Did anyone do dry January?

[whatisforteamum]

I always said jan was the worst month to ditch the booze.A latecomer to alcohol I didn't drink at all until I was 37.
Then I watched my units as I have an addictive personality.I would have 6 or 7 a week.
Now on furlough and much less stressed I've dropped to 2 units. I'm quite pleased tbh.
Did anyone bother to participate this yr or is that glass of wine the only joy this month.

I've done it but not deliberately, only because DH and I only drink when socialising. There's no particular reason for this, I just don't really enjoy the taste of alcohol, it's more the social aspect of it for me.

Yes, I've also done it for a few years now. I started doing it when DH was away for work a lot which meant me at home on my own with young twins - just felt a bit safer if I had to drive anywhere in an emergency (it never happened). Just carried on from there. This year has been the hardest as I've not had the usual out of home activities for which the car is necessary

Oh wow blubellsarebells well done.I have a male work colleague who has issues and can easily do 19 pints or a large bottle of spirits in an evening.It is well know amongst hospitality almost the culture.
I did think when my parents were ill I was looking forward to a drink more than I should.
Resetting anything is a good idea.

I do work in hospitality althought been on furlough for most of the year now.
There is definitely a culture of socialising together in normal times, going out after work, working closely together over long stressful shifts.
I could drink 15 units in one sitting sometimes because I cant seem to stop once I start, I'm tiny so this is really bad, less tiny than I was because of all the extra calories.
Obviously then I would feel like crap the next day.
Its a slippery slope that I didnt want to go any further down.

Let's hope we can get hospitality back on its feet this yr.😁

Hell no - hats off to all of you managing it!
A stressful job, homeschooling and extra pressures have meant I've enjoyed a glass of wine (or two) on a Friday night.
I'm sure I could do dry January with the right motivation but I couldn't see the point this year as it would have made me more miserable!

Does it count if you don’t really drink anyway as then technically I have 😂

I've done it, haven't lost weight but am sleeping better. The best bit is knowing that I can manage happily without alcohol. although I don't plan to give up completely, I am planning to cut down from Feb

I have, but not on purpose, I just didn't feel like drinking any more.

I definitely drank too much over Christmas, primarily due to boredom.

After the first couple of weeks I have actually realised I'm quite happy not drinking and don't need it.

I only drink for about 3 months out of the year (Oct-Dec), and then nothing for 9 months. The longer I go without it, the more I notice how much havoc it plays on my body and more importantly my mental health when I do indulge.

I'd wake up with my blood feeling like it was fizzing from the sugar, it would instantly trigger sugar cravings when I got halfway through a glass, and I stopped being able to remember half the day when drinking either champagne or Prosecco. I feel more relaxed without it, better able to handle work stress, I'm generally a better person.

Which is ironic given my propensity to reach for a bottle to "unwind" at the end of a rough day. It actually does the exact opposite. I don't find it relaxing anymore!

The longer I go without, the easier I find it.

I did it last year and never started again. I'm so pleased that alcohol isn't part of my life any more, it is a truly liberating experience.

I did a dry 1st quarter once. Was very disappointed. Didnt feel any health benefits, didn't lose weight, nothing. I enjoy a few glasses of wine, very rarely touch spirits, the odd g&t and never larger or beer.

I’m doing it, wasn’t ever drinking more than a small glass an evening - 4 or 5 days a week - before but have definitely noticed a difference in my skin since quitting. Still looking forward to a glass of red on Feb 1st though

Tbh, if you can't make it through one month without a drink, that's a problem in my view.
Of course there's a temptation to turn to drink when things get tough. And this month has been extremely tough indeed, with very high levels of temptation.

But surely the whole point of doing dry January is to say, for just one month, you can find your comfort elsewhere. If I couldn't do that, I'd be a bit worried about my relationship with alcohol. But then I tend to think of alcohol as something you'd have in celebratory mood (dinner out, a party, an evening with friends or whatever), rather than a crutch to lean on.

Yep I'm doing it too. In fact hope to do 100 days (and then reassess)

My consumption increased during lockdown #1 and just didn't want to repeat the pattern. Am feeling much more in control (I am WFH / homeschooling 2 primary kids and have a disabled toddler) than last time and whilst life is utterly boring, at least I'm doing something positive.

Crunchymum that is great.Yes I might ditch the alcohol.I suffer from bad anxiety so there have been times when this would be a quick fix so I have counted my units.
I have no issues with denying myself unhealthy food or sweets so really just wanted to pull back on the sugar and this too.
I quite like to have a drink and chill I know it is not good to rely on anything though.

I am doing it but finding it hard; did it for the first time last year and this year DH is doing it too (although it's his birthday next week so..?!)

My drinking went up over summer lockdown and in December I think I drank nearly every day so it's good to reset

I really miss the taste of wine though. If I could find a decent non alcoholic one I would gladly give up - but never ever have. We can go to the chuffing moon but scientists can't work out how to dealcoholise wine without ruining it

I am annoyed as I usually lose about half a stone if I stop drinking for a week or so. 3 weeks in and I have lost 2 lousy pounds

Yes - not deliberately, but I only drink socially and as I live alone I haven't had any opportunities. I wish I could say I felt better for it, but am a very moderate drinker anyway so haven't noticed much difference. Looking like dry February and March too at this rate

I'd also like to find a good low/no alcohol wine, they are always disgustingly sweet.

It works with beer, Brewdog do an excellent low/no alcohol beer so wish it could be done with wine.

@jackstini hear blinking hear! OH and I are doing both dry Jan and veganuary (we do every year, plus another dry/vegan month in the Autumn), and while my partner is spoiled for choice with booze-free beers, I cannot find a 'fake wine' that tastes nice :-( They are all so sweet! Likewise I don't see the point in paying the same for non-alcoholic gin as a normal bottle, so I'm basically living on tonic water with lime at the mo...

I'm still loving the food (feeling very nourished and full of veg, and I've lost some of my Christmas squidge!), but I've been missing wine quite a bit for the last few days...

no choice here i dont drink indoors very rarely did and the pubs are shut so no social life to go out and have a couple of drinks

I have but not consciously- don’t usually drink at home unless we have people round or of we’ve gone out and obviously haven’t been having any people round or going out!!

Loads of people did. There are 2 threads on this. I did.

I did until 10 past 8 on Monday 4th Jan!

Lasted until 5pm on January 1st.

I've done it before but frankly life is so bleak and depressing with lockdown that I can't see any point in taking away something I enjoy.