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

Hello day 3! I’m proud of myself, but conscious I’m a weekend binger so haven’t done anything out of the ordinary… yet!

i am trying to phrase things positively so…

• I’m so excited to not drink this weekend, to sleep well, to have patience with my children, to not waste time wallowing about, stuffing my face to steady my hangover.
• I’m so excited to be able to tick off successful days on my apps and wall charts, and to come tell you lovely people that I managed it.
• I will feel so pleased and happy with myself, and so encouraged for the rest of DJ. I might even have to have a little treat with all the money saved (I’m estimating £20 per week).

Anyone else thinking to treat themselves?

Morning all day 3 for me!! Cold weekend setting in so nice chilled one at home before work on Monday need to get my tree down at some point where did Christmas go!! Want to wish you all luck with the weekend here we can do this!! And just imagine how good it will feel to be refreshed ready for Monday!! 😆 back to the daily grind I plan to save money for travelling this year no more wasted nights out all my money will be going on bills and getting myself to the airport feeling excited for 2025 feel it has a nice ring to it.
sending strength to you all eat the sweets drink the chocolate nothing beats waking up on a weekend AF. Enjoy x

Good morning all, 2nd teacup in a row, crap sleep but not unexpected.

As I say to my wife every Friday 'It's Friday Night!', which means I often go to the next town and meet friends, talk some good and decent shit (not just piss talk), drink and eat. I'm in a quandary, yes, I (now) believe I will achieve my stated aim to equal last years DJ and have 17 dry days, as a minimum. But can I, should I go further, hmm.

The thing is with me I never really know what I'm going to do, nothing is ever really planned (although I did plan not to drink on the 1st January). Due to my disabilities etc, some days I'm on crutches, lack mobility, or the physical pain is bad and I cant really leave the flat.

My motto for years, has been seize the day, not sure how to seize this day though, which street I'm going to walk down - so to speak.

Waves a flipper to @Cherrymix (I recognise your user name, must admit to having changed mine a thousand times since)!

@40andlovelife I have a similar situation with a DH who won’t be doing dry Jan and last year it was difficult to be in the same room as him but I have a new hobby now that I can do from home, so hoping to use that to distract me.

I had another rubbish night of sleep, which was disappointing all things considered. Day 4 and a bit anxious about tonight but will keep reminding myself why I’m doing this. I know things will start to improve after the weekend. Just got to focus on that!

@Comeonicandoit I have put a day in the calendar for DH to take the kids at the end of Jan and I’m going for a walk, shops and coffee by myself… bliss!

For those whose partners are still drinking I find during sober spells I feel the urge when my OH gets his first glass but when they top up for the 2nd or 3rd I feel quite smug as I'm still on my first AF drink.

It reinforces what I've read in that a) it's addictive and after the first glass we're chasing that dopamine high and subsequent crash with more drinks and b) if it really relaxed us why do we need to drink more of it not less and how relaxing is waking up feeling more stressed, anxious and tired.

Day 3, I'm gonna try and get out for a walk today. Seems like this weekend will be a big hurdle for a lot of us. I'm going to spend it doing something active in the day, pilates or a winter walk and maybe some relaxation / guided meditation / candles in the evening. Also gonna get preparing for the start of my diet on Monday and get all the ingredients in, read up on it and get ready to do a journal / log.

I'll recharge my fitbit and get on some scales at the gym too on Monday..get a photo of myself to compare to and start putting together an exercise programme to fit around work...also I need to get my bike fixed. Take my kids to the cinema.

That'll keep me occupied this weekend.

Keep checking in, it's o.k to say if you're having a shit day ..or struggling, mines all in my head when I start trying to convince myself that I fancy a drink sod it, why not, I'm bored, I enjoy it, everyone else is doing their thing, etc

Somehow I magically forget how dreadful it makes me feel after, no energy for anything else or energy to enjoy anything else or be present and actively participating in life around me... and it's all brief false enjoyment, messaging people, spamming my friends with music when they are busy.. actually the reality is I'm just sat around in my own little world like a drunken saddo, disengaged from life around me. Why? If I'm not actually going out to socialise and have a drink with friends it's pointless sitting around doing it on my own at home when I could be doing so much more with my days off and my time and energy.

That's maybe a good idea just to help you stay focused initially. I am trying to make sure I have to drive every morning or have a 9.30 am gym class booked if I am not working as I know I won't drink then.

Are you still planning on going? Could you go and stick up alcohol free options? I was pleasantly surprised before Christmas when i asked a bar man whilst out for a meal what non alcohol options did they stock and he listed of a lot. He explained they were getting more and more requests since the summer for them so had stocked up.

Morning all!
Decent sleep other than my achey back & legs....that's another issue I'm trying to sort. It's so annoying

First up & enjoying a coffee in peace which is lovely. Off to meet my friend for a brew then take my youngest DD out this pm. My order of Trip should arrive today so looking forward to that.
I enjoyed reading my book last night too. I'm going to treat myself to getting my nails done with the money saved from not buying alcohol.

Day 3. Usually a wobble day as I have been "good" for 2 days so " deserve" a treat. Need to shift my way of thinking. An actual treat is to reward myself with something healthy and not toxic.

Good morning! Day four today for me and I'm ready for it.

Had a busy day yesterday with a friend, managed to resist when she was having a few. I was determined not to drink so the cravings were minimal. Feeling very good about myself today, if I'd drank I'd be full of self loathing.

Let's hope it's another easy one today.

No idea, wont decide until later, probably midday or just after. If i go to a licensed premises I will always drink alcohol, i'm black or white, no grey areas. That used to, rightly so, exasperate my psychologist.

My initial DJ plan was to embark on some higher level harm reduction and cut my drink days right down. I will achieve that, I might even do better than that.

I acknowledge that my thinking and way of doing things is different to mostly everyone else posting in this thread/ group of folks, but the fact that I'm posting here is somewhat miraculous, I never intended to get involved, merely lurk.

I managed 2 weeks last year. I realise that my attitude didn’t help. It was one of “when can I have a drink ? I feel so deprived.” This year I am just going to be curious about what I am feeling
the alcohol is out of my system now and my sleep is predictably awful.
anyone else having trouble sleeping? I’m just so restless.

Well done you sound like you are doing great.

my sleep is really bad also, it takes me weeks to get back into a decent sleep cycle everyone is different but last year I managed 75 days sober only started drinking again because of Christmas.
And after around 3 weeks of abstaining my sleep was amazing I slept like a baby no tossing or turning no waking up at 1.2.3 am if anything that’s why I’m knocking the booze on the head again just to get that quality of sleep back things will improve 👍🏻

Day 7 here.
Just checking in. Hoping to go to 100 and see what happens.

@TimeForNosecco that’s great news! I am hoping this will happen to me. Even though I slept very badly again last night it’s not the same awful tiredness I got after a drinking session.

Morning all! Day 4 here ! Annoyingly woke up feeling hungover this morning tired & headachey and struggling to shift it … I’m sure it will go at some point!! Weekend will be testing for me too luckily my dp is also doing dj which will help!!

Almost finished a big work project which has overtaken life for a few weeks so I’m planning ways of celebrating that don’t include alcohol!! Not that easy annoyingly which is exactly why I’m doing dj 🙈

we’ve got this weekend and can all be really pleased with ourselves on Monday!!

altho also echoing pp who said if you do drink, don’t despair - stick around! There’s always another weekend on the way where you can make a different choice - but it could be this one still!!!

My sleep is shockingly bad. Finally asleep by six am after going to bed at midnight. Used to "treat" myself to drinking a couple of times a week to a point where the lights went out when my head touched the pillow as I struggle so fucking hard to sleep. Very anxious about how I'll cope without that

Finished work for the day and now home with a cup of tea, I can't believe how cold it is!!
Anyway told one of my colleagues about DJ, she laughed and said no way would I do it, can't wait to prove her wrong.
Tonight and tomorrow will be the big triggers for me but I'll push through with my quit lit and AF beer.
Just reiterating what pp's have said, if you have a slip up please don't leave the thread. Post and tell us and we can support you to keep going.

I watched the Panorama episode about binge drinking and found it quite sobering see what I did there as I’d never consider myself a binge drinker but apparently polishing off a bottle of wine between two is exactly that. I had a very restless night last night - had a kombucha in the evening but perhaps that wasn’t a good idea! Day 3….

I also have watched the panorama episode and I think I’ve definitely drunk just as much or more.
It does worry me to think I may have something wrong with my liver and not have any obvious signs or symptoms at present, think I would be to scared to get my bloods done atm but it’s definitely playing on my mind being in my 40s and binging for 20+ years!!

@TimeForNosecco I'm the same. I'm 42 and have drunk a bottle a night for god knows how long, it's a scary thought. My mum had liver function tests that were ok and she still died through drink although it wasn't her liver that killed her it was pretty much the rest of her organs. I don't want that for me so I need to make a change.
I've bought AF corona for this weekend, I've had them before and they taste exactly the same

Same age here @BulldogMumma it really makes me a little bit mad that no one really spoke about these things back when we was young they never would have showed that on tv. I feel my daughters generation are a lot more aware of the dangers she’s early 20s and although she does party I don’t think they’re interested in every day drinking well from what I gather.
sorry to hear about what happened with your mum I’m pretty sure alcoholism killed my nan and my Grandad is 92 drinks brandy all day every day he is now end of life care but still going strong.
I will definitely get my bloods done think I’ll give it a few weeks first get my head clear first so that if anything I can handle it better it is a worry I just wish I had someone to tell me back when I knew no better. 🙃