Dry January 2024..

Not when my birthday's in January and have a regular post xmas meal with friends!

I'm a lightweight at drinking anyway so never have much in one go.

Not doing dry Jan but definitely need to cut down, taking wife out for a meal late Jan, 1st evening out in maybe 2 years so will have a drink then.

Pubs need support so it's a no for me.

beer is god's way of showing you he loves you...............  FACT.

and a fail from me. 2 x pints of plum porter yesterday was lush.

I get that January is miserable enough as it is, but I do it as a kind of positive forward-looking thing, while planning my riding and training for the next year. Associating it with looking forward to spring/summer really helps.

It's also not too hard as the body feels like it's had enough booze (and rich food) over Christmas.

I had a dry November after I wondered why not and there was the willpower test. I don't drink much in one evening but do have a 330ml can or 500ml bottle of beer most evenings, probably since 2019 (before that it was 2-4 beers over a weekend max).

Suprisingly positive all in all, I wasn't expecting it to make so much difference to my sleep quality or mood. I replaced a beer with a camomile or normal decaf tea which might be part of the sleep gains. My motivation for riding went up (was fine as it was but I really wanted to get the long rides in at the weekend and had some really good rides, just happy to be out) and the spark for some of the things I do but had been losing interest in came back. Combined with some longer, steady and fasted road rides I lost a bit of weight too. 1 beer a night with 2 Fri/Sat = say 10 a week, 2000 calories, that's 1 extra day's calorie intake per week.

Not intending to be so rigid about this jan but it's certainly a good way to reset how you see 'just one beer'. It's a depressant isn't it and the cumulative effects are undeniable. "Jan is already miserable" is true but perhaps drinking can add to that. It's a shame.. I like a nice beer.

"The remaining cans of Fosters might get buried out of sight to achieve this"

Does Fosters even count as drinking?

Have never done dry January before and never even done NYD without a drink - did this year and intend to carry on. The aim is three months (did it a few years ago), maybe more. Was speaking to a mate on a ride the other day - he and a few of his mates challenge each other to go till easter each year

We (as a couple) drink far too much and I usually do a month (or more) each year, but it's usually autumn.

Focused on getting fitter and healthier than I've been for a long time. Weight isn't an issue though, as my diet is generally good.

Had my last cigarette NYE too...

I gave myself a headstart / dry run by stopping drinking alcohol last September and think that I'll keep going. Opened a bottle of good burgundy for Christmas and I've got a Margaux saved for my birthday and that's probably it for 2024.  Reasoning being entirely health-related. As a classic Gen X drinker (and everything else back in the day), it's time to quit while I'm ahead. Plus Brooklyn Brewery's Special Effects isn't at all bad.

I gave up booze for January once (2018). Still not back on it yet. Be careful or it might be you!

Have never done dry January but have given up alcohol for Lent a few times and then continued for another 6 weeks so 3 months at a time.
Had a drink on NYD but am in starting from today, Jan 2nd.
Will be interesting to see what this does to my acid reflux.

Impressed with the low number of posts telling us those who do Dry January are pathetic piss heads, who clearly have a drink problem.

Anyway, after over indulging in December my wife and I are joining in again. Always a good way to kick start the year.

Impressed with the low number of posts telling us those who do Dry January are pathetic piss heads, who clearly have a drink problem.

or the other one..." you're not REAL alcoholics, so why bother..!!!"

DrP

I've barely drunk anything in the passed few months anyway so I'm in.

The last few years had seen me consuming far to much to be healthy. I wasn't getting pissed all the time but was drinking every day out of what I hoped was habit and not necessity. I decided to test the theory that I could stop drinking if I really wanted too and it worked pretty well. I've been having the occasional beer or a glass of wine when I think I want one but it's not unusual for me to pour half of it away when I go to bed because I haven't actually drunk it.

I had a g&t on nye and then managed to endure new years day in it's entirity at the in laws totally sober. I see that as a promising start.

Im a drinker. Probably borderline alcoholic. Several beers or ciders an afternoon/ night and not unusual to wash that down with a bottle of wine. A day without a drink is unusual and it’s showing…my weight is increasing steadily and my liver is clearly starting to be in a bit of bother. So attempting to do dry January….and continue that through to the end of April. Hoping for a reset and a bit of service for the body/weight loss….

im in!

I'm in!

Good stuff tcomc1000 ... I think a bit of self reflection and honestly it's the first step to improvement.. bon chance...

DrP

Went sober for 2 weeks before xmas. Boozed heavily during and especially with a house full of guests for a scottish hogminay. Finishing off the remaining booze and then sober from then on.

Good luck to everyone going for it, the weather and crap news right now might make it difficult.

I gave up booze for January once (2018). Still not back on it yet. Be careful or it might be you!

Had to stop drinking back in February 2010 after a severe concussion, started back slowly in the September and didn't like it much, was basically a complete lightweight again (a big night was 4 pints before so not exactly a heavy drinker). Had my last drink up in Dolgellau with a mate on a biking trip on October 9th 2010 and haven't touched a drop since.

Don't miss it at all and it's actually quite scary how much you notice people who obviously use it as a crutch or as a replacement for a personality!

Not so much giving up but going to try and halve my intake.

I quit drinking last March due to it getting a bit too much too often and my 52 year old body starting to complain about it.  This was my first dry Christmas in over 30 years and one of the best Christmas’s I can recall

Incidentally, I’ve lost a ton of weight and now weigh about the same as I did before I started drinking as a teenager!

My last drink was boxing day so I'm going to try and stop completely again this year. Did jan, feb, Mar last year but slipped back into it. Just a couple of drinks these days as I'm older seems to play havoc with me mentally and physically. 

It feels quite good to be focussed on pausing the booze. Definitely been using it as a support with three young children and quite a high demand job. But then you have the realisation that it’s not a support, and that’s where I am now. Which is a bugger as I bloody love boozing and the chill of being a couple of drinks in…:)

Which is a bugger as I bloody love boozing and the chill of being a couple of drinks in…:)

This is pretty much where I am. I put up a post last year where I was contemplating giving up drinking.  https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/giving-up-alcohol-2/

I gave it up for couple months and didnt really feel any great benefits. I dont drink excessively but enjoy sharing a bottle of wine with my wife at weekends and the occasional session with my mates and love a couple of beers on a sunny day.

I actually enjoy quite a few of the alcohol free beers and they act as good placebos but I do miss that couple of drinks feeling of bliss and calm.

In all honesty I'd like to pack it in completely as I get frustrated with how society sees it as the source of how to deal with everything - celebrating =have a drink. upset =have a drink, want to have a good time = have a drink, stressed = have a drink etc

I'm quite envious that the younger generation seems to be turning their backs on alcohol. It's only occasionally got me into a bit of trouble but I know it has ruined many lives.

I'm going to be cutting back in Jan (ironically given my comment above I'm not doing dry Jan as it's my sons 18th birthday and it's a tradition with my kids that they buy me a pint on their 18th!).

I'd like to give it up but at the moment I think that I get more benefit from it than negative health impact.

Not dry. More maybe a moist January..

Need to shed weight. Also totted up meals out beers out. Booze for xmas and the amount of cash was horrific 

I'm going to give it a go, fallen into the habit of having a glass then the rest of the bottle an evening for some time now.

I'm not specifically doing dry January, but these days I only drink if I'm out in the pub (rarely), on holiday or it's a special occasion. As I have none of those coming up, I suspect I'll have a dry January by default.

I started drinking at 13, even though from a home where it was very occasional. Growing up in N.E. Derbyshire in the seventies it was common for us all to drink, we were tolerated well under age in pubs and clubs and some enterprising students even organised events. These involved hiring a venue, a bar and even double decker buses to bring us home! I even worked in a pub for years under age. My 32 years in the fire service continued this trend as heavy drinking was expected - we even had bars on fire stations! After retiring and during covid I got ever more enthusiastic and my homebrew production went into overdrive. I had often thought about quitting but I like the taste of beer and I also liked visiting pubs when on holiday or dog walking - my health has always been excellent too, every blood test showed no problems and, indeed, my cholesterol levels are fantastic. I had toyed with the idea of packing up, cutting down never lasted long as consumption crept back up again, I could never contemplate never drinking beer again. In March last year I decided to stop drinking at home and only to drink out of the home with family or friends, as I only have one “proper” friend this was not too much of a tall order! I have succeeded so far, the only alcohol I’ve had at home has been one can of beer (in total) and a measure of whisky each evening over Christmas. Since March last year my total alcohol consumption has probably been less than a normal fortnight before! An article in The Guardian helped as it explained the changes your body goes through with the first drink and how that affects your subsequent decision making and mood, accepting that my working life had affected me and I also couldn’t think of anything good that had happened or good decisions that I’d made after a drink. I now look around with wonderment at the culture in this country and I’m in danger of becoming like a reformed smoker. It’s normal for lots of people to drink far too much, and, it’s an accepted excuse on many occasions. Sporting occasions , celebrations, achievements, bereavement, births, a hot day, a snowy day, Friday night, Saturday night, these are often accepted times to get plastered — in the media these questions are often asked “you’ll be having a few tonight”. Even on Christmas Day Jane McDonald referred during her show to drinking whilst cooking dinner, not just once, implying that it was compulsory to be p#ssed, this is normal in Britain.
So far I’m succeeding with my plan, I went out before Christmas with my mate and we stuck to the agreed four pints (it would have quite easily have been 8-10 before). I’ve lost half a stone and I’m at the 11 stone I’ve been at most my life. I now sometimes have three breakfasts, have developed a liking for chocolate but feel free. I’m not constantly checking I’ve got enough beer, going unnecessarily to the shops, I can sail past the beer displays to find the alcohol free and I’m generally more relaxed and able to cope with problems better. I’m very proud of myself and I’m likely to tell complete strangers of my success, sorry for the long essay but I hope it may help someone. Please direct message me if you think I can help you.

Here is the article I referred to above - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/24/the-truth-about-booze-how-alcohol-really-affects-your-body-from-first-flush-of-happiness-to-hangover-hell

hope it helps someone!

**** off!

just kidding (mostly) a lot of that could be me. we’re only a couple of days in admittedly but really not missing it, had quite a day of it today and before Christmas that would have been the excuse but tonight (Matthew) I’m going to mix a “mock-Ito” and chill to some tunes

I shall be cutting back but not stopping altogether. My local bar advises against it.

https://twitter.com/TheMountingB/status/1742541783387558153

pretty easy so far, and as usual, sleeping a bit better and also putting on some weight...

I usually find that weight goes up in the first week of abstinence, due snacking and then starts dropping consistently therafter.

I was dry from mid November through to boxing day as I figured a dry December would get me away from the worst kind of expensive, repeated nights out drinking and it was a good 5 or 6 weeks. Ended up drinking a few times between boxing day and new years day with various family, now that's over I'm planning to go dry until the sun comes back out and I'm BBQing in the garden

So 5 days in..

Me and the Missus seem on really great terms with each other..happy..tolerant (FYI, apparently I'm REALLY annoying!). I think not having booze in teh system has made us calmer and more tolerant.

My stomach's feeling better..less bloating..i 'feel slim'..

I'm ill (cold/throat) so not feeling super energetic, but managing OK!

Weight can fluctuate, but 2kg lost since NYE! (OK..i'm only 71.7kg today, but I'm trying to get back to racing weight!)

DrP

Actually beat my previous 3 year old record of 3 nights without drinking but had a cold since New year's day so that helped. Going to do weekend as well as wife now has cold . Hopefully feel benefits next week once cold has gone.

Having a cold (man-flu) certainly helps.  I think even smelling a beer right now would make me sick.

I think I’m either all in or all out with most things. Sleeping better, but no weight loss (snacking is up, when I’d normally have a glass of wine). <br /><br />

We have friends around tomorrow night though, and going out for dinner: that’ll be a test of willpower with no prize at the end.

Never done dry January before, Friday evening in the house on me own is testing but taking full advantage by sifting through the vinyl collection & cranking up the volume

Yeah It’s “ Freeder neet, like” which normally = a big bag o’ cans but managed to ignore the booze section in Aldi. Curry for tea so a refreshing spritzer of some variety to accompany that I think

Howsit going ?

First week ticked off

Day 8 for me as I started a little before nye.

lost bloat which is good, Friday as I cycled past my favourite coastal pub was quite a temptation, but carried on home for a cup of tea ( surprised even myself)

last night when doing a bit of bike fixing and realising how ****ed my chain/cassette are, after 6 months of shitty rain and barely cleaning my bike…was quite tempted, but being a week in helped, as with each day it becomes a bigger thing to ‘break’

Another good nights sleep last night, with no tablets or podcasts to help me drift off or get back to sleep after a wake up

The impatient part of me is grumpy that I’m not losing weight quicker and my eyesight hasn’t magically restored itself after a week.
Feeling strong with it and little temptation….hope it continues

I popped to the pub to meet some friends yesterday afternoon and had a Paulaner 0% weissbier. It wasn't bad actually. Didn't feel tempted to have a proper beer. Friday and Saturday done, my usual going out days, so the next 5 days should be easier.

Well done, @tcomc1000, use some of the money you’ve saved towards a treat or some bike bits?

Dry since early hours of NYD, haven't committed to Dry January as I don't like setting goals and targets!
I was drinking too much, too often with more drinking days than non-drinking days, I was feeling fat and generally knackered so time for a reset.
It's been fairly easy so far, 0% beer is helping. Feeling better already and exercising more. Not had any social events that normally involve boozing, nothing in the diary until 27th, that will be a test of my willpower!

A few cravings when driving past the pub that we usually stop at. Fine when in the house

Finishing a bike ride is probably the worst, as it's the law that every ride has to end at the pub. Going out early so the pubs are still shut when I finish helps with that one.

First few nights, was sleeping very lightly with mad dreams (stopping smoking always adds to the dreams). Past two nights I've slept like a baby. Had a sweaty night a couple of nights ago, so that was probably coming towards the end of the detox

First week done will kick on from here no problem now. 3 month target

I'm in for a dry January. On new year's day we put any leftover prosecco/gin/liqueurs in the garage (the beer had all gone)
This weekend was the first test, and I've thought about having a beer at least half a dozen times. Strangely my biggest trigger is when preparing a meal at the weekend; I love having a few strong IPAs while listening to some tunes and cooking. That's today's test.

I usually find that weight goes up in the first week of abstinence, due snacking and then starts dropping consistently therafter.

I'm hoping that this is the case. I raided the cupboards last night, but over time, I hope to see the benefits of fewer calories via beer and impulsive kebabs/currys.

Strangely my biggest trigger is when preparing a meal at the weekend; I love having a few strong IPAs while listening to some tunes and cooking. That’s today’s test.

I'm with you.  Back from a ride and cooking Sunday lunch.  Big tonic with a load of cucumber, on my second, just want something nice to drink. Nice enough to be fair, but would swap for one nice glass of red...

Anyone else getting cravings? I have a real hankering for dark chocolate when I cut out beer.

I have a craving for beer and wine and cider when I cut out alcohol :)!

Well thats the first week successfully completed, even managed a night in the pub on soft drinks. Hopefully will start reaping some benefits soon.

Week 1 complete!

Def noticed more snacking going. I wanted something other than juice/squash/milk/tea and coffee and have been thinking about non-alcoholic beer quite a bit today, so went out and bought a 4 pack of Guinness 0%. I was really looking forward to having a couple tonight…cracked the first one open, pulled a face…def not like ‘proper’ Guinness but it wasn’t that bad. Bizarrely, it still felt a bit naughty. Just the one, and some orangey tea thing later which wasn’t hideous but great either. The first week/weekend is the hardest so plain sailing from here on in!