Dry January and beyond

[BulldogMumma]

I couldn't find a dry January thread so thought I'd make one.
I've posted on the alcohol threads before but never see it through. This year I'm determined to do dry January and even beyond.
My drinking has really crept up lately and I know I need to address it. I lost my mum this year due to alcohol and I don't want to go the same way. I've been using alcohol as a crutch since losing my mum but now's the time I stop relying on the wine and take back control.
Anyone else who wants to join me are more than welcome, would be good to have some buddies along the way x

Well done @Buntyforgirls ! Love your username too!

@coffeeandcake32 are you here with us? I hope your first couple of days have gone well too

I am really struggling tonight! My little boy has gone with his dad, and it's been a really hard few days with him. Bought wine earlier and I really want some. It's so hard starting this while we're all still off school/work.

Day 5 done for me. Thursday night is often a night I will have 2 very large glasses of red wine so I thought I might struggle tonight. Instead I forced myself into going food shopping by reminding myself that it's snowing and more is forecast for tomorrow so if it lies it's going to be virtually impossible to get my car out (I live at the top of a steep hill off another steep hill which rarely sees a gritter). Last month I had to walk up it with heavy shopping bags when it showed which I didn't fancy doing again this month. I am now in bed in my pjs with a facemask on so no chance of pouring the wine.

Can you go for a bath and pamper yourself or go to bed and read a book? Do you have a room you always drink in if so move from it. That sounds odd but I only ever drink in my living room, kitchen or garden but wouldn't even dream of taking a wine upstairs so have gone to bed.

Waves a flipper to @Mykittensmittens! Yes I am an old timer too. I’m going for the whole year. Go hard or go home this year. One month isn’t going to cut it. Last year I did a few 60 day stretches and felt great. Really hope this is a total reset for me.

I sound so confident don’t I? But I was also twitching earlier. Had 2 packets of crisps after a reasonably healthy day so I’ll forgive myself.

Stay strong, you'll get through it.
Do something, anything that distracts you. I know lots of people like baths, pampering etc, I like to knit/crochet/colour in.
Anything that just tricks your brain into thinking of something else.

It is hard x

I've just finished Day 2. Had a wobble when I went into the kitchen to start cooking, but got past it.
I drank every day, so weekends hold no bigger fear for me, but for the rest of you- good luck and keep going😁

I know this weekend is going to be tricky for me as I drink every weekend at least one night. I am trying to plan for it so bought alcohol free gin and tonic cans and alcohol free cider tonight at Aldi. I have arranged for an early sat morning 8.6 mile hill hike with a friend who is also doing DJ (we often do it but not in a sat morning) and on sun I booked free tickets through historic Scotland to a local attraction. I am genuinely wondering if I should take the kids to the trampoline park disco tomorrow night or the cinema to keep me busy

Proud of myself tonight. Could easily have had a glass of wine or a gin. Not back to work until Monday and no plans tomorrow. But I had a fan of the Trip stuff and (could easily be placebo) but did feel like it relaxed me a bit. Once it's past 8:30 ish I'm generally not bothered anyway. Tomorrow should be fine too as I have to pick dc up from somewhere so wouldn't have been drinking anyway. Saturday night will be the real test and Sunday where I'd usually have a couple of glasses of wine with lunch.

Hi can I join please

Last I had a binge was NYE so day 2 but I feel rubbish, still bloated, tired, low energy, fed up and anxious, minds a bit on overdrive, every twinge and heartburn I keep thinking is a heart attack (I know it isn't)..I've been really over doing it this year. I'm a binger and usually drink 2/3 nights a week but then have 4/5 nights free - I'm all or nothing. I'm mid 40's and I feel like since peri-meno I've put on weight, have a chubby, bloated face, rubbish skin dark circles and puffy eyes - it's aging me.

I also smoke cigs when I drink and then eat crap for the next few days whilst recovering (when I'm not drinking I don't smoke at all). I need to get back into my fitness..in 2023 I went on FODMAP for 3/4 months to find out what was causing my intolerances and I felt so much better! No booze at all during that time and eliminated other bad stuff in my diet too and was exercising...I looked younger, my skin was great, I was bouncy, zest for life, always busy, out hiking, etc..compared to now I'm just a sad tired blob haha

So yeah day two for me folks and feeling rubbish sorry to be a downer...I was so tempted to buy wine earlier and start on Monday which is the shittest excuse. I was visualising myself doing the activities for the day but with wine and just thought no stop it. I distracted myself watching traitors.

What I am planning on doing is 6 months dry (already started that on Jan 1st) / get back on the FODMAP diet starting Monday and replace drinking hours with something active and obsess over that for a bit instead. Then I was thinking that for the rest of the year I'd allow drinking at festivals/ holidays or nights out socialising but not just when sitting around at home as that's my danger zone

Good luck everyone

Just caught up on everyone's posts they are all so interesting. Day 3 for me now but to be honest it's not an achievement because I only really drink at weekends anyway. My issue is how much I drink Fri and Sat. Way too much and I'm only little too.

Today I have been thinking about the reasons why I keep drinking until I am really really drunk which results in me being unable to remember most of the night. My fella can sip 2 pints slowly. Then stop. For me it's different . I get the initial relaxed stage and then the giddiness. Then I start to feel a lull unless I drink more. So I do and feel good again. But then the lull and this continues until I have drank a full bottle of wine and a pint of lager!

I have also been thinking about something that really annoys me. My friend ( heavy drinker) and my partner ( two pint man) will glamourise wine by calling it ' Wiiiiiine' in a long drawn out way. My partner does not understand why I regret drinking or understand why I am concerned about the health implications as he can moderate easily. He will say ' oh 40andlovelife why don't we:

Have a lovely walk
Glass of wiiiiine'

My friend does the same thing. She will say ' ooh tonight I'm going to have a bath, glass of wiiiiiine'.

The way they say wiiiine makes wine out to be something really special and sophisticated when it's the exact opposite.

Got that off me chest!!!

@ThriveIn2025 @Mykittensmittens - waving a flipper to some penguin friends.

Done DJ for many years & succeeded many times with the help of MN. In fact one year I did quite a large number of months in the company of some lovely fellow penguins.

As ever I'm hoping to manage longer than just a month this year. I've had varying degrees of success cutting down over the years but as ever Xmas has not been very sober and now I've got loads of spots and dry skin which I'm hoping a month off will help to improve.

Annoyingly DP opened a left over Xmas bottle of red yesterday that had the most incredibly strong wine smell. He only drank half of it and its sitting on the kitchen counter wafting at me every time I pass.

My main help this year is the Traitors - on at 8pm which is good to have something to look forward to and also stops me from staying up too late and then getting over tired and not able to sleep.

Off to bed now, hoping for some snow this weekend and wishing you all the best for the rest of the month.

@fuzzylegs33 , I also had a can of Trip - Lemon and Basil flavour, which was great as it isn't too sweet and tastes a bit like a margarita. It definitely has a relaxing effect. My favourite is the cold brew coffee, but I can't drink that in the evening or I'd be awake all night! I ordered some Goodrays too, which has twice the amount of CBD, but their flavours are sweeter I think.

Well done, everyone, and enjoy the AF sleep 😊.

I made it through day 2!

Yay, me too!

DH isn't doing DJ and he drank tonight (he didn't last night) - I thought that would make it harder for me but I wasn't really fussed tbh.

Day 2 achieved. I had some alcohol free beers and cooked a nice dinner. I'm feeling quite positive this evening.

Day two ticked off. Lovely, productive day yesterday - didn't need an afternoon nap. But I'm awake now, which feels rude.

As a shift worker, I don't have the same Friday night/weekend trigger. However, I start a new job next week with more regular hours so I will need to be ready for the "it's my Friday" feeling.

Morning all. Day 3 here I come.
I've been going to bed early with my book therefore I'm awake early, I dong mind that too much though because I wake up feeling rested.
I'm back at work officially on Monday but have to go in this morning for a couple of hours, it's so much easier getting up when I've not had a bottle of wine to knock me out the night before.
My main aim was completing DJ but I was watching a video on TikTok earlier from someone who's also doing DJ and they were saying if we do the whole of January without alcohol then drink can you imagine the hangover, that put me off so I think I might continue with it, I'll get January out of the way first though. Don't want to run before I can walk.
I've noticed I'm eating lots of chocolate/sweets but that's because of the lack of wine, I'll tackle that later.
Friday and Saturdays are days where I would definitely drink so these next 2 days will be hard but I've got my quit lit and I'll be getting some AF drinks in,
Hope everyone had a lovely day

Morning everyone.

@BulldogMumma I'm also eating my weight in chocolate.

Today is the first Friday in a coupon years where I've not woken up without the after effects of alcohol. I slept pretty well.

I think my battle will be those 3 nights per week Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday which are my big drinking nights.

Work today and massage tonight. One day at a time.

Do you have a pattern that you follow on these nights prior to drinking? If so maybe change it. Thursday night is normally a drinking night for me but I went food shopping later last night and by the time I had unpacked it and sat down it was nearly 9 so time for my pjs and bed. Friday and Saturday are my wine nights so I bought alcohol free options for the weekend arranged an early morning hill hike tomorrow with a friend and booked a family activity sun morning. I need to find something for tonight with the kids if the weather is ok to drive (currently snowing).

Day 6 for me. I have been focusing on pampering my skin and gone facials. My skin definitely looks better. I also booked a treatment for next Wednesday with that money I have saved.

@Fundays12 I think one of the reasons I've slipped into the habit of drinking particularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays is because I don't have to drive the next morning. My working pattern means I can work from home the morning after.
I could alter my days or just work in the office more whilst I work on resetting these bad habits.

Morning😁

Start of day 3 for me, and easy so far, but not kidding myself, I'm sure I'll get desperate at some point.
Interesting what you say about eating more chocolate, I have found I'm picking less. When I was sinking the drink I could easily eat a family size bar of chocolate or a couple of bags of crisps 😳
@BulldogMumma you can do weekends - they're just days that begin with an 'S' 😁

Keep strong everyone!

Forgot to say, I do hope anyone who slips up feels they can still post here and get support to try again.

Day 3 today. Wishing everyone a positive day as we head towards the weekend. I managed to eat a whole tub of ice cream yesterday so I'm definitely feeling the sugar cravings. Hopefully they will settle down as the days go on.