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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to give a vodka iv to the next person that moans about dry January

50 replies

thegymbunni · 23/01/2016 09:34

I don't really care what people drink, but I'm sdo bored of people moaning that they can't drink.

Most of them are just wasting their time and will have a huge blowout come Feb.

Moderation is the key, not abstinence To binge!

OP posts:

Fatrascals · 23/01/2016 12:52

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WorraLiberty · 23/01/2016 12:53

I keep telling myself I must give up alcohol.

Then I think, "Wait, don't listen to her, she's drunk!"

Birdsgottafly · 23/01/2016 12:54

"they've chosen to stop its not like someone has forced them, they could just choose to drink if they're missing it that much ""

Depends on where they're venting. We should be able to have a moan to our friends and family.

"Dry Months" have been shown to have benefits and some people, do regularly drink too much, without realising it.

If your family/friends/Collegues are drinkers, then it can easily creep up and become the norm.

As you drink more, your tolerance increases. This is a chance to test yourself and have time to rethink about your alcohol usage.

IPityThePontipines · 23/01/2016 13:01

"You do sound a bit like Mary Whitehouse or Norman Tebbit though"

Yes, it's great to drink alcohol and anyone who doesn't have a life that revolves around alcohol consumption is a tedious funsponge

I don't see alcohol as just another vice, the harm and health problems it causes are testament to that.

We do have issues with alcohol in this country, that the idea of a month without alcohol is seen as such an epic struggle, is just another indicator of it.

Fatrascals · 23/01/2016 13:13

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at request of author

Fatrascals · 23/01/2016 13:14

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at request of author

WorraLiberty · 23/01/2016 13:20

I don't see alcohol as just another vice, the harm and health problems it causes are testament to that.

You mean the harm and health problems it can cause, are testament to that.

For many moderate but regular drinkers, it is just another vice - hence the reason they take part in Dry January.

mrsjskelton · 23/01/2016 16:32

It gets me how people find a month off booze such a challenge! That is a complete doddle for me.
I have very little interest in alcohol and for me it's a treat, not a way to get me through the week! My DH said he would give up booze for a fortnight after a very indulgent holiday last July - he lasted a pathetic 4 days. He's actually completed dry January so far and will certainly do the rest now he appears to be over the hump that's hardest in the beginning. I think I must BU because I just don't see what is so hard?? Are people generally quite addicted to booze?

BathtimeFunkster · 23/01/2016 16:40

Are people generally quite addicted to booze?

Is your husband a raging alcoholic?

Or is it just hard to give up something you like for a month?

I do Dry January every year, but I wouldn't fancy a month without chocolate.

I'm not addicted to chocolate. I just like it.

I also like alcoholic drinks.

I don't care much for bread, but I have friends who have given up bread for a month and really struggled.

Marynary · 23/01/2016 16:45

I think I must BU because I just don't see what is so hard?? Are people generally quite addicted to booze?

I expect that you don't get the same level of enjoyment one one glass of wine as some people. Personally, I can't see the attraction of chocolate or overeating full stop but many people seem to eat too much. In RL I've noticed that they are often the the same people who can't see the "challenge" in giving up alcohol. We're all different.

ilovesooty · 23/01/2016 16:55

I've recently been on local radio and TV publicising my service's alcohol support intervention programme - the message being that you don't have to be a dependent drinker to seek support.
Going by this thread it's a message that needs a lot more publicity. There's really quite a bit of ignorance on here.

dementedma · 23/01/2016 17:02

Bully for you mrsskelton it isn't a complete doddle for everyone . For many people, 4 days without alcohol is a massive achievement, not a pathetic one, but I'm sure your dh valued your support!

mrsjskelton · 23/01/2016 18:05

He's no alcoholic - that's why I can't understand what's so hard? I agree that with an actual "problem" 4 days might be the biggest achievement ever! I'm talking about the social drinkers and generally what I would consider my friends. I never realised that people who seem to have totally "normal" drinking habits find this so difficult! I guess I'm saying I must be ignorant because until recently I guess I believed that the general mass of people in this country would find a month without alcohol no huge challenge.

Apologies for having a contrary opinion by the way, I forgot this is MN and you have to agree with the loudest voices or get trolled

mupperoon · 23/01/2016 18:19

It's very simple, confused non-drinkers. I really, really enjoy drinking wine. Mainly red but sometimes white. It's the only alcohol I drink and I tend to have a glass or two every day with dinner. It's not just a way of washing food down, it's delicious and every mouthful has the capacity to delight (or disappoint) .

I know however that it's not good for my weight or my body in general so I am doing DJ.

I feel marginally better for it (sleeping better particularly) but bloody hell I really, really miss red wine. Because I really, really enjoy it.

JessieMcJessie · 23/01/2016 18:20

I don't really get how people can make such a huge deal of the effort required for Dry January yet seem to take it for granted that pregnant women can stop drinking with barely a second thought. There was an article in the guardian which had a title like. "We all know it's a good idea to cut down on drinking but have you ever REALLY tried to go cold turkey?" My response to that headline was that a huge proportion of their readers would be women with kids who would just answer "well, yes, obviously, and for about a year!".

FWIW I am 8 weeks pregnant with my first and have found it truly ironic that at the very time I am most anxious I can't have a nice glass of wine to take the edge off. I am also increasingly intolerant of DH in "tipsy after a few drinks" mode, which I had never even noticed before cos I was usually in the same state myself...

mrsjskelton · 23/01/2016 18:27

Okay mupperoon you're the first person to make sense to me! But can I ask - are you finding DJ hard? As in, is it just that you miss the taste/feeling (which I do! No wine for me since March and quite frankly I'd love some with a blue steak)
My argument/query is that with a regular but not a problem drinker, it should be on the same level of difficultly as a chocoholic going without for a month - not bringing out the cold sweat and shivers until you have to give in! You sound to me like someone doing really well with the DJ challenge!

ilovesooty · 23/01/2016 18:30

Regular drinking can sometimes become problematic very quickly.

mupperoon · 23/01/2016 18:36

mrsjskelton Yes, I miss the taste and feeling. There's no substitute drink which enhances food as much (in my opinion). I wouldn't say I am suffering physically, I don't feel like it's a physical addiction. But I miss it.

I have massively cut down on caffeine recently and found that a lot harder - particularly the headaches and the 3pm slump.

Maybe my wine drinking is more akin to chocoholicism...

cardibach · 23/01/2016 19:30

Why is it hard? For the se reason people struggle with giving things up for lent: they like them, and ha its are hard to break. Really don't understand why prow are finding this so hard to accept and concluding everyone's life revolves around alcohol/everyone gets drunk all the time.

cardibach · 23/01/2016 19:31

Excuse typos. My phone hates me. Think it's fairly clear despite them.

MizK · 23/01/2016 19:42

I'm definitely one of the annoying people who moans about doing Dry January.

Like another person up thread, I really like wine. I don't drink every day and I'm not an alcoholic, but I know I look forward to wine at the weekends hugely. And cocktails. I love them. Drinking adds to my life in the same way that reading in the bath does, or shopping for clothes, or eating ice cream. However I'm very aware that alcohol is addictive and unhealthy so I limit myself.

I've done Dry January to give my liver a rest. Am Catholic by upbringing so used to giving up vices, will give up chocolate in Lent. And probably moan about that too, it's v tempting to give on but constantly harping on about it means that my friends and family would crow about it if I fell off the wagon!

goddessofsmallthings · 23/01/2016 21:07

I'm having a Dry January... dry sherry, dry martini, and scotch with dry ginger.

Gabilan · 23/01/2016 21:45

I'm doing dry January. I don't whinge about it though and many of my friends and family don't even know.
My father is an alcoholic. Over the past 20 years I've watched him slowly destroy himself. He knows he's drinking himself to death but he won't, or can't, stop. Temperamentally I'm very like him. Not drinking for a month is my way of assessing my relationship with alcohol. I'd hate to do what my father is doing and I don't want an addiction to take hold.

tanukiton · 23/01/2016 22:07

I am doing Dry January and going coffee free. It is about braking habits for me. The booze I don t notice except for Friday night. This would be crack open a nice bottle of red and chat to my husband in the kitchen and eat together. It is the only time during the week that we see each other in the evening and can chat.. I MISS THE WINE because it is nice!
The coffee was much harder. I cant say I am caffeine free as I still cant do the morning without a cup of tea and now find my self munching chocolate at 3pm.

Oh i had no problem stopping when pregnant.

I really think I have re set the coffee and wine level so I think dry January is good for me and will continue to go coffee free...

Throwingshade · 23/01/2016 22:35

Not found Dry Jan hard but it was important for me to do it and I'm glad it's become a 'thing' for people like me who need to drink mindfully. I drink too much alcohol because I like it. Is it a problem? Yes as in anything you do that's not good for you problematic.

As most other sensible people with a modicum of understanding of other human beings can work out, it's the same as any bad habit or addiction whether that's sugar, smoking, overeating, playing Candy Crush or Mumsnetting too much. You want to do it and it's hard to break the habit.

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