Anyone doing Dry January 2021?

[MyGhastIsFlabbered]

I was going to go sober this year...but for various reasons (excuses) it didn't happen. DP and I have agreed to try Dry January as we are both drinking too much. Anyone else fancy coming along for the ride?

@dementedma so sorry for your loss, and that’s some immense strength staying off the booze. Be kind to yourself over the coming weeks though, whatever you need to do.

Boris didn’t break me!! My first MAJOR craving tonight as I was so triggered by the memory of the first big lockdown announcement, DH and I basically drank all the booze in the house (no more early get ups....no commuting etc) and then didn’t let up. It’s dawned on me that’s nearly 10 months ago and in that 10 months I’ve barely had 10 days in total off the booze. So I MUST complete this, my body needs it.

Checking in for day 4 and sober as a judge even after Boris' announcement that I will be working from home for the next 6 weeks.

Well done everyone and if you've slipped up, don't worry. Tomorrow is a new day.

demented I'm so sorry.

Can I ask, have any of you felt really unwell since giving up? I’ve had a banging headache, dizziness and nausea for the past two days. I don’t know whether it’s withdrawal or I’m actually ill. I didn’t drink every day before, but it had become more frequent. I’m on day 4.

@DaisyDeliah don't be too hard on yourself. These are immensely difficult times and it's not surprising you had a drink. We were very tempted. Just accept it for what it is, then get back up on the wagon, if that's what you wave to do...no judgement here.

@Imissmoominmama I think the symptoms you're describing are normal, it's a kind of withdrawal even if you didn't drink every day. Though I'm not a doctor so don't quote me!

Good luck today everyone

Giving up alcohol definitely has health benefits but I always have unrealistic expectations of returning to perfect, youthful health. The truth is that a lot of maladies are not alcohol-related at all. It’s very disappointing.

Morning all, Day 5. After last night’s news I was thinking long and hard about driving to the nearest open garage ( about 6 miles away ) for a bottle of wine, so glad I didn’t though as drinking it wouldn’t have made anything better with regards to this whole situation. It’s such a knee jerk reaction, good news, bad news, feeling happy, sad, bored etc etc to reach for the wine but I know half a bottle in and more the evening never ends well, half the time I don’t even enjoy it ( I mean I like the taste and all ) but the way alcohol makes me feel these days isn’t good, I’m often over emotional, numb or combative, not a good mix!
@dementedma so sorry for your loss
Liking the sound of Kombucha, have heard of it but never tried it and will hopefully make a change from the gallons of elderflower cordial I’ve been downing.
Have a good day everyone!

Morning everyone. Day 5.
Slept very deeply last night, just getting up for another day working from home.
Trying to keep positive - at least I know that I’m doing the right thing for my body, even if everything else is a bit pants right now.

Daisy don’t hate yourself take care of yourself. You have been drinking so regularly that it will be hard. Is there anyone else you can speak to like your GP or friends? Is there anything else that could help you? I know I have been a regular and heavy drinker but actually I don’t drink everyday necessarily and my pattern is not the same. Mine therefore seems an easier change, yours seems harder for mine and body so I am not surprised it’s hard. Every drink less is a win and by the time you are alcohol free reliably that will be incredible.

Morning. Day 3 here. Had really mad, intense dreams last night. Trying to pull myself together and stay positive. I'm sure it will be easier to do that without alcohol in my system.

I am giving myself a break in the weight front and not bothering too much about not snacking etc. I now have 3 teens at home for the foreseeable future so my food bill is going to be huge.

@DaisyDeliah please don't be hard on yourself. As TSBelliot says, every drink less is a win x

I slept well last night but woke up too early at 6 am and I now feel exhausted, headachey and emotionally wrung out. I would go back to bed but the dog will pester me util I take her out

My mind was racing last night and I didn't get to sleep till midnight, but slept soundly after that so fresh this morning. If I'd been drinking I'd have been awake at 3am with the horrors too. Don't be hard on yourself daisydeliah, treat this slip up as a reminder why you wanted to be sober. So sorry for your loss dementedma

Kombucha is amazing. You can actually make it yourself (I do sometimes), but there are versions out there with less sugar than others, take a look at the labelling. Fermented food and drinks (including kombucha, and kimchee) have shown some evidence of aiding weight loss. Another is kefir, you can get the milk kefir in all supermarkets (its like a live yoghurt drink), far better is water kefir. This you can also make, but there are lots of versions out there to buy. If you are in London you can get these things from Planet Organic. If not, there are lots online.

I have also been drinking Three Spirit cocktails with diet ginger ale every night so far and that has helped. On to Day 5!

Checking in for day 5. Like others I'm struggling to fall asleep at night but actually knowing that seems to be a bit of a side effect and something others are experiencing was quite helpful when I was lying there last night. Toddler was up in the night as usual but I felt better able to deal with it than I would have been if I had been drinking. I find writing here each day cathartic as well. It means I'm focusing on staying AF and I think that's helping.

Morning day 5 begins trouble sleeping last night keep needing to go for a wee!!
Then I think about it and have to get up again........
gutted we are locked down for at least 6 weeks had a slight temptation and also found it interesting as I was getting posts from friends about giving up on DJ now we're in lock down but actually made me more determined

Day5 too. I am staying up much later and when I do get to sleep I have a good sleep and wake up feeling “ normal”
No temptation last night as I ate lots and early and just ate whatever I wanted in the evening - mostly sweet stuff- to get me through.
Feeling very pleased and feel calmer, more focussed, less paranoid and edgy, and like a proper grown up!
As someone else said, not much change facially yet ( alas) but it must be benefitting me internally.., and it definitely is mentally.
I have saved 40 quid so far and about 3.5k calories which is a pound. Trying to go with the positives for now.
Loving reading everyone’s threads it keeps me going.
Anyone feeling bloated due to “ lack of movement” ( tmi I know but the first glug of wine used to have me sprinting gleefully upstairs!)

DAY 5 PEOPLE!!! I can't remember the last time I went 5 days without alcohol!

Hi all! How are we doing?

Agree with a PP everyone saying that's it for fry January then just made me more determined. I've never attempted dry Jan before but I really feel like I need to do it. Like other have said, this weekend will be the test. I feel like having a glass of wine is "doing something" and I need to get out of that mentality.

My will power is really awful, I never stick to things so I feel more than the health benefits actually achieving something is going to feel incredible.

When does everyone go into the app to tick "stayed dry?". I thought I'd do it before I go to bed but have been doing it at lunchtime and it seems to give me a boost. When the announcement happened last night by brain immediately went to wine but I had in my head that I'd already said I'd stayed dry on the app. Boosted my willpower!

My headache has gone!! 😃

I’m sleeping in the spare room at the moment, as I was waking DH because I was wriggling too much. I slept really well last night and woke at almost my usual time. I haven’t been getting up until around 11, when normally I’m up at 5:30. It was 6:30 today, but I feel my routine is achievable again.

What worries me is just how ill I felt, when although I admit to liking a drink, I didn’t see myself as abusing alcohol. I have been dependent in the past, but felt I’d conquered that and was able to moderate.

@dementedma your post really puts things into perspective, I’m so sorry for your loss. Well done on not...I’ve been through it and was nowhere near as strong.

So as expected I did have two glasses of wine last night. Hopping back on that wagon today - if I’m honest, 3 days was more than I’ve done in ages so I’m forgiving myself and I’m going to keep trying. Desperately hoping work offer me furlough soon!

If you go to the calender section in the app you can tick it off there

I tick the stay dry around 8pm, 7 to 8pm being the time I would normally have started drinking. This means I hold out for an hour and then once I have ticked it I tell myself that is it, opportunity window passed as I can't lie to the app!

Day 5 whoop whoop!! I was on the edge of caving last night due to Boris’s homeschooling announcement but somehow didn’t. I have complete empathy with anyone that did though. It’s a new day and a fresh start for anyone back to day 1. It really could have been any of us.

I realised in the night that this is the first break from alcohol that I’ve actively chosen and hasn’t been enforced on me. The only other times in the last 8 years have been pregnancy or bad sickness.