Dry January 2022

[MyGhastIsFlabbered]

Did Dry January this year and we had an amazing little support group going on here and I wondered if anyone cared to join me next year? This time I'm hoping to stay dry longer - 100 days - but will see how January goes first. I don't want to set myself up to fail.

Who's with me?

Definitely up for joining - I drink far too much and need to lose loads of weight, the wine consumption is definitely the culprit for the weight - also doing a no meat January

@Bu2014 please feel free to keep posting even if you don't stay dry - no judgement here - we will help in any way we can. I'm stuck at work today so may not answer immediately but nobody will tell you you can't post here. It sounds like we all have our demons with alcohol and we're all facing our own battles. Some days you win, some you don't. Some days are easy, others are not.

But having a great support crew like we seem to have here helps more than I could ever have imagined.

@MyGhastIsFlabbered I'm so glad for you that things seem a little bit more positive for your marriage. It's times like these that we want to reach for the drink but it really doesn't help so good for you for reaching for the ice cream!
Well done to those who have kept off it and today is a new day for those who have wobbled.

@Bu2014 I hear you! I’ve been using alcohol as a coping mechanism for the last 3 years, but now it’s my biggest problem. It’s taken a lot of reading “quit lit” over the last few months to get me to the point where I could stop for 3 days.

A few of us I think are doing the 30 day alcohol experiment by Annie Grace - I’ve just got the book but I think there’s an online version too. Might be worth a look? It’s very non-judgemental

Checking in - day 4 DJ/day 9 AF. Crap sleep last night after two really good nights - not booze related though. I have a cold and my throat kept going into spasms and having coughing fits - not Covid as have tested several times. Back to bloody work tomorrow so probs won't sleep tonight thinking about that!

@MyGhastIsFlabbered - good luck with your marriage issues - sounds like you both want it to work and being AF will help facilitate productive discussions I think. Even if the worst case scenario happens, at least you won't be beating yourself up thinking "maybe if I'd been AF.....".

SPOLIER WARNING - DON'T LOOK UP ON NETFLIX
I won't give too much away but just in case you are planning to watch this, maybe don't read any further.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 - strange movie! I didn't really know what it was about (other than the comet hurtling towards earth) and watched it mainly due to the cast and other people recommending it. I sound a bit daft here but I didn't realise it was satire at first so I was a bit eh??? Once I realised that I actually found it quite funny - I liked Kate's obsession with the snacks - that was hilarious. The ending was a bit mad but I think was put in for what happened to Meryl Streep's character - very funny.

I think it was an hour too long - I started watching it last night then went to bed and finished this morning. Overall I'd give it 7/10. What did you think?

Hi all. Checking in on Day 4.

Crap sleep last night. Ate too much yesterday, boredom snacking on cheese during my witching hour of 5-7pm when i would always normally drink wine. Oh the irony that I may very well gain weight during Dry January.

I'm here too. LOVE a drink but lasted 90-ish days last year so I know how tough this is.

After just 3 days I already slept better and am (slightly) less puffy faced!

For some inspirational, non-preachy, humorous reading try:
Mrs D is Going Without by Lotta Dann £3.99
The Sober Diaries by Clare Poole 99p

A little more serious:

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray 99p

(prices for amazon Kindle editions)

We've got this!

Hi all- lovely active thread!

Just checking in on Day 4. I have been up since 3 am due to insomnia so am not very active today but as the DCs are still home from school we will probably watch a dvd later. Worse ways to spend a grim January day!

Day 4 here too. Been to work. Cold and miserable day here. Otherwise fine. Spending time with dcs this pm and then another early night.

Hi everybody, day 3 for me. Went to bed last night after a hot bath, face mask. Moisturised and wrote journal in bed just after 9pm. Listened to meditation and fell asleep around midnight. Woke up at 4am panicking after a horrible vivid dream. Then fell back asleep at 7am. Woke up at half 1 this afternoon panicking after another horrible dream. I feel like I can't wake up still anxious and doopy. I look like utter shit. My mouth is really dry, my breath is horrible and I feel so thirsty. Going to take it easy today and Potter about the house. Feeling guilty and could cry at what I've done to my body through drinking wine every night for far too long. At the moment I have no thought of wanting alcohol.

Positives, I still smell lovely after my pamper bath last night not waking up stinking of stale booze and sweat. I done my nails last night so they look good. House is lovely clean and tidy. I've been sticking to my daily goals of eating healthy, journaling, pampering myself daily, moisturizing daily, not drinking alcohol. Just need to add in some exercise I've signed up to yoga challenge will start that later.

Sorry for the long moan everyone. I just feel like utter shit, like I've just woke up from an anesthetic.

OP glad to read last night was a positive step for you and well done on the ice cream over booze that's a huge achievement.

Good luck today everyone 💖💐

@HCHQ

I'm here too. LOVE a drink but lasted 90-ish days last year so I know how tough this is.

After just 3 days I already slept better and am (slightly) less puffy faced!

For some inspirational, non-preachy, humorous reading try:
Mrs D is Going Without by Lotta Dann £3.99
The Sober Diaries by Clare Poole 99p

A little more serious:

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray 99p

(prices for amazon Kindle editions)

We've got this!

Thankyou I have bought those 99p ones and will start them tonight

@StarryNightSparkles

Hi everybody, day 3 for me. Went to bed last night after a hot bath, face mask. Moisturised and wrote journal in bed just after 9pm. Listened to meditation and fell asleep around midnight. Woke up at 4am panicking after a horrible vivid dream. Then fell back asleep at 7am. Woke up at half 1 this afternoon panicking after another horrible dream. I feel like I can't wake up still anxious and doopy. I look like utter shit. My mouth is really dry, my breath is horrible and I feel so thirsty. Going to take it easy today and Potter about the house. Feeling guilty and could cry at what I've done to my body through drinking wine every night for far too long. At the moment I have no thought of wanting alcohol.

Positives, I still smell lovely after my pamper bath last night not waking up stinking of stale booze and sweat. I done my nails last night so they look good. House is lovely clean and tidy. I've been sticking to my daily goals of eating healthy, journaling, pampering myself daily, moisturizing daily, not drinking alcohol. Just need to add in some exercise I've signed up to yoga challenge will start that later.

Sorry for the long moan everyone. I just feel like utter shit, like I've just woke up from an anesthetic.

OP glad to read last night was a positive step for you and well done on the ice cream over booze that's a huge achievement.

Good luck today everyone 💖💐

Sounds like you are doing all the right things, moan away, this is the right place.

Be kind to yourself, you are achieving lots of good things.

Thank you @Iamblossom 💖

Can I join please? Sometimes I use wine as a crutch when I'm anxious which of course probably doesn't help. I'm determined to keep off it and save some money as well as benefit my health.

Well done @StarryNightSparkles - keep at it and you will soon feel the benefits. I'm doing the exact same things... baths, face masks, moisturising.. etc.

There's a free 30 day yoga challenge on YouTube which I really recommend: do.yogawithadriene.com/move

To avoid witching hour (5-7ish), I am getting myself to the gym ASAP after work.

It does all feel very uphill, even tho I do feel better. My mind starts to trick me that I've done enough and it's fine to break and I can drink in moderation. But history has taught me that never happens..! Ugh.

Also with you @trydry22 on attempting home admin that I've been putting off. Mostly financial which I find stressful and end up turning to wine. I've started which is an achievement today with no wine

I was asleep by 9:30pm last night and certainly feel better for it today. I have that little voice whispering to me that my drinking is not really so bad afterall, maybe I should just limit myself to weekends and aim to moderate. However the fact I'm thinking this after just 4 days AF is proof that I need a reset. I know I won't be teetotal forever but if I can't do the month I set out to then I really should question that.

I know that little voice @Hohofortherobbers . It comes to me as well.

I have had the most odd day. Up at 3 am as I said up thread due to insomnia (both DH and I were, but DH does not drink at all- not for years). I am now about 30 minutes away from completing a full roast dinner for us all. The DCs have just asked with a ltitle bit of confusion; 'Why are we having dinner so early?'. Why indeed. I'm not sure other than that it seemed like a good idea!

@IcedCoffeeMilkshake early dinners all the way...! A roast sounds like perfection right now. Better than the gym!

@hoho I have that exact same voice right now! Am off for a bath and face pack to distract myself.

Checking in. Sleep finally at 4 am. Work tomorrow. Need to get back but equally had hoped the sleep quality would be better by now. Maybe work will help. Kids not back to school yet so at least don’t have to get up by 7. Only 27d to go

@CrumpetswithMarmite thanks very much 💐 I have been on the couch all day feeling horrible. Still no thoughts or wants on alcohol. That's the yoga I've signed up for. Will start when feeling better. Next weeks plan is too sort out the financial paperwork which like you I usually need wine for. Blocking that out for next week. I am just going with the flow with what my body wants as it sure deserves it after being neglected for so long. Back to work tomorrow hopefully feeling better in the morning, hope I can sleep tonight.

I would like to get to a point where I can moderate my alcohol intake rather than having a bottle one night and it going on for days in a row. Parking future thoughts up until the end of January and will have a think then. My main focus is getting through January and healing my body.

Good luck everyone 😊💖💐

Checking in, sitting with my regular Becks Blue...
Also a crap night's sleep, but I put that down to lizard brain worries about going back to work. Even though I consciously know it'll be fine, the subconscious is going WIBBLE!!

I have tonic chilling - works well with some ginger cordial for something that isn't too sweet.
Also back to work tomorrow, then this weekend am lugging DDs back to uni - DD1 is kind of on the way to DD2 so just giving them both a lift instead of making DD1 do train. DD2 can't because of health issues. It's going to be a looooooong Saturday (Plymouth from Suffolk and back in a day).

Day 4 going well. I usually have corona beers while cooking but don't drink afterwards. I drank cordial and sparkling water with lime while cooking.

Dh joined DJ yesterday. He hadn't had any m drinks after New Year's Eve so he decided to join.

We had a meal tonight that we'd normally have wine with, and then another bottle after dc have gone to bed. No wine with dinner, no wine later. Feeling good about it. Might have another bowl of pudding though.