel some benefits other than to my bank balance!

My sleep probably is improving but I am really tired. I possibly wrecked tonight's sleep by accidentally dozing at 6pm 🙄 and I get up 2-3 times a night for a wee, I often wake up with a mild headache. I'm eating too many sweet things to compensate for the lack of wine, so I haven't lost any weight! And my evenings draaaag. I'm usually too tired to embark on any hobbies if I've been at work all day (I am bank, so random hours and days).

Bit of a litany of woe, isn't it?!

However, I am very much going to try to see DJ out. My drinking was definitely getting out of hand. Not the 'oh god, what did I say??' level, but forgetting the rules of board games, fuzzy memory of going to actual bed, that sort of thing. I do need to pull that back but I do need to see some tangible benefits, longer term!