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!

If you are craving sugar during DJ, consider if you may have thrush. For me it always comes on over Xmas due to excessive consumption of both alchemy turning into sugar and sweet stuff itself. Thrush bacteria thrive on sugar and when I get strong cravings, even without other symptoms, I check for thrush, take a table and it all clears pretty much after 24 hours.

On a brighter side, got up at 6 am and did 45 mins in the gym, fresh as a daisy. Expected it to be busy, but it was very quiet. Have a great day, all. 🌷🌷🌷

I've given up alcohol as part of a serious health kick up the bum, so that's been the easy part but I do miss the 'buzz' of the second drink, can anyone recommend a herbal drink that can replicate it even slightly?

The trip cpd drinks do it for me- it may be entirely place by, but I feel pleasantly mellow when I have one, especially if I put it in a prosecco flute!

Despite giving myself a pass for NYD so I could have wine with our nice meal, I didn’t drink yesterday! I have a tracker in my new 2025 planner, it felt good to colour in yesterday’s box green!

I’m substituting with tonic water, cherry and soda water and diet cola. All served in proper grown up glasses to feel like a treat!

I always drink with NYD meal so I'm starting dry january today, which is slightly cheating, but better than a wet month!

So yesterday was ok, I had a pang about 5ish but had a biscuit instead! To mark my days I'm colouring in a beach pebble with some posca pens I got for Christmas as I think I'll enjoy doing that!

Sending AF vibes to everyone too 🙌

I'm in. Have been drinking way too much and also need to lose weight. Will start with Dry January and take it from there.

Feeling much fresher today after getting a decent night’s sleep. Struggling a bit with low mood with it being the first day back, but knowing that I didn’t drink yesterday helps a lot. Here’s to day two.

Funnily enough I slept worse last night than usual, kept waking but sent myself back off each time with an audio book.

I also weighed myself this morning (I know… daily weighing is not a great idea) and was 2.5lbs HEAVIER than yesterday. Didn’t drink or eat badly and I did 12k steps, and drank 2L water. So I must have been very dehydrated on New Years Day!

Well, I've been struck down with the most awful ear infection, so I genuinely now have antibiotics 🙈 good job I'm doing dry January!

I'm a poor sleeper, so it's not unusual for me to wake at 7-8, then go back to sleep for an hour/hour and a half (I'm semi-retired) but I did have a particularly weird dream this morning!

I'm starting today and looking forward to the reset.

I went to bed last night with a dreadful headache and feeling nauseous. You'd think that would be more likely with alcohol rather than without. But woke up today feeling much better and determined to complete day 2 alcohol free.

And i did actually have a very vivid, very lovely dream last night.

I was planning to give up buying coffee this year too, but I bought one this morning for a cheer-up on the first day back.

Just bought 'This Naked Mind'. Annoyingly I had to set up a whole new eBay account separate from the 'family' one which was a hassle as I'm not publicising my DJ to my family.

Any other books?

I am surprised I couldn't find it in the local library catalogue, though.

This really resonates, I have the same thing with relatives we regularly stay with.

Also completely agree with not wanting the kids to think alcohol is automatic.

VictorianScreenTime - do you think your parents will be supportive of your efforts or are they likely to try to derail you?
It might help to think about what you'll say when the subject comes up.
I tend to think that it's easier to tell people that you are doing Dry January than it is to have a wider discussion about moderating drinking. It can be quite challenging for others and they can feel judged but the time-limited nature of DJ can also make it easier for some people to be supportive became they are not concerned that it's a permanent change.

Yesterday was fine, I wasn't tempted at all, even though there is an open bottle of Baileys in the fridge. I'm just so over booze, and I didn't even really overdo it at any point.

I'm not kidding myself that it's going to stay this way though, I've put a couple of bottles of AF wine on my next shopping delivery.

I didn't dream at all last night, but I took a sleeping pill as I was still struggling to fall asleep at 2am. I'm actually looking forward to my dreams retuning. Some might think it a bit woo, but I've often had insights through dreams, into real life situations. I don't tend to dream when I've had a drink, and I could really use some helpful dreams at the minute.

Hey everyone, hope DJ is going well for you all.
Another evening beckons... stay busy and focussed on something. Idle minds and hands think about and reach for booze!
It's not easy, but each new dry day is another achievement.

At the end of today, we will 6.4% of the way through Dry January. Doesn't sound much, but it soon racks up.

Stay with us, stay strong, and try to post when you can. If you slip up start again.

We can do this 💪💪

A good day. No thoughts of a glass of wine at all. Gone through fridge, pantry etc and binned everything out of date or that nobody is going to eat etc. caught up on laundry and even a bit of work.
Even if I sleep badly I feel better in morning than I would have done if I'd drunk if that makes sense and I'm just more productive. Long may this last (though I know it won't be that easy)

Good day here so far, despite horrendous period pain. I was going to schlep into the office but the bad weather put me off and I’m so glad I worked from home. Have spent a bit of time with DC, made them supper and now having a bath to ease my weary stomach / thighs / back.

Not bothered about not drinking today, hoping that feeling will stay with me tomorrow evening as well! Well done everyone for today, we’ve got this!

Last night was okay for me, though I slept badly. It all feels a bit miserable at the moment but I know I can do it.

Another person who slept terribly last night. I’m so tired! But I know from previous DJ attempts, the sleeplessness doesn’t last forever.

I went straight to the gym at 5pm (my trigger time) and not long got home. No temptations at all tonight. Just fancy a drink of lime and mint robinsons cordial. 👍

Had no problem staying AF last night. I had a couple of glasses of my Oddbird, and then just sparkling water with a slice of lime. My only cravings were for chocolate, which I limited to one After Eight. I slept quite badly, which is normal for me when I go AF – I think my brain was still pumping out stimulants to counter the depressant effects of the alcohol it was expecting, and it will take it a while to realise that it's not getting any!

I played tennis earlier, and feel like I could sleep for a week, so I hope to have a better night tonight.

DH isn't doing DJ so I expect he will be drinking in front of me tonight. Fortunately his tipple is red wine and whisky, and I don't drink either, so no real temptation.

I'm really intrigued to see what changes I will notice. Stay strong this evening, everyone! 💪💪

Struggling more today because I feel good and weirdly seem to cope better with no drinking when ill/hungover. When I feel good it seems like the obvious choice is to have a drink. I have some CBD drinks in the fridge (probably from last dry January!) which I will try tonight when the dc are in bed. Does anyone rate them?