Dry January

[Nomorewine123]

Is anyone doing dry January ? How are you finding it? I love wine but some bad habits crept in - I was drinking every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes mid week more often than not. Yes I know how many units a week that is and I know I’m way above guidelines. I’m generally fit and well, never off sick and run / go to the gym regularly but I suppose psychologically have developed a dependence. If something good happens - must have wine, work stressful - must have wine, something bad happen - must have wine! So dry January has gone better than I thought. I’ve slept better, lost half a stone and weekends a lot more motivation and energy. I’m starting to think I should go dry permanently. But I do miss wine ! I can’t imagine never drinking but worried if I occasionally drink the bad habits will creep back in . Anyone else the same ? When I read mumsnet people barely seem to drink but within my friendship group my drinking habits are the norm.

I used to drink wine etc / sometimes too much but made the switch and tomorrow am celebrating 7 years teetotal. Join me op! It's amazing. I feel great.

I’m the same. Except I drank every night.

I’ve found it a lot easier than I imagined and once I’m past the witching hour of 6pm I don’t struggle at all.

But I’m not enjoying food without a glass of wine.

I’m hoping a can reintroduce moderate consumption but 🤷‍♀️

I actually started my sober journey in December and have continued it into January. One thing I read that resonated with me was something like, "you may think you want to have a drink but if you do, you'll wish where you were back where you are right now."
There are now loads of alcohol free alternative drinks. You don't need alcohol to spend time with your friends.

I do dry January every year. It's prompted by the fact that I've a close relative who is an alcoholic. To remind me that alcohol isn't essential. However come the end of Jan I drink again and am happy to do so. I can happily go out with my friends and not drink but just as happily do.

I guess my point is that alcohol doesn't destroy all lives and whilst it isn't particularly healthy you can enjoy it as part of normal life. For most people it absolutely isn't all or nothing. It's just about moderation.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I do dry January to reset from the excesses of the Christmas & New Year season.
I plan to have more dry days/week from feb and also a dry week each month
I won't be giving up my beloved Chardonnay but will moderate better!

Doing dry January and haven’t found it difficult. Also have lost weight and like having no hangovers. However it’s been a quiet month socially, certainly I’ll carry on for another month but with holidays in the diary and nights out to be planned, I’m not sure about giving it up for good. Love that relaxed feeling having dinner with a delicious glass of wine and having a chat, but the price to be paid is it worth it - because for me it also creeps up to Friday and Saturday, maybe a night when I overdo it - difficult one!

I'm doing and normally love a drink. I haven't found it hard at all and think it will help reshape my relationship with it as it's easy to slip into bad habits. I can't imagine giving up completely- I love a, pint of real ale, and our local.pub but do want to cut down.

I do it every year, although ultimately I’m not actually sure why! I know I drink “too much” by NHS guidelines, but I have an easy relationship with alcohol and it doesn’t affect me negatively mentally or physically. Dry Jan is just habit now, I think.

One of the things I do take from Dry Jan and carry through the year is to be mindful about drinking: before you have a drink stop and ask yourself why you’re drinking and whether you actually want to or if it’s just out of habit because you always do in that situation, or as a crutch, or mindlessly for the sake of it.

I find there are lots of situations through the year where I do that and then think “you know what, I don’t actually really need or want that beer / glass of wine, it would just be drinking for the sake of it, I’m probably mostly looking for the emotional sensation and ritual of a drink” and order a non-alcohol beer or a mocktail instead. And others where I decide “yup, I think I would actually like the glass of wine, I’m not just drinking it for the sake of it.”

I did dry Jan a couple of years ago and haven't touched alcohol since.

Like you wine was for everything, good days and bad days.

Don't miss it at all now. Lost 2 stone, sleep better and it's fabulous not to worry how you'll get home after a night out or argue who's turn it is to drive 😁

I'm sober now - I did Dry January for a few years, but my drinking always crept back to heavy after. Honestly, not drinking anymore has been a breathe of fresh air. I was never someone who ever could have imagined myself never drinking again. Even when I stopped, I didn't really stop with the mindset of 'never again'. But I truly now can never see drinking again. Even the smell of it is off putting now. I lost a stone through nothing other than swapping wine for cake (I ate a lot of cake initially! And still lost a stone). I sleep better. I love weekend mornings now. I have more time and money to do things I enjoy. I spend more actual quality time with my kids - my daughter the other day said, 'mum, we go out to the cinema now so much more! I love doing that. Why didn't we do it before?!' (it's because I would stay at home with a bottle - or more - of wine on Friday/Saturday/Sunday evenings instead).

I couldn't recommend enough doing 100 days or even a year alcohol free. It doesn't have to be a lifelong commitment. Just see how you feel in 3 months or 12 months. I don't know anyone who has given up drinking and doesn't say their life is so much better for it.

And yes, like you, none of my friends and family drink like MN. I think the people who reply to threads about drinking are self-selected. I wouldn't have responded to a thread and told you I was getting through 3 bottles of wine on a Saturday if you had asked me back then. I was ashamed. But I'll gladly talk openly about being sober now. Everyone I know (friends and family) if not heavy drinkers, at the very least are binge drinking on the weekends. I don't know anyone of the 'just a small sherry at Christmas' crowd. It's partly because birds of a feather flock together, but also desirability bias - same reason why people lie about what they drink or smoke to the GP.

Yep doing it, can't say I'm missing it. I have the band from Alcohol Change on but didn't ask anyone to sponsor me. Tomorrow is going to be hard but I'm quite pleased I've managed to have an interview, get offered a job, have a bad day at work, it's end of the week mentality, drink to forget my medical problems, on my own which are all triggers for me when I'd go mad and have a drink. Socially I can go out and be known to hold the same drink all evening so its definitely on my own thing.

I brought an alcohol free bottle of white from the Not guilty range middle of the month and I had a glass one Saturday at lunch and then one at dinner. Grateful of the urge now not to drink all those empty calories into oblivion. Long may it continue!

Interesting to hear different thoughts and how others have done. I think realistically I am never going stop drink for ever. But if I can use this month off to reset my relationship with wine. I had a stressful day at work today and had to make some pretty major decisions. I would normally be opening the wine as soon as I got in but I’m now realising using wine in that way is pointless ! I’m just happy this evening crashed out on the sofa watching traitors with a lemonade. However, in the future, if I’m going out I will have a wine and will really enjoy it. So perhaps after this January / February I’ll not sink back into bad habits but enjoy the odd wine - just much less frequently than I was and that way I will enjoy it more and as others have said it’s not habitual. I am in awe of those of you that stopped completely and am not completely ruling out a complete stop one day …..

Was it Strongbow who had the advert "first pint refreshment", that sip of a cold, bubbly drink on a Friday night after work? I actually get that same "taste/buzz/habit" from 0% lager. It's the same end of the week ritual to open that can/bottle - except it's alcohol free.