Taking a day off Dry January

[LittleScampi]

I‘m doing Dry January, along with a few colleagues. It’s been good to have the support and other people to talk to about it.

However, one of my colleagues has today announced that she will take a ‘day off’ on Friday. She’s going to a dinner party and wants to have a few drinks.

It has ruffled a few feathers. I personally am not bothered, if she wants to do that it is up to her. Dry January is voluntary and if she wants to opt out for a day then that’s her choice- as long as she goes back to it after. Some of our colleagues think it defeats the point of Dry January and she shouldn’t have participated if she wasn’t going to complete it properly.

What do you think?

YABU- dry january should not be broken
YANBU- meh who cares

The whole point of going for a month is that it is a challenge because random things keep popping up to tempt you away.

If you take a day off then yes it is very much defeating the purpose IMO.

"Dry January is voluntary and if she wants to opt out for a day then that’s her choice- as long as she goes back to it after."

Of course whether she goes back to it after is entirely her choice as well.

Edit : She can choose whether or not she wants to drink or give up at any time. What she can't do is demand you recognise her as achieving the objective.

She’s not doing Dry January if she does this!

Damp January

Her life, her choice. Not much point in being miserable

This is the problem of gimmicks like this. What does dry January, Veganuary or any other band wagon that people jump on achieve if you drink too much or eat too much meat at the rest of the time?

If people moderated themselves day to day, and went all out on special occasions only, they wouldn't feel the need to abstain for a fixed period of a month and would likely drink less overall than someone who drinks heavily throughout the year, then has nothing in January.

Some of our colleagues think it defeats the point of Dry January and she shouldn’t have participated if she wasn’t going to complete it properly

People are allowed to change their mind about something. Yes it does defeat the point of "dry January" if someone drinks during it, but whether she ever intended do it properly or not, she's allowed to change her mind.

Just so long as she doesn't then claim to still be doing Dry January of course. Once you break it, it remains broken.

By her logic I could claim to be vegan because it's 3pm and aside from a two minute period where I had some milk on my cornflakes, and another couple eating a ham sandwich at lunch, I've totally avoided eating any animal products at all. I mean, everything I've eaten has had some element of animal product in it, but that's like 5 minutes out of 900 so far today.

It’s her choice. None of anyone else’s business.
But does show a lack of willpower. It’s one month!

It’s not really Dry January then. But some people can’t seem to manage talking to other people without alcohol.

It’s a bit like dh’s version of Dry January. Every year he makes a big song and dance about Dry January (I don’t drink anymore myself). But it consists of AF beers, except he’ll drink whiskey as a nightcap. Or no drinking in the house, but it doesn’t count if it’s the beers from Christmas that he put in the barn because it’s Dry January. So he’ll drink beer but only from the box in the barn while fixing some machinery. But then come inside and have a tea. Like what’s the point of going through all the motions of it, but having a nightcap or a single beer here and there. Either shit or get off the fire!