DRY Another Day! Dry January 2025 thread #2.

[TheYeaSayer]

Here it is folks, let’s carry on keeping it dry.

Are we there yet?
Nearly… there is a little pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel.

We can do this! 💪💪

New thread let's go!

I'm a problem drinker between the hours of 6pm and 8pm (I never carry on drinking after dinner unless I'm out for dinner and even then I quite often stop when the food arrives) and when I write it down like that it honestly seems like something I should be able to control.

Dry January for me has been (and is always) fine, fine, fine all day. 6pm quite a strong desire to drink wine which lasts on and off for a couple of hours, then fine, fine, fine again.

I'm going to do damp February. I think my own personal new rule will be more non-drinking days per month than drinking days. So in February it will be 15 dry days, in March 17 dry days, April 16 dry days etc. This is just an experiment for now, one day I might ditch alcohol altogether, who knows.

Anyway - well done everyone on getting this far! Just over a week to go .

Thanks for the new thread! I have also been thinking about February now it seems a bit more within reach.

I think my damp February goals will be:

• 3 to 4 dry days a week minimum
• average within 14 units a week for the month
• don’t drink at home on my own
• don’t drink more than 10 units in any one day

I’ve mentioned before that I have been using the Try Dry app consistently for a year. So I have last Februarys data, and month to month all year I want to have drunk fewer units than the equivalent month the year before.

That’ll do me nicely. Though oddly I might find it harder than Dry Jan.

Checking in.

@Addictforanex that app sounds really interesting.

I'm planning on staying dry beyond Jan 31st - but would like to look at ways to manage any future alcohol consumption - just don't want to go back to it being a habit.

Day 26 for me. I haven't been well recently but at least I know it's not alcohol causing it.

That sounds doable.

Some people say moderation is harder for them than abstinence; I intend doing a Damp Feb if only to see if I can moderate or whether I have to stop!

Checking in! Enjoying it being the home stretch. Also enjoying the glorious sleep and how having it interrupted doesn’t lead to trying not to behave like the dead eyed zombie I might feel I am a
the morning after a bottle of wine. Was roused twice in the night last night and no problem getting back to sleep and no tiredness to speak of.

Yes my sleep has been really good for 4 nights now! Seem to be getting a 6 hour stretch which is great for me.

Just checking in for the follow. Also to say I've had a really stressful day and my automatic thought is still "wish I could have a drink" to ease the stress. Huh. I have no choice but to abstain due to money this month, but I also take that as a sign that I need a different coping mechanism.

I was noticing I do much less random food shopping at the moment- I think I used to justify popping in for a bottle of wine and bought rando snacks or food for the kids as well..!

In Damp Feb/ life, I'd like to not drink MTWTh and Sunday. So two days a week with booze. Not sure if it's doable...

@Addictforanex I have a problem with the rule 'don't drink at home alone' as it's just me 😆 well, me and 3 kids- can I count them please?!

Once before, as a lone drinker, I've tried those mini bottles of wine as a way to moderate my evening drinks. I'd get a Prosecco one and a white one and have them of an evening because I was wellying through larger bottles at the time- and then if some was left on a day when I was intending to not drink I'd always just finish it off... I might try them again although it feels like then I'm admitting I have no boundaries! The thing is, on your own, you're basically committing to drinking half a bottle a night on the two nights you plan to drink 🤣

Thanks for the new thread OP. Struggling on through another flat and rather boring evening here. I must admit, I’m looking forward to mixing it up a bit in February - drinking three or four nights a week perhaps, rather than none at all. I’m hoping this will be the last DJ I ever do as I’ll have gotten my drinking under control to the extent I don’t need to do it again. I do enjoy the benefits of DJ but also find it extremely hard!

Woohoo, new thread!

I've been thinking about Damp February - with me a lot of my drinking is habit, quite often as an easy way to wind down and relax. What I've proved to myself during DJ is that I can get through a lot of different situations without reverting to a glass of wine or a stiff gin if I really try, and actually its not that bad - so I'd like to carry on with that, and basically cut out all those drinks except for moderate social drinking with friends/family and/or moderate drinks at home on Friday/Saturday nights when I'm not out. The hardest will probably be not having a drink (or two) on Sunday night (which I've done for years) but I'll have to keep reminding myself that feeling great on a Monday morning is a worthwhile result. I might allow myself a drink on Sunday lunchtime instead - especially in the summer when it's rather nice.

Checking in to the new thread.

I'm also thinking about Feb and onwards, I can usually keep fairly on track with alcohol free days until May and then things slowly deteriorate through the year.

but for now, 23 days down.

and thank you @TheYeaSayer @hplikecraft
as I found the 2023 and 2024 threads saved. I’m a shocking lurker so likely never posted but they definitely helped 🙏

Joining the new thread, thank you OP.
Still AF. No plan for February but will probably continue as is because moderation is an unachievable position for me. It starts OK but not for long. A long AF run is just easier because I have less/no cravings. If I drink it is then an uphill struggle to get back to AF.
Delighted to see how others are rethinking what they will do.
Anyway, back to the here and now and Day 23 is over for me. Night all.

Oops, sorry folks, I forgot to don my HPLikecraft cloak before starting this thread! HP is my better, dryer self that I always DJ with for continuity!
I assure you I am still your original OP. Silly me!

Anyway, today’s big news is that we’re less than two hours away from 75% mark. That comes shortly before 10 am. This is the silver award checkpoint. Please come and check in.

I’m so pleased you’re still all here.

💪💪

Hi @lacksomjam glad you finally popped out to say hello!

So glad the threads have helped you. 🙂

75% (almost). Hurrah!

I stepped on the scales this morning and have lost 6lb - very pleased with that.

I’m feeling quite apprehensive about another weekend - just trying to keep in mind that I have got through 3 already so I CAN do one more.

Morning all, and thanks for the new thread. Still dry here, and actually not really thinking about drinking most of the time.

There may be some alcohol in my Damp February, but I'm reluctant to assign a "rule" because it becomes self-fulfilling. "I'll only drink on Fridays and Saturdays" becomes "I will definitely drink on Fridays and Saturdays."

My Damp Feb plan is to continue to improve my overall health. So more exercise, better food, and less sugar. I'm generally pretty good with food, I like to cook, and avoid sugary things. However, I have let things slide over Christmas, so really I'm just getting back on track. I don't exercise enough though, so I want to increase that. There will likely be some alcohol at some point, but I don't want it to be enough to derail my progress.

Forgot to add, I won't be buying bottles of wine or Prosecco. Because, as a PP said, once I open it, I'm committing to drinking half a bottle, and then another half a bottle the next night.

I like the cans of pink gin & tonic. They are weaker than the measure I'd pour, but also removes the "once it's opened" temptation.

It’s Silver Award time!!!

75%!!!!

So we’re 3/4 of the way through.
Congrats everyone!
However you’re feeling, you’re definitely healthier than you were on Dec 31st.

Nearly there now 💪💪💪

Day 27 for me. My sleep has definitely improved a lot. I feel better and my skin looks better. I got a pile of paperwork done last night but still have a bit more to get done

I would also like to do Damp February. Even though I've had a couple of slips during DJ, I am pleased with what I've achieved, and I really feel that something has shifted. I've found some nice new AF drinks that I really enjoy sipping in front of the TV in the evening, which is my trigger for drinking wine. Ideally I'd like to just drink socially, i.e. when we go the pub (once a week max), go to friends, and when eating out, which is usually 2 or 3 times a month, although much less at the moment, as DH is using Mounjaro for weight loss and isn't eating very much 😃.

I think that would be a good compromise for me, if I can stick to it.

A rare social event for me this evening!
A drink would improve things, but I’m sure I’ll be fine 😬

This is our last full weekend! Doesn’t that sound good? 😊

Yes, last weekend sounds good - though am having to fight feelings of screw it, I’m so close so may as well just drink now!