Anyone else stopping completely in 2020?

[Drybird2020]

I don't mean moderating or cutting down, I know that I can't control my drinking this way and I need to stop.

I have stopped for periods of time before and enjoyed the peace of not thinking about alcohol, or stressing about my consumption, or negotiating with myself about whether or not to get a bottle of wine on the way home on a Wednesday night.
There's no point in doing dry January, because I will just use it to justify a wet February.

There used to be a series of threads for total abstinence, think it was in Relationships but it seems to have tailed off. I could really do with a place to talk about this, but with an emphasis on being dry, not moderate. And if nobody else is keen I can use it as somewhere to witter away to myself.

Oh and great tip about the mini magnums @maddiemookins16mum, thanks

Well done everyone keeping fresh and pure. I love hearing people who are doing it and feeling better for it. Saturday night in the bag for us... I had a hot chocolate and finished crocheting a baby blanket so that kept me busy.
Here's to Sunday morning fresh! We can keep it up.

@maddiemookins16mum glad it wasn't just me with the celebratory drink thoughts! Really showed me how I used alcohol to be honest. Did you have any weird dreams as well? I had ones where I'd be drinking and I felt amazing, kind of like the brain subconsciously trying to sucker me back in.

Brilliant work everyone, and thank you to everyone who has shared such personal stories. It’s really moving to read them and see how committed we all are. Day 3 for me, I’m finding it ok but have a lot of work to occupy me which is probably helping!

Been up since 7am and reading through the Sunday Times. The Style magazine has two mentions of different sobriety memoirs by women.

Morning!

Went to bed just after 9pm last night - utter dross on the tv and felt bored and fed-up. Was asleep by 10pm, am getting used to listening to my body and allowing myself to drift off to sleep whereas before I don't have many memories of those last few minutes/seconds before sleep because of alcohol induced fogs.

I hope you all managed to have a peaceful evening too.

No plans here today (currently in bed with a tea ) A dog walk and a trip to the supermarket ( will have a looksee for some niace soft drinks I think ).

Onwards - day 13 here

That book interests me @TeachesOfPeaches - out thursday, might treat myself! Thanks for the tip off, will get the ST today.

Morning all, another AF night last night for me. Despite this I feel rather crap this morning.. no banging headache but feel like I've been run over!! My whole body aches 😬 at my laptop this morning trying to get some work done and then off to the gym - I may just soak in the jacuzzi and see if that helps.

Totally disappointed with my H efforts so far .. it not letting that get to me. If he chooses to carry on drinking wine so be it. I can't change his mindset only my own.

Have a great Sunday all x

Hello everyone, sorry I'm late! Thanks for starting the thread @Drybird2020.

Moderation is not for me. It takes up too much head space, and once I'd started reading some of the literature around giving up drinking, it seemed pointless to cut down.

Day 74 here, so I'm not doing Dry January, I'm in it for the long haul.

What I've found most helpful so far - the Allen Carr and Jason Vale kick the drink books and the Annie Grace 30 day alcohol experiment online (free to sign up). I've spent a lot of time examining my feelings about why I was drinking in the first place.

The benefits of a clear head, no guilt, better quality of sleep, being able to jump in the car whenever I wanted and, most importantly, a better mood overall have really helped me to stay focussed.

The only downside being that I haven't lost any weight (yet ), so I'm now trying to be mindful about eating more healthily and taking one step at a time.

Good luck everyone. Remember, that sober feeling is the best ever.

Hello all, loving seeing how everyone is doing and reading your tips and experience.

I'm on day 24 here, still sleeping incredible amounts (that's soon to end with the school run starting tomorrow). I feel like I'm in recovery from an illness, and I don't even usually drink that much. But I feel like I could rest and sleep for weeks til I feel normal.

I'm obsessed with the Pukka tea called 'Cleanse', and fizzy elderflower from Belvoir for when others are drinking around me.

I bought some Jelly Babies to have for the sugar cravings. I'm also trying to up my fruit and veg intake so smoothie for breakfast, lots of spinach and tenderstem and leeks.

Also I bought some Epsom salts on Amazon for nice relaxing baths - looking forward to tonight.

Previously my record is 37 days, so I have a while to go to break that.

Will get the Sunday Times later, @TeachesOfPeaches - look forward to reading that. Thing is, I've got more quit lit than I have time to read it! The didactic ones, such as Jason Vale/Allen Carr are fucking boring tbh - I find myself drifting off or picking up my phone to check Instagram as they drone on and on. Clare Pooley was good, wasn't so keen on that other one - the Unexpected Joys.

Hi Elsa! - How fantastic to get to day 74! Welcome!

Growing - I couldn't get on with the Unexpected joys of Sober, I found it very 90's 'laddish' plus when she said she saw spiders aka hallucinated but didn't need a medical detox ... beyond fucking stupid to suggest detoxing using sleeping tablets too.

Another one here off to get the Sunday times. Thanks for reading tips.

Great to hear from people who are well into double figures with their AF days.

I’m off to meet up with friends for lunch today who I have haven’t seen since the crazy NYE party. Driving so no temptation there but I’m hoping it will be the last time I have to laugh-off stupid things I’ve done while cringing inside. Hope there’s no more revelations I’ve blocked out!
Feels like this is closure on that event and then I can move on if that makes sense.

Day 74, Elsa - congrats! Day 9 for me as had last drink on 27/12 - looking forward to double figures tomorrow.

We have a family event this afternoon, but I'm driving, plus THIS BLOODY COLD - so no chance of having a wobble.

It's back to school etc for tomorrow, and I'd already booked the day off to catch up on housework etc, but I'm planning on spending it in bed with a lake of lemsip and lots of AF reading.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Well I've been up on a high, flat roof clearing off leaves, which is not something I ever felt able to do with a hangover, and that's why there were so many leaves up there 😂

Really busy day here so I've skimmed through the thread and will catch up properly later. Off to get the ST, thanks for the recommendation. Welcome to @ElsaCragg and other new posters, I love how this thread is going, every time I look at it I find something resonant, or new and inspiring. Most importantly I feel that I have company and support, which I didn't seek in my other attempts to quit. I think this is going to make all the difference this time.

Day4 for me today and I honestly can't believe how much better, clear headed etc I am feeling. The biggest difference is to my skin! It's so much less blotchy and puffy and blemishes massively reduced. This in itself is a massive thing for me , I've never been comfortable with my skin so a big win!

At the moment I'm really not missing it, I know my resolve will be tested when I need to socialise and returning to work this week will be difficult. However I'm determined and also using this as a way of dropping a stone I've put on since September !

Keep going ladies!

Great reading the positive stories this morning. We've managed the weekend! We went to bed late again so woke late this morning. It's feeling like a wasted day so I think I'll try earlier nights next weekend.
Started yoga at home yesterday - mainly to relieve the tension in my body and start feeling more in tune with it. Now that I'm not so scared of listening to it. It really helped to relax me, if only for the stretching and breathing parts.
Happy, hangover free Sunday ♥️

Thank you all for the welcome.

I have tried many times before to cut down, hoping to be that person who can enjoy a couple of drinks every now and then, but I just cannot moderate.

I think that is why I am successful thus far; I made a conscious decision to stop altogether, initially for thirty days, and subscribed to the Annie Grace alcohol experiment. After a while, situations would crop up where I would usually drink. So I told people I was not drinking for a while, and everyone was very accepting of that.

When the thirty days were up, I could see no benefit to drinking any more. I had got used to the clear heads, extra time to myself and all the money I was no longer spending.

It really was that easy, once I had made that conscious decision.

Wishing everyone a happy sober week ahead.

Our 1st weekend hangover free!! Day 5 Am I the only one that feels absolutely exhausted!? All I seem to be doing is sleeping and napping hope my energy picks up soon; I’m also doing the 16:8 intermittent fasting so it could be that?
I think I’ll do ok until next weekend as I rarely drank during the weekday nights; it’s the weekends I fear

Yes Kathy, ME! I have slept 4 nights in a row more than 8 hours and I am still tired! I am putting it down to my body recovering!

I am more than three weeks in and STILL sleeping like the dead. More now than at the start!

It's amazing.

Very good point @HowlsMovingBungalow - you're right about the advice! I just hated her tone and had to give the book to the charity shop as it annoyed me so much.

Have I mentioned that my dp drinks every day? I think he has a day AF a month. Tonight there are 6 cans of lager in the fridge. Sigh!

Well a dry weekend almost completed. I've drank about 800 cups of sugary tea. I've discovered my love of reading again and I am absolutley loving waking up with a fresh head ready for the day.

Took the kids on a long woodland walk today and really loved not feeling hungover (or rushing back to crack open a bottle of red while cooking dinner)

Tried drinking fancy juices but just isnt for me I'm preferring a nice hot drink, going out tomorrow to get some nice new mugs and hopefully pick up a few more good thriller books.

According to my app I've saved over 1000 calories so I'm hoping to see some weight loss soon!

Mines the same @StillDumDeDumming - he has about ten days of a year, not joking.

But unlike me he never goes too far. I mean he will occasionally drink so much he has a hangover, but never EVER cringes the morning after about anything he's said or done. It doesn't appear to affect his sleep, or anything.