Hop on up it's Dry January thread #2

[MyGhastIsFlabbered]

Shiny new thread to carry us onward through January

Checking in for day 25 for me. Well done @CandyLeBonBon for getting past it. Bitter lemon is good!

Have discovered a very nice apple and elderflower squash, I think it's a Robinson's fruit creations with barley? Sainsbury's. Is best squash / cordial so far I reckon. With sparkling water, can't understand non sparkling squash at all.

The wine witch has been strangely absent for me too. However my recycling is clinking with all the becks blue bottles! Wish my skin would glow, I have a very spotty chin at the moment

@hohofortherobbers it's mad you talking about the recycling bins. Ours go out this evening in readiness for tomorrow morning and I was thinking how empty the glass box was!! Usually it would be overflowing with bottles and cans and it's refreshingly emptier. I was always a bit ashamed of what my neighbours must think as it usually looked like we'd had a party!!
Day 26 . I'm definitely going to keep going though AF. I'm actually really enjoying it, !

I haven't caved. Been watching 'dark' and brushing up on my German, but I g he agent caved. Thanks all xx

@CandyLeBonBon well done, and well done to everyone who's seen this evening out. Sleep tight all.

So sorry you are having such a hard time @ candy and others having to deal with so much, you are doing so well. January is often a miserable month and this year is multiplied by 10. You stayed strong and resisted!
We will have got through January in much better shape even if the outside is not showing it much!

@PeacheyPeach "I'm definitely going to keep going though AF. I'm actually really enjoying it, "

Feel same, astonishingly enjoy not drinking more than I did quaffing a bottle of wine every night. And I used to think I was enjoying it and looked forward to it on my way home. Now I see it was the relentless head space the drinking took up, madness really.

This may be equally as mad but being AF makes me feel 'normal' like other people not hiding a secret and always playing down my drinking "I have a glass of wine with dinner" (yes and the rest of the bottle afterwards).

Today I can't see me drinking again, too scared to even try the odd glass for special occasions. I don't think that I would be able to moderate. I don't want to go back.

Well done everyone, especially those going through such hardships at the moment

I’ve been dry but absent on here for a few days as I was diagnosed with high blood pressure which is just another wake up call tbh. I haven’t looked after my body for so long. Dry January has been an absolute game changer.

I had a Zoom call last night with a group of people from a committee that I'm on. Afterwards I had a really bad craving for a gin. I felt 'didgy'and over stimulated and wanted to calm down. I resisted but it was hard. Have a terrible headache today.

I was concussed last year after a riding accident and I'm not sure I've completely got over it. Spending time talking to other people gives me a huge headache 😕

Concussion is horrid. Hope your head eases today.

I put my empties together in a single bag last night. Ours go to the bank as there is no collection here. There was one bottle of spirits, left over after I missed it in dec, some wine from husband but more olive oil, jam and chutney than anything else. I felt virtuous!

We are still trudging along here. I am sleeping so well now which is great. I don't really want to go back to those restless, sweaty nights after drinking wine.

Morning all. Massive well done everyone, big pat on the back, it's the 27th of January, and whether we've abstain for the whole month, or a few days, or had a blip, we've all made a great effort. It's a big thing to realise and acknowledge to ourselves that our drinking isn't where we want it to be.

It's been a long journey for me. I started Dry Jan 2 years ago and failed. Failed many periods of trying to abstain. Did 19 days dry last year after I drunk way too much and ended up ranting gibberish at my husband. But then was back to my old ways. I've always been a drinker but it's definitely crept up the last few years.

I've actually found doing Dry January this time around … I don't want to say easy, but a lot easier than I thought, and somehow more enjoyable than I thought? I guess being in lockdown there's not the social pressure or temptations. Being in lockdown is so shit I've thought adding alcohol into it definitely wouldn't help. I've had a few moments for sure when I could have broken the wine open but I've made sure there's none in the fridge, and I just take a big sip of soft drink and distract myself, and find the feelings and cravings pass quite quickly.

Journalling has helped too I think, just writing feelings and thoughts down. I get random repressed memories now that I have to write down. If I feel angry or hurt, I just feel it … and it passes … I don't have to numb it out with booze. And reading quit lit has helped too. No Eureka moment for me, but all small parts of the puzzle.

Today, I think I can finish Dry Jan. And as February starts on a Monday, I'm not going to crack then. I want to start with good patterns and intent. I'd love to stay on a Dry 100/Moderators thread, I think it would really help us all.

I feel ridiculously proud of myself for getting this far, which seems a bit sad really?! Still haven't lost any blooming weight - still snarfing the chocolate though!

Well done, one and all. For any lurkers, or blippers, or if you've finished Dry Jan, that includes you. I've flirted with Dry months and sobriety for a few years, I guess this month has just been the right one for me.

I weighed myself this morning- I’ve lost 8lbs!! I have tried to cut out all processed foods too though.

With regards to the food bank- I’ve decided to do that once a week, so if I was to choose wine, I’d quite literally be depriving someone in need. That works for me more than thinking of myself as slim and healthy .

You’re all right though- it’s bloody miserable out there. Roll on spring!

Everything @BooksMusicSnacks says! Well done everyone x

@BooksMusicSnacks, you are not sad at all for being ridiculously prod of yourself ! I don't even know you, and I'm proud of you! You've done brilliantly. I'm glad it's gotten easier for you. I agree about it being a lot easier in Lockdown. In normal times, I find it difficult with daily pressures, or should I say, pleasures. Eating out for example. I'm quite tempted to do Lent. It starts on 15th Feb, obviously for 6 weeks. I like that time frame.
@Imissmoominmama - great weight loss !!

Thanks @CandyLeBonBon & @Amdone123.
Kudos on the weight loss @Imissmoominmama! I'm so jealous. It would probably help if I stopped eating everything in sight but clearly I can't tackle every bad habit in one go!

Day 17 here. I don't have a dry app but a chart on the wall and really enjoy putting a big pink tick every day, and another for every day I exercise 😀

Well done to you all, and I'll be there for a continuation thread since my end date is 12th Feb, although thinking to go beyond.

I had three glasses of wine last night, it was a special occasion and always planned as being the one day off in jan. It was eye opening!

Drink 1 was during the wine witch hours, the bit I was looking forward to. It was so underwhelming, didn't taste as good as I remember and just felt flat. I noticed I instantly lost energy and motivation to play with DD before bedtime.

Then later on I had no additional fun or relaxation than I've had the rest of the month.

This morning I feel tired, look 'dull' and have no concentration.

DH agreed that it was pretty crap really and didn't enjoy it.

So I'm changing my post January goal from 14 units over 2 nights a week to dry apart from the odd special occasion.

Was there anything good about it?

@hepzibar I know what you mean about feeling normal. I feel like that especially in front of my children x I feel like a normal mum. Not someone who is wishing they will all hurry up and go to sleep so I can open a bottle. And now I can remember the conversations I've had with my teenagers from the night before even if it's stuff to do with their mad YouTube videos etc I am actually present in their lives. It feels so good 😁

@OhioOhioOhio I would say it maybe added a sense of celebration to the occasion and we probably found jokes funnier.

@PeacheyPeach what you said. I've been more and more aware that being in a haze evening after evening isn't modelling the right attitude to drinking.

It's strange how quickly we accept alcohol as 'fun'.

Hi all - just checking in! Another day down! Can't quite believe it!

Evening all. Not tempted by alcohol but feeling a bit shit this evening. Had a little cry while DP was upstairs. Just feeling a bit low about myself - a bit friendless and a failure. I'll get over it without the help of wine.