To think Dry January is not all it's cut out to be?

[Throwingshade]

Ok I've only done a week (obviously as it's only a week into Jan!).

I feel fine, not struggling.

I drink a lot usually - 4 bottles of wine a week, then the odd blow out if we've got a party or dinner etc. So probably three times recommended limits? Not good.

I don't feel any different. Sleeping 'better' but only as in more heavily. But otherwise feel the same as before.

I'm going to carry on as need to change my drinking habits on a permanent basis. I'm an old bird and I don't want to create unnecessarily health problems so that my poor sons have to look after their old soak of a ma.

But anyone do a few weeks last year and feel a spring in your step, brighter eyes, brighter disposition?

I'm not asking all you peeps who don't really drink btw! I'm asking people who have a regular habit like me.

I've not had a drink for about a year due to pregnancy, hyperemesis and having a baby ( hangover plus nappies... No ta.)

I probably didn't drink enough to be seeing vast differences but I've noticed a massive improvement in my sleep quality. My skin is much better too. Of course it could be hormones...

Even more interesting to me is that I've not missed it at all. I really thought I'd miss having a glass of wine but I haven't. So much so in fact that while I'm not going to go totally tt, I think I'll just carry on not bothering to drink.
i see things like dry January as a way to reset your relationship with alcohol. If you're someone who doesn't yet have a big problem but perhaps drinks a bit too much then I'd imagine it can be beneficial.

I'm glad that someone has mentioned being nicer.

I've had friends whose drinking has crept up, but still no where near to some of the levels on here and their personalities have changed, more irritated, less empathetic etc.

My Mum was in total denial about how different she was the next day, after only having a few shorts, because she wasn't even tipsy, but she was short tempered and could be nasty. It was a pattern that I picked up on, as a child.

At the end of the month, why not ask someone who will give you an honest answer about this, you might be surprised.

Did DJ last year and now doing this this year. Didn't notice a difference physically, but psychologically, it felt freeing to know I could do it.

I hope I wasn't short-tempered with dd as a result, but I do feel I give her a better quality of attention when a little part of my brain isn't wondering whether to pour a glass or not.

`marmitelover55 and throwingshade thank you for your kind words. Basically it was a nightmare, but it's over now for me, but not for some poor family. The Spanish donation system is 'opt out' as opposed to our (UK) 'opt in' system, or I would not be here.

The health system here in Catalunya has been absolutely faultless, and with the kindest people I have ever met. But MNers, DJ is about the long term health of your body, not how sparkly your eyes are! I am utterly amazed at how much some people drink. Replace it with any other drug and judgey pants would have been hoisted beyond eyebrows by now!

I know it's not about sparkly eyes dejarder - was being a bit tongue in cheek hence why I added a but yes you're right those of us who drink to excess need to have a long, hard look at ourselves and take the health risks seriously. And DJ is somewhere to start. I have found it easy so far.

My big problem is my dh is a drinker. So not only will it be harder not drinking living with someone who drinks a lot (bottle of wine about 4 nights a week, maybe more) a lot of our social life and downtime is spent with a drink in hand whether it's a film or dinner or cinema or theatre. It has always involved drinking before during or after.

Throwingshade I did dry December as I'd got into the habbit of drinking most nights aftet work, and wanted to save money over Christmas and avoid hangovers as I have a toddler. It took 3-4 weeks to notice a difference, and the first thing I noticed was mental rather than physical. My mind suddenly felt clearer and it was like a dark cloud had lifted, although I never thought drink was having an effect on me mentally. I carried on being dry into Jan and have since experienced weight loss and better skin. Think it can take longer to notice a difference if you are a regular drinker tbh. Good luck!

I've lost 5 pound since starting Dry January.

I'm definitively carrying on with it now!

Yes I'm carrying on too and have not lost weight but stayed the same despite a week of complete piggery!

I feel good today

Good luck everyone with their DJ endeavours this week

I think we should be proud that we've managed one week so far. (especially with the miserable January weather)
For those who have slipped, it's not the end of the world.

Pick yourselves up, dust yourself off and carry on moving forwards.
We can do this.

Hi
My first post on Mumsnet, but I searched 'feeling worse in dry January' and came across this thread.
I am similar to you Throwingshade, in age and drinking patterns. And I feel awful by today. Headache, groggy, lack of energy. Putting on weight as I am eating chocolate with a cup of tea at night instead of a glass of wine. I appreciate the potential long-term benefits of this, but I am not convinced that there are short term bonuses at all.
I am almost thinking that I have a few pleasures in life and a glass of good red wine is one of them. A bottle of course is too much every night or every 2 nights, but I am at a bit of a cross roads here .
Great to read all the opinions!

I do agree eaglewing that a drink can be one of life's great pleasures- although for me it's an ice cold cider on a warm beach rather than wine. (Bulmers, how I love thee. Let me count the ways)

I think the thing though that we're all aiming for is to bring our drinking down to the levels where we can once again enjoy a drink on occasion- rather than pouring whatever cheap booze we can bulk buy from Lidl down our throats the minute we walk through the door.

That's what I'm going for anyway. I drink out of habit, rather than for pleasure- and actually I've surprised myself with how little I miss it.

Good luck with your Dry January anyway, and welcome.

I'm still feeling generally head achey and not great. I'm all the more determined to continue.

I don't miss drinking and I'm already popping to the shop and not even glancing at the wine.

One week has already reset my thinking. I do know that I could slip very easily though. I think I'm going to try to not drink alone at home any more.
I don't have a partner so there's no-one to tempt me!

I am in day 3 of not drinking and breaking out in spots! I presume that is my body being able to get rid of toxins easier now it's not dealing with alldagin.

Am a bit ratty tonight too. Dp has annoyed me as he has had a few beers and is happily squiffy. Bastard. But I do think he has a problem with alcohol and we egg each other on so if I cut right down he might too.

I don't know if I will do a full dry month. But only drinking 2 nights is better than 7 nights.

I might push on through though just to annoy dp lol.

Hey eagle, saucy and Thornrose

I feel really good and I felt really good yesterday too!

I'm not saying that to depress you if you are feeling crap, but to bring hope .

I feel upbeat and clear headed. Again, not massively different to how I felt when I was boozing, but just sort of, more still (less jittery?) and a bit happier.

Can any of you answer me about your partners' drinking if you have partners?
My dh drinks a lot and our life has always been very sociable and built around drinking. That really worries me as he'll never give up booze or even moderate himself (he does cut down but only to what he considers a healthy level, which is anything but!). I feel it will pull us in separate directions and will make me hate him when he is drunk!

Feeling pretty good here too. I've replaced my drinking with a nutritional supplement habit which has helped- although any money I've saved in the offy has gone straight to Holland and Barrett instead.

As far as DP goes.... yes, he's still drinking although less than he was as I'm not. I don't think it'll make much difference to us tho as I still fully intend to drink socially on occasion once Dry January is over.

TBH one of my main reasons for cutting down was my weight gain. DP is the sort whose BMI never goes above 18 no matter how much he eats or drinks and I deeply, deeply resent him for it but him giving up or not isn't go to make it any "fairer" anyway. I'm the fatso that needs to cut down.

I am currently a Twatty Pollyanna.

I feel really really great and if I didn't have a broken foot I'd be sliding down the bannister in the morning.

My only issue is I've started having mince pie and a shit load of cream after tea,I never had pudding when I drank.

Saucy I am intended to slip bad into moderate, social drinking but if I was crap at being moderate before I'm not sure it will work. POA is 'only' drinking three nights a week. Then being mindful of not being a wine glugging lush when I do indulge. I do LOVE a drink and have a good social life, so I would like to think I can party on without it creeping back up to stupid levels.

intending

so yesterday watching a very stressful episode of CBB (I know, I know) I really wanted wine and a fag. I bravely abstained but had a whole left over chocolate Lindt bunny from xmas instead

Oh well, its the same calories I guess (1 wine = a crunchie bar)

Throwing I wish I could say something positive but I can't. My DH is heavily alcohol dependent and he is doing nothing at all to change. And it does pull us apart to the point where I am thinking it may be the end. I know I vowed for better and for worse but I refuse to be his carer when his habits catch up with him and it is all self inflicted. I see how much he drinks every day and it turns me off. And then he complains that I don't want sex with him...

When one partner gives up drinking and the other carries on, the one who is still drinking will try their best to make the other person 'fail'
(think they are called enablers)
Drinkers like being around other drinkers - it makes them feel better to know they are not on their own.

It's tough to give up drinking if your partner drinks heavily.

hollowlegs in my case it really isn't, every time he picks up a bottle I feel sick. The more he drinks, the less I drink.

pointythings I had a boyfriend who wasn't a conventional alcoholic but couldn't;t stop drinking once he started until he passed out, would be awful to me when he was drunk and didn;t see himself as having a problem, despite the fact he would literally guzzle wine from the moment he started drinking until he passed out. It was quite disgusting to watch actually.

If I was having a dry day he would get moody with me for not drinking with him, he rarely respected my wishes he didn't drink or get drunk in front of my children and I could see that it would/was killing him.

He was wonderful when he was sober, but in the end I walked away from the relationship because you just can't live with an alcoholic and it was the best thing I've ever done. I regret not doing it sooner and I've not been this happy for a long time.

You've only got one life, if being with your partner is making you miserable, pulling you down, making you feel stressed, please think about yourself. life isn't a dress rehersal, you don;t get to do it again and you shouldn't spend it miserable if you can help it.

Vivien DH doesn't drink until he passes out. He just drinks far too much. Every single day. And he sneaks spirits on the sly when I am upstairs reading to the DDs. I hate it. But because he isn't 'drunk', he thinks there is no real problem, despite storing up health problems for the future. I despair. I love him, but I have my limits.

Wow pointy we are in a very VERY similar situation. My dh drinks in exactly the same way as yours. And although he's not fall down drunk, I do also hate the role modelling he's playing out for the dc. Them seeing him with a drink in hand most nights, him going a bit slurry, smelling of wine etc.

I do love him, he's not an arse. But I'm increasingly finding his blindness or lack of resolve to this issue a problem.

I can hardly bear to think about it. It's unthinkable we won't last the course...