would anyone like to try a dry January with me?

[coppercolouredtop]

i really struggle with not drinking daily.

i have tried before and cheated. my dp hates how much i drink and i would like to try and see if i can do a month without and see if it breaks the habit a bit.

i can easily sink a bottle of wine plus a cocktail and still want more. i go two days without simply because i work nights two days a week.

i am getting fat. i am choosing drink over food. i am reliant on treating myself with alcohol almost daily.

i can give up anything else really easily - smoking? stopped with no help when i decided to stop.
put a box of chocolates in front of me and i can take a couple and leave the rest.
open a bottle of wine and its gone. and i want more and i dont get hangovers so there is no incentive to stop!
ive gained 6lb recently and i know its booze - dp and i used to work same hours and i moderated a bit better when he was around but now im not.
i know he hates what i drink and the annoying bint i become after the third glass.
i have lost motivation to do anything. i dont get up early. i cant be arsed to do much anymore ( i know i am depressed which doesnt help. and i think i depress the people around me)
despite being quite outgoing and bubbly i have no friends and no social life. my kids are grown up and dont see me much. i moved to a village i dont know 4 years ago and know not a soul. i also got pregnant which i was ecstatic about but then found the baby had a disability that would have been life altering for me and her, but i always felt being a mum kept me going and motivated and now my life feels completely empty and hollow. im in a job i hate. with a partner who doesnt like spending much time with me. my kids are gone, i have no friends here and alcohol fills the gaps.

ive decided to try and get to grips with that one problem and bin the booze for a month to see if it makes any difference to anything. (waist line would be good!) i never used to drink like this.. (though i did smoke about 3 cigarettes a day)

does anyone relate? anyone fancy giving this a go and supporting each other? im going to find it extremely difficult but i want to try it.

[MrsTerryPratcett]

I can thoroughly recommend doing low carb while also doing dry January. I'm wanting a piece of toast much more than a beer right now.

[Japonicaisstillahorsygirl]

All fine almost three days in, notsure how the weekend will go

[DavetheCat2001]

The Fever Tree tonic waters are v nice for a non-booze drink.

[whynot93]

Tonight is night number 3.!! I must not drink wine I must not drink wine I must not drink wine.. 😐

[troubleswillbeoutofsight]

I think I've got a dental abscess. I'm rattling with pain killers and have got emergency air tomorrow. Oh how I'd love to numb the pain with wine right now. But last night I slept for 8 hours straight for the first time in a long long time so want to stick at it. I feel so much better not drinking

[chickydoo]

I would really love a G&T right now.
It's only day 3
I have run out of tonic so can't even pretend.
Fizzy water it is then

[Nutellaoneverything]

Really struggling right now... neeeeed hope it gets easier

[MollysMummy2010]

I stopped the day after Boxing Day and have felt rubbish but think I am coming through the other side now. Think I was slowly sliding into alcohol abuse so this is something I want to address long term. 8 days is the longest I have gone without drinking for years.

[Spfairydust]

I had such a desire for a glass of wine. To the extent that I poured one.
Then I thought about it, then poured it down the sink. I put on my trainers and took the dogs for another long walk (21,000 steps today).

[bert3400]

Hi everyone,
I'm doing DJ. A few years ago I lost 3st from cutting out alcohol midweek & exercise but the last year it slowly crept back into nearly a daily ritual and all the weight has gone back on . So this will be a good kick up the backside...but it's going to be very hard, I love red wine especially with a meal .

Referring to good books just finished Innocent Wife , a Richard and Judy recommended read. Will definitely take your mind off drinking but also you may not converse with anyone while reading it. 😂

So good luck everyone...Day 3 nearly done

[singleascheeseslice]

I second doing low carb/keto (and also intermittent fasting or at least no eating between meals) - when abstaining from alcohol. It settles the blood sugar levels so there's no peaks and troughs which drive cravings.

Day 3, been to running club and feeling pretty good aside from a pesky sore throat which I put down to detoxing.

[Ozziewozzie]

Ooh, what a good thread. I’d love to jump on the band wagon. Late starter though so apologies.
I did drink wine today, but for all those who have done brilliantly and haven’t, you really didn’t miss much.
It’s so over rated, it just makes me tired and dehydrated. I really don’t know why we bother with it.
Keep going everyone.

[coppercolouredtop]

Help all....well last night was easy because I worked nights and will be same tonight. It will be days off I really feel the boredom and crave a drink....

[coppercolouredtop]

That was meant to say hello not help 😂

I'll be shouting that on Saturday night

[Mammyofonlyone]

I had a terrible night last night as I went to visit a friend to have my nails done who is also doing DJ. However, I didn't realise that the tea we were drinking was caffeinated and I only drink decaf so didn't get the benefit of a good sleep last night - I feel cheated! Note to self, check it's decaf going forward!

[tactum]

Day 4 here - first couple of nights slept terribly, last night much better. So many vivid dreams compared to the dumbed down sleep with wine!!!

First Friday looming - took the bull by the horns and have arranged to go to the cinema - would usually do that midweek but thought it a good way to avoid temptation!

Am now in my 'Mary Poppins' mode - super cheerful, super efficient, lots of lists and feeling positive.

Why do I ever drink?......

[DavetheCat2001]

Morning all.

My resolve will be tested to its limits today..

DD potentially has chicken pox, is all rashy but doesn't appear 'lll', ie still rampaging about, throwing strops and constantly bickering with DS.

DS has a friend coming over this afternoon to play on his new Switch, which means I am in for 3 hours of DD kicking off and behaving badly (as she always does when DS has a friend over).

I also have the period from hell ( usual for me) and actually feel like crying at the prospect if the day ahead of me 😞

Normally I would focus on wine later to help, but cant even do that.. am I strong enough???????

HELP!

[Omgineedanamechange]

Morning all. Today will be the first real test for me as I don’t drink Monday-Thurs anyway. No idea what we’re going to do with ourselves tonight as we usually sink at least three bottles of wine.

[Roussette]

Today will be the first real test for me too. DH is already asking me if we'll go to our local pub tonight oh deary me.

DH isn't doing DJ so I will be struggling but I'm determined not to give in.

DD gave me a great pack of small bottles of artisan gins, I can't wait to try them in February (I know this is not the way to think but I've got to get through January somehow!)

[whynot93]

Slept so well last night on day 3 of dry January! Feel much better this morning for it. H cracked after two days and had a bottle of red to himself, I'm not giving in!! I just downloaded an app to calculate the calories and money I'll save by doing dry January. The weekend will be hard but I'm so determined to give it a good go.

[bert3400]

DavetheCat2001 that sound hellish, could you not see if the parent of DS friend could have him over instead, your son could take the switch with him ? Then your daughter has you to herself and you can both veg on the sofa ?

[bert3400]

I am not sleeping well at all but I suspect that's more to do with coming of HRT than alcohol. But I've had 4 hours sleep and have just been to the gym, which would never of happened if I had drunk my normal Thursday night wine . Feeling positive 😁

[DavetheCat2001]

@bert3400 that would be ideal but unfortunately I an doing the mum a favour as she is taking her other son out on a 'date' to the cinema with his 'gf'.. bless.

Hoping I can keep DD occupied in the kitchen with crafty atuff whikst DS and friend play on the Switch in the front room.

Oh to have a house with more space.. living in a maisonette with 2 kids is very cramped!

[LadyWithLapdog]

Day 3 done, had non-alcoholic drink at restaurant last evening. Shame about the night-long nightmares I’m getting. Horrible stuff.

[TooLittleTooLate80]

I did Dry January and Dry October last year. Even managed to roll Stoptober into mid-November. I drank a fair bit between between Christmas and New Year so I'm currently doing dry January again this year. Last year I found the first 3 weeks surprisingly easy as I was so sluggish from an indulgent holiday period. The only thing I struggled with at first was the lack of sleep in the first week and eating crap as I was replacing the habit of drinking with the habit of finishing my Christmas goodies!

It's about learning what your triggers are and trying to avoid them I guess. I found on an evening after work if I could go the first 30 minutes in the house without having a drink then the thought left my mind. As such I'd have a fizzy water or sweet flavoured drink as soon as I got in to beat the craving. Weekends were/are a bit harder as I'm quite lazy and watch a fair bit of TV, which habitually involved alcohol. I found non-alcoholic beer to help a lot and maybe doing things more at a weekend that involved driving (taking my son to the cinema etc). I've also started leaving jobs to the weekend (ironing etc) to make sure I have something to fill the time. So far so good for me, plus I have signed up for a 10k with work colleagues at the end of March and most of them are younger than me so I need to make the most of my training time!

Being vocal about it will help. Once I told people I was doing Stoptober it was never an issue as I didn't want to have to tell them I'd failed!