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! 💪💪

I hear you @Michiru. We had a £700 boiler repair earlier this month so I'm not feeling like I'm rolling in all the cash we've saved by not drinking!

I think I've found DJ easier than DH who has moaned almost every day that it's "boring". I have so far resisted the temptation to tell him that HE is boring . I haven't found it boring, more a bit tricky I suppose. I feel like something is slightly "wrong" without my almost daily wine. Not good.

I think the 'problem' with DJ is that it's just not long enough, but any longer feels like torture! 31 days isn't really long enough to reset or form a new habit or break a bad one, I know. They say '60 days' I think but I think someone said that one of the quit lit books says it takes 6-12 months to reform the neural pathways we've programmed for alcohol.

I'm doing Damp Feb, with the proviso to myself that if I backslide out of 'moderation' into anything like I was before, I may have to consider abstinence 😬

I am envious of those who have discovered a new zest for life, clear skin, taut face, sparkling eyes, weight loss, energy! -with DJ. I believe it would be easier to carry on being AF if one was seeing such positive results!

Like your DH, I admit I'm a bit bored. Unfortunately no weight loss whatsoever 😡, still waking up a bit sluggish, very average sleep; but I am 62 so I wasn't expecting a '29 again' reset!

I'm 62 as well @Fordian. I've done 45 or so days a couple of times before (Lent) as well as pregnancies obvs, but they were a very long time ago!

I'm not ready to give up forever yet, so more dry days per month than drinking days is my new rule starting Feb. And I'm sticking to it.

Also in Feb I embark on a serious attempt to lose 2lb per month as well, so drinking less can only help with that.

I didn’t drink through pregnancy either, and didn’t notice that I felt hugely better after 9 months sober, or that my neural pathways had been reset. But maybe that was because I was pregnant, so not feeling my best anyway.

Same here! No way could I have got this far in DJ without this thread, so thank you everyone. I’m hoping to join a damp February thread or moderation thread after this (think there are some on the alcohol board) so will hopefully see some posters from this thread over there.

I’m still torn between having four nights off drinking a week or five (five would include Friday). I think I’ll probably start with Monday to Thursday off then see how I feel on the Friday.

30 days!

I actually think tomorrow might be the hardest day of all. Sense of “well I did 30 days, I can still say I did DJ can’t I?”, it being a Friday, my DP coming back home after a long week away with work and also his birthday on Saturday/ the next day. Would be totally normal for us to share a bottle of fizz and then a bottle of wine on such days. I will try to make do with a Sentia!

I agree. It’s that ‘why wait another day when I’ve practically done it anyway’ - especially as it’s a Friday.

I’m actually feeling a bit like that tonight if I’m honest!

I'm feeling like that too 🙈 especially as DH is up tonight and I'm having a trashy TV binge! Feels like a Friday.

I made the decision to drink tomorrow evening about a week ago, largely because it's Friday! I absolutely understand the feeling of wanting to 'complete' all of DJ, I might have if 1/2 was a Friday! But my thinking is a day is neither here nor there; DJ is the kickstart of a marathon, not a sprint. For me, moderating over Feb and onwards will be where the real challenge lies!

I'm still considering what it will look like, I think I will allow myself to drink Fri and/or Sat, maybe Sunday, but I'm not permitted to substitute, so if I decide not to drink on Sunday, I can't postpone it to Monday, etc.

Obviously in an ideal world the days wouldn't be consecutive!

I will also drink when I'm out, socialising, but that amounts to 6-8 occasions a year.

That makes sense @Fordian.

I’m in bed now so just ticked off Day 30 in my drinking app. Can’t quite believe there’s only one day left! I will feel a huge sense of achievement this time tomorrow. But after a month resenting not drinking, I’m almost nervous to have a glass of wine again. It has felt a bit like being in a bubble this month - I’ve felt more in control, and more calm, sane and sober, albeit rather flat and low mood on a lot of the evenings. Overall I think I will enjoy drinking again, just as long as I don’t let it get out of control like last year.

@newme2025

I could have written that! I admit I'm both excited and a bit nervous of that first drink!

I casually for the first time mentioned to DH that 'oh great, I can have a wine tomorrow night!' He sort of went 'oh yeah' in a noncommittal way... so I said 'yeah, a whole 30 days! Wasn't as bad as I thought!'. He said 'yeah, well, keep it up!' 😡

It vindicates my decision not to 'tell' him, though it would have been obvious! I knew he'd've been supportive enough, but possibly a bit judgy, and I would get 'the look' if I'd decided to cave and have a drink. (He drinks but moderately).

But a 'well done!' Might've been nice! 🙄🤣

I’m almost nervous to have a glass of wine again. It has felt a bit like being in a bubble this month - I’ve felt more in control, and more calm, sane and sober

I feel like this. Have also had some very deep, dark sleeps and on waking it’s been reassuring to know that I wasn’t drunk and have nothing to apologise for (except maybe snoring!). And also that I don’t have to do the inventory of hangover symptoms.

Day 31. Can’t believe I just typed that! Will write more later but for now, WELL DONE everyone for getting to this point. If you were drinking anywhere near the levels I was, it’s a huge achievement TBH!

Glad others can identify with the nervousness around having a drink. I have a social occasion this weekend - I’m thinking of allowing myself two glasses of wine then moving onto the non-alcoholic Prosecco or similar. It’s at someone’s house so will have to be really in my guard that they don’t just keep topping me up. I will be reporting back on here (perhaps on one of the moderation threads - need to find one!) to keep myself accountable.

30 days AF too - that’s a nice round number. 30 sounds a lot!

Do let us know how you go! Are you taking your own nosecco to be sure it's available?

I just woke up from a rubbish, weird-dream filled sleeping, AGAIN. I have had a low grade headache for 3 days which isn't helping. I think it's sinus but, tmi, no post-nasal drip so I'm not sure.

But we're at the end! Well done everyone!

Congratulations to us! It's been a very good thing to do this month and I've broken my habit I think. Many thanks!

The last day! What a long month it’s been, not just the AF but the bad weather, costs, dark and dismal after the lights of Christmas. But we did it!

The try dry achievement of the goal of dry January is non existent 🤣 not even a well done!

@Fordian Yes, I will be taking my own nosecco even though I hate the stuff. But at least I’ll be able to have a wine glass in my hand and pretend to myself it’s real!

Can’t believe this is the last evening. Had a very stressful day at work and would love nothing more than a glass of red wine. Can’t give up now though - just got to make it to bedtime 😬

That's a bit rubbish!

🏆 🏅🏆

Well done! We all know what you've been through!

I'm not feeling like drinking this evening. Have been dry since 30th December although I started with a virus and I was at least halfway through January before I felt well enough that I needed to use any actual willpower.
I have drunk once. Yesterday.
Last year I resolved that I was not going to miss things that I wanted to do, just because none of my friends and family wanted to join me. I went to quite a few plays and exhibitions in London and got comfortable taking myself to lunch on my own in nice restaurants and I have kept this up. I had theatre tickets for a matinee yesterday and went to Borough Market to my favourite Italian restaurant, sat at the counter and had a gorgeous bowl of pasta and a glass of wine. And then the lovely waitress gave me a complimentary half-glass so I could finish my olives.
I'm not sorry. Yesterday's glass doesn't need to mean that I have more today.
I think my biggest takeaway from DJ is that I have to lose my "all or nothing" thinking. "Perfect is the enemy of better" and all that. I think I have managed to reset my relationship with alcohol enough that wine with dinner is not a default decision. And now I need to take this forward into other areas of life. Three custard creams doesn't mean that I might as well finish the packet!

Feeling very low after aforementioned bad day at work. Desperate for a drink but refuse to cave now.

Did you not get one of these?