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 managed 100 days alcohol free in 2024. My birthday was my downfall unfortunately. Would love to be alcohol free long term now as alcohol just doesn't agree with me for many reasons.

Afternoon all, yesterday was my first sober new years eve in as long as I can remember. So nice to wake up fresh. And I have a bottle of alcohol free prosecco for later if I crave bad. I am stocked up with af alternatives. Happy new year all.

Happy New Year all! Please may I join? Day 1 for me!

I'm excited! I've just had a huge bowl of fresh veg soup- feels like the first veg I've eaten in a month that hasn't been accompanied by cheese sauce and wine.

I did until mid Feb last year, and after I got over the sugar cravings and sleep issues (booze is my go to knockout plan), I felt great. No idea why I started again, but I now feel hideous.

I found magnesium really good for helping with the insomnia if anyone else struggles.

Joining the Dry January crew feeling hungover after New Year’s Eve celebrations yesterday. My drinking has got way out of control in recent years and I think 2024 was my worst year ever. I’ve been regularly drinking a bottle of wine a day, sometimes more. I feel sluggish, bloated, irritable, depressed, exhausted and generally just awful. I’m signing up to DJ because I want a fresh start and to reset my relationship with alcohol.

Just checking in to say Happy New Sober Year to everyone! I told my dh I was planning DJ and he said he would join me which is great news as we are both in that 'sit down and have a drink at the end of the day' routine so this would help me a lot.

Remember the first week is the worst!

Checking in! I was on last year's thread, which was fabulous, and I ended up doing 100+ days, including an AF holiday. Prior to that I'd probably had very few AF days in my adult life, and relate to the person who said it was a big part of their personality.

I slipped from around Easter after seeing boozy rellies who bought and left an incredible amount of alcohol, and a boozy summer followed. Attempted another AF period before Xmas, plenty of days completed but wasn't quite so successful as last time. Christmas has been fairly boozy, especially the last week or so, so I really need this. However I don't think I'll ever go back to drinking as much as I used to before, and I really credit that to last year's Dry Jan and a couple of the other alcohol threads I'd been reading prior to that. So thank you for paying that original favour on OP!

The best thing last time was the improvement in sleep quality. I need to get back into my old routine. I'll be on the Goodrays cbd drinks too, whoever mentioned them! Love them. I am definitely someone that needs some sort of treat drink.

I'd love to join too, please. HNY to all and thank you @HPLikecraft for starting the thread!

Have done DJ the last few years but every year my drinking creeps back up again afterwards. I'm another habitual wine drinker - only ever white or rose, but far too much of both and far too easy to fall into the habit of drinking every day and I get through bottles and bottles of it. Partly to deal with stress, partly out of habit, partly because I just love the taste.

2024 was tough. My young adult DC is really struggling, and this is likely to continue, and wine is both my tool to help me deal with emotional stress, and my 'reward' at the end of a difficult day. My attitude to alcohol needs to change.

Aiming to try and stretch DJ to the February half term - I have done this previously and found that once I have gone beyond a month AF I feel noticeably better...

Favourite AF drink here is Folkingtons - sparkling elderflower presse or lemon and mint presse (you can buy both via Amazon). Put them in a nice tumbler with plenty of ice and it feels like an actual treat.

Looking forward to sharing the journey with you all.

@flyingpandas This totally resonates with me. Teen also had a very difficult year. I feel like I've spent a long time pulling out chunks of myself to plug the gaps of others, then filling those holes with booze as a stress relief, a reward and as sanctuary.
I feel very 'empty' right now and am looking forward to finding different ways to feel whole again.

@dryAF I remember you from last year. You were a tremendous inspiration. I fell off the wagon long before you, hoping to stay stronger for longer this year ❤

It’s so miserable out there - makes it hard to resist pouring a glass of red wine. My hangover is awful though and I’m back to work tomorrow.

@glindathegoodbitch yup, you've just about nailed it. Sorry to hear of your similar struggles.

Before Christmas a friend said to me "and what nice things have you got planned, you know, nice things just for you, over the holidays?" And I realised that most days, the only nice thing I truly do 'just for me' is to drink wine. The rest of my life revolves around work or sorting out house or supporting DC.

We need to find different 'nice things' to do!

I'll join in!

I'm not a big drinker anyway, drink a couple of times a month and even then just 1-2 glasses of wine but DH is doing dry January for the first time so I want to support him.

He's not a massive drinker, but usually has a can of beer more days of the week than not. He also wants to lose weight so I think it'll help. He ditched drink a few years back for 6 months and lost 4 stone!

I’ve just been to the gym (it was heaving!). I didn’t really feel like it, as DH and I did rather tie one on last night partying at home on our own, but I forced myself and now feel much better. Empowered even! I came back and had a protein shake, I’m starting as I mean to go on! I’ve downloaded the Dry January app as well.

I woke up with a migraine on New Year's Eve. My medication took care of it but it did make it easy for me to see in the New Year completely sober. No significant headache pain today but still have that slight niggle that lets me know that alcohol would be a super bad idea.

Dd2 had bad news about a job application yesterday. She has AuDHD and I feel her struggles so deeply. Without that migraine I would likely have overindulged. She has a challenging few months ahead and it's going to be hard not to quell my own anxieties with wine.

I love hearing that others who have tried this before felt that their sleep improved. I would love to improve the quality of my sleep and find that pretty motivating.

I've roped my DH into DJ. Told him I was going to start tomorrow (see earlier post about half a bottle of champagne in fridge), and bless him he's starting today. Feeling slightly guilty about that champagne now, but it cost quite a bit and I hate waste! Well done to you all for starting today. I'll be joining you tomorrow - I promise! x

Joining

I feel so depressed. The first day of January is so bleak and the weather is dismal.

The thing is, I’ve done nothing whatsoever today - just slobbed around feeling sorry for myself. It’s because I’m so hungover that I cannot face doing anything, even though the house is a tip and I need to get organised for work tomorrow. I hate feeling like this!

Be kind to yourself. It’s completely acceptable to slob around when you have a hangover. The hangxiety is real. Just think how much better you’ll feel tomorrow and more able to face work with 1 day AF under your belt.

Count me in too. Was a bit worried that virtually all the nearest and dearest got me booze. Still it will keep.

I feel like I've spent a long time pulling out chunks of myself to plug the gaps of others, then filling those holes with booze as a stress relief, a reward and as sanctuary.

what an eloquent and expressive point of view.

Joining too after an excessive festive period. Poured a bottle of red down the sink this morning. Looking forward to some decent sleep and skin!

I had a bit of Bellini left over, so am officially starting tomorrow.

Last night, I was all upbeat about today. Weather has been awful, it still feels like a drag.

Wow that's how I feel. I have an autistic/ADHD child who has significant complex support needs, my middle child on the waitlist for neurodevelopmental assessment who also struggles and feel like I am constantly plugging the gaps for them and fighting for the right help but there is nothing left for me. I am so burnt out advocating for my kids I can't do it for myself and drink😟. We have no support from family either which makes it worse. They would watch us drown rather than offer a hand to help.

Which DJ app are people using?