Calling time on wine: 100 days sober - starting 01/01/26

[reset100]

My wine drinking has slowly spiralled into a daily habit and I’m calling time on it. No drama, no rock bottom - just the realisation that it’s become a crutch and I want out of the swirl.

From 1st January, I’m committing to 100 days sober and I’d love others to join me. This isn’t about moderation or “just weekends” - it’s about a clean break and supporting each other to go completely alcohol-free for the full 100 days.

If alcohol has crept in as a daily default, if you’re tired of negotiating with yourself every evening, or if you simply want a proper reset with people who get it, you’re very welcome here.

No judgement. No pressure. Just accountability, honesty, and support.

Oooo that sounds interesting. I hadn't considered making my own "fiery source" (no idea why!) Great idea ! Thank you

I took a while to fall asleep last night even though I was tired - in contrast, when I have a bottle of wine I’m out like a light.

BUT when I did eventually nod off, I had the best sleep I’ve had in ages - no waking for two hours at 2am like I normally do and coming downstairs to drink a gallon of juice because I’m parched from the booze. Instead I woke at 8am feeling refreshed and well. I’m now having a morning coffee in bed - lovely!

One thing unexpected I’ve noticed is that so far (and it’s VERY early days), the diet is distracting me from alcohol. I’m spending so much time reading up on 5:2, listening to the wonderful Michael Moseley (😢) and pondering about my calories and meal planning that I haven’t thought about wine anywhere near as much as I usually do in Dry January.

I also have a double incentive not to drink because a bottle a night would completely ruin my diet. So that’s keeping me going as well.

Long may it continue!

I used to think that it was the alcohol that made me relax. On a Friday night - the lunchboxes were clean, the uniforms in the wash, the kitchen tidied, the kids in bed - I'd sit down in front of the telly with a glass of wine, have that first drink and feel 'ahhhh' I'm relaxing. But that was only a habit, an association. It was sitting down at the end of a busy day to watch the telly that made me feel relaxed, not the wine! Now I know what alcohol does, how it works as a chemical in the body, I hate the sensation. I tried one drink at my cousin's wedding last year and hated the feeling in my body. I liked the Andrew Huberman podcast on alcohol to understand the physical effects - it completely took away the romance of the feeling alcohol gives you! I know other people liked William Porter's book. See if that helps reframe the 'fuzzy feeling' for you.

I heard Steve Coogan describe giving up alcohol as he can have evenings or mornings but not both and he chooses mornings. That's what I do too. Sometimes I'm going somewhere where alcohol would give me dutch courage, or might make the event more fun, but I tell myself that I'm choosing how great it'll feel to drive myself home and not worry about taxis or sit on a bus feeling sick, I'll sleep well and I'll wake up feeling great. And I always do make sure to notice how great my morning is and think about how the people I were out with might be feeling.

Just found this thread! I stopped for New Year too. Can I join? X

Thanks @SparkFinder great advice !

FitbyMik on YouTube has some great short workouts, most of which are perfect for beginners.

@chatgptsbestmate Annie Grace is very good at explaining this too. She has a free one month course with daily content you can sign up for.

Nearly cracked last night but did not - slept right through and very happy with myself and my morning coffee!

Well done 👏 🥰

morning all - day 2 today (well
it’s actually day 3 for me but I’m going with the thread flow). Hope everyone survived New Year’s Day. I’m in Scotland and probably one of the few sober people yesterday! Messaged a friend to ask how her NYE had gone and said I hoped she wasn’t too hungover - her response was she was sooooo bad, didn’t even last til the bells and felt like she’d had a stroke followed by both 🤣🤢emojis. I felt so glad to be hangover free.

we had a lovely family dinner and everyone (bar me) had some drinks but no one got drunk. We played games, watched some TV and chatted/laughed a lot. It was in contrast to our Christmas Day dinner when I had drank too much, was too overbearing during the games and generally a bit of an arse. The strange thing is, in my head I’m more fun when drunk when objectively I’m absolutely not! Everyone tells me I’m hilarious and great fun when sober whereas if I’m drunk, I can be over the top and annoying.

So I’m doing a lot of thinking about why I think I need to drink to be sociable. Why did I feel the need to get tipsy (which of course means drunk for me) for a family Christmas Day dinner when I had a much better time on sober New Year’s Day. It’s mind blowing the tricks alcohol plays on us!

Here’s to a sober day 2 🥰

So far so good. I stopped drinking around 11.30pm on NYE and managed to limit myself to 2 glasses of fizz. Was good to just drink enough to feel slightly buzzed, rather than drinking a whole bottle or more to myself. I'm back to work today, and looking forward to getting some structure back. Walked the dogs early on and it was so peaceful as not many people were out and about yet.

Next thing I need to work on is getting my social life back on track. I don't really have friends locally and I've realised loneliness is a trigger to drink. Hoping by next Christmas, I'll have a friend or two I can call up to go for a coffee or a dog walk. Definitely need some more days out to look forward to, and I've realised it's something DH has little interest in doing.

Hope everyone else is off to a good start 💪

Mother Root sounds like the bought version of that drink - not cheap though. I like it. Might have a go at the homemade version though!

Sorry meant to quote this, the thread has moved on! 😆

Yeah Day 1 done! Didn’t sleep brilliantly but on whole felt relaxed as I read last night, listened to
Radio 2 with Angela Griffiths relaxation hour and wrote in my journal. Feel a bit sleepy. Thankfully off work till Monday so I can take it easy until these first days pass as usually days 2-4 can be hard until
push through the crash barrier! Have a great day!

I’m in too..horribly hungover today. Was dry retching in the toilet earlier

I’ve been there - it’s the most dreadful feeling isn’t it? Alcohol really is a poison. Hope you’re feeling better today.

Hi all, I would like to join also please. Today is Day 1 for me as hosted last night and had some wine. Would really love to achieve 100 days AF. I've done it before and felt amazing but lo and behold the old habits crept back. Im part of a very large, very sociable family. Always lots of parties and get togethers and I would definitely be seen as a drinker & always up for a good session. I want to change this habit. Especially now my kids are teenagers and starting to drink themselves I want to be a more positive role model for them.
Am really looking forward to the challenge. Good luck everyone.

Thanks for the thread. My user name is optimistic as I’m only one day in .. but hopefully that will be me and all of us in 100 days - Sober and Serene 🙏

Just to add- I’m over 60 and have been trying to moderate for the last couple of years. I need to accept I can’t moderate. One glass is never enough. I want to get rid of the self loathing and anxiety .

Annoyingly I’m meeting my friend in the pub tonight. I said I won’t stay long as too much temptation but could go without this do early on in the month! Must be strong..,

@SwiftyFifty will you be eating? I find food a good distraction. Also, seeing what af drinks they stock. I know what you mean when you say you could do without it, but if you play it forward and think how good you'll feel in the morning, that might help too.

Not eating no! Yes I’m unsure whether to have an af drink ( lager) or just to have a soft drink or lime and soda. I’m reluctant to spend much at all if I’m not drinking. My friend will be on the wine we usually share a bottle. I will resent buying her large goblets of wine if I’m on bloody soda!

Re non alcoholic drinks
If you google ginger shots you will find loads of recipes for them and on youtube.I have been making them for ages but I do have a high powered blender.
Instead of shots make them into a long drink with as much ginger as you want, buy pressed no added sugar fruit juice and add the ginger to them. I buy some delicious flavoured ones from M & S (78 cals in 150 mls if you are counting them) and dilute it with whatever you want.

@SoberAndSerene I am a similar age - and can't quite believe I've got this old without sorting out the wine thirst. I am hoping this next decade will be the best yet.

Did Day 1 yesterday and it wasn't so bad. I slept surprisingly well. Woke up even better. I am trying to frame it in my head not that I have to give up because I'm going to kill myself if I don't! but instead I chose to not drink. I intend to live a life without wine because it will be better and happier.

It helps that dh doesn't drink and never has. And I live in the USA where a lot of people we socialise with drink very little. If we meet friends for dinner some will not be drinking at all and the rest will order a cocktail before dinner and one glass of wine with dinner. I stopped drinking while out a while ago and it really made me notice how little most people drink.

good luck to everyone. I have a GP appointment next week - first one in years - and I am absolutely terrified I will be told my health is fucked!

I'd have a hefty snack/meal before you go. In all honesty, I drink to get drunk, so if I've had a good bit of food I know there's not much point drinking as it won't have much effect.

Day one done and I slept well.

I have been wanting to do this for ages, but doubting myself at the moment. As despite being only on day two, I have just had the realisation that it's actually Friday night, which in our house for years now has meant wine or other alcoholic alternative.

I know I won't drink tonight, but at the moment I feel that I am missing out. I need to try and reframe in my mind as something positive. Hopefully that will come over the next few weeks.

On a more positive note, on Christmas day, I drove to my sister's, so bought the Frexinet 0% sparkling to take with me. It was really nice and had I been handed it and told it was alcohol I 'might' not have realised it wasn't. Just in case anyone is looking for an alcohol free alternative to Prosecco, I really enjoyed this.