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Hardcore boozer here. I started DJ on the 3rd as I was working over xmas and new year and had a few beers and wine left over that needed tidying up.
No booze cravings, other than for a bottle of red with a pasta and pizza dinner, but I held firm. However I am craving sugar really badly. Ate a whole chocolate cake over two nights and 2 slices of M & S cheese cake and a mm's chocolate bar last night! I have been gorging on a catering size Wenslydale and Cranberry cheese as well.
I am a strictly savory man and don't normally go anywhere near deserts. Help!
On the positive I have bought a few flavoured teas which I am enjoying as a late night alternative drink and sleeping better. No weight loss but hardly surprising given the newly developed sweet tooth craving.
I had a couple of bottles of Ghost Ship 0% on Friday night. First alcohol free beers this year as I've also been trying to avoid normal and AF beers for weight loss. That hasn't worked, I've lost nothing. Anyway, I woke up on Saturday morning feeling the same kind of just the beginning of a hangover that I would have if I'd had a couple of normal beers. I'm not a big drinker anyway.
My sleep has definitely been better though so going to stick with it and keep avoiding the AF too.
So honesty moment!
The OH adn I stayed in a hotel friday night, and I had some wine and cocktails. In reality, I really didn't fancy it, but thought I'd join her in a drink.
Felt awful, and really regretted it...
But i then met up with old uni mates and we went out for a curry - 3 of us weren't drinking, 2 were. I felt fine, had fun, and it was a laugh!
So, I drank on friday night, but didn't enjoy it. And have no desire to touch booze for a while.
Hey ho..
DrP
Popped into a new bottle shop in town on Saturday, I believe they used to be called off licences 😀
Managed to avoid the temptation of free Whiskey tasting but did buy a small bottle of tequila in the shape of a skull for the OH, as I think she'd like the bottle. Oh and an AF Thornbridge beer for me as it was only £1.65.
Normally I would have gone to the nice pub for a swift pint but had a coffee instead.
Feel like I've definitely broken the cycle, as there's been a bottle of red in the cupboard for over a week and I just don't feel tempted to open it. Previously that would have been opened without much delay.
Burn the heretic!
not really, it’s all about changing habits innit, which seems like you’ve succeeded in. Although you should flagellate yourself with a kipper for your weakness
To quote Denzil in the Equalizer (1..which is the bes of the three by a long shot).. "progress not perfection"!
DrP
Doing OK on the booze front, but the micro-pub over the road from me has a mini Belgium beer-fest this week & am tempted to nip over with my neighbour so I can hear all about his recent trip to Egypt. Probably won't though, as I'm not sure it's a good enough excuse and almost at the end of the month anyway.
Food & staying on top of some steady weight-loss is still the challenge for me.
I started this with the loophole that I could have a drink if I was on a night out (I don't get many these days), so I allowed myself a few pints on Saturday night when meeting an old pal in Brighton.
Had fun, felt mildly fuzzy the next day (cured by a very bracing walk at Beachy Head), and I will now refrain at least until 1st weekend of Feb, or possibly the 2nd when I'm in London for a gig anyway.
So what are people planning to do when Jan ends? I'm thinking I'll impose some slightly less stringent rules on myself, to avoid just returning to my previous habits.
Had a cheeky pint on Saturday night, just the one with my curry...didn't feel the need to carry on and drank water/coffee for the rest of the evening, think I've broken the habit which was my main objective.
Club AGM tonight at our club house, also known as The Plough....soda and lime time for me.
Friends coming to stay in Feb half term, that’ll be juice laden, so holding off until then. Afterwards, dunno but certainly off it midweek and only on weekends if there’s a legitimate reason. Yeah, let’s go with that.
Holding steady here - Guinness 0% is helping though I only have a couple at a time a few days a week as I find that’s enough.
I think it’s the taste of beers that I like rather than the need to get pissed. I haven’t done a night out in Jan and that’s the thing I’ve found I’ve missed - the social aspect and meeting friends there. Dry Jan means not having a Fri or Sat night out to look forward to - def been a bit more of a social hermit though I will def be out a week on Friday!
Also plan on drinking less in the house as my only dry days were Mon and Tues! 😬
So what are people planning to do when Jan ends? I’m thinking I’ll impose some slightly less stringent rules on myself, to avoid just returning to my previous habits.
Certainly thinking about dry until end of July - after lakeland 50. may even go full on Dry 2024...
So what are people planning to do when Jan ends? I’m thinking I’ll impose some slightly less stringent rules on myself, to avoid just returning to my previous habits.
this too I reckon.
Not much of a pub goer, so it's largely in the house. The cupboards are full of booze, as is the norm, and haven't felt any real temptation, so will see how it goes. Am of bike due surgery recovery till med Feb, so plan to keep it going till then at least.
Afterwards, dunno but certainly off it midweek and only on weekends if there’s a legitimate reason.
That's roughly what I'm thinking too.
In my fourth week now (no booze, no take aways, avoiding breads/pastas/rice dishes).
I'm not missing booze but I have a busy couple of months ahead, including my birthday, a huuuuuuuge Bob Marley festival (43rd year running), The Streets concert annnnnnnd a week long bush doof called "Blazing Swan" Perth's equivalent to Burning Man. I suspect a few shandy's might be consumed but I'd have no prolem going back to no booze after all that (probably for the best!)
If one was to partake in substances other than alcohol during January, does it still count as dry? Asking for a friend.
If one was to partake in substances other than alcohol during January, does it still count as dry? Asking for a friend.
Depends on your reason for doing it, so completely subjective. But if you want some form of validation, then go for it, as I hear these substances aren't wet.
If one was to partake in substances other than alcohol during January, does it still count as dry?
Dunno, but Aphex would be doing Off-Your Face February anyway.
So what are people planning to do when Jan ends?
Dry February
Then dry March
Then we'll see after that
Still dry here, still not missing it although on Metronidazole now for an infection so not really much choice.
Not sure what I'll do after Jan to be honest, probably slip back into a glass or two on a Friday and Saturday night if I want one, and when cooking Sunday lunch after a ride.
I'm a really bad sleeper, and I've had the best month's sleep that I can remember. I don't want to give that up anywhere near as much as I do fancy a nice glass of something.
I’m a really bad sleeper, and I’ve had the best month’s sleep that I can remember.
I'm a moderate-to-good sleeper normally, but yes - this month has been bloody amazing for shuteye.
Still dry here - helped by also being at the tail end of some other virus again, although I seem to have swerved COVID, which our youngest has just shaken off..
Plan is to finish off the left over Xmas surplus over the upcoming Feb weekends, trying to avoid a lapse back into regular week day tipples.
chakaping
So what are people planning to do when Jan ends?
Not sure yet. Initial plan was to stay away from booze until I had lost my target 1 stone. However, that might take longer than planned - will see which way it's going tomorrow morning at weigh-in 😁
I don't really drink that much, but I have been enjoying feeling less wooly in the mornings.
I think perhaps I'll try to stick to soft drinks/non-alc in the week & then treat myself at the weekend.
Today I've been to a funeral where there were loads of family I haven't seen for years, social anxiety got the better of me and I had 3 pints 🫤
Had forgotten about this until I came across it again in the supermarket today.
I really like it
Still dry here too. Honestly didn't think I'd find it very easy, but I haven't struggled at all. A few non-alcoholic gin variants have helped, and now feeling like I could try Dry Feb too... we'll see!
Went to the pub on the weekend - BOTH nights. Observations:
Still had a decent enough time with my OH and mates
Did start to get quite bored and wanted to go home earlier than the others
Guinness 0.0 is pretty nice but it would be nice if more people had it on draft.
Apart from the people I was with - the other rowdy folk in the place really started to annoy me. I was really trying hard not to be self righteous as they're just having fun and I've been there a million times but secretly harboured annoyance and smugness.
Not sure what I will do when January ends. I never set out to never drink again and I have a weekend in Torridon at the start of Feb for some climbing. But I really feel much better.
Did start to get quite bored and wanted to go home earlier than the others
Apart from the people I was with – the other rowdy folk in the place really started to annoy me. I was really trying hard not to be self righteous as they’re just having fun and I’ve been there a million times but secretly harboured annoyance and smugness.
This is how I find it. Even the people I'm with start to grate if they are too pissed
Did start to get quite bored and wanted to go home earlier than the others
Apart from the people I was with – the other rowdy folk in the place really started to annoy me. I was really trying hard not to be self righteous as they’re just having fun and I’ve been there a million times but secretly harboured annoyance and smugness.
I can relate to this, I also find pissed people repeat themselves a lot. I really hope I am not like that when I've had a few. That and one mates wife who insists on being 3 inches from my face during a conversation, never noticed it when she is sober.
My memory was I did this a couple of years ago.
It appears it was actually eight years ago 🙂 https://www.pickled-hedgehog.com/alcohol-dreams/
Most of what I wrote then seems to have held over to this time round except:
- being older, weight loss seems to take longer
- definitely feel more drive to make a significant longer term change. Last time out my plans didn't really stand the first contact with a beer!
- Changes that feel doable: No midweek drinking except after a ride, no beer at home once back from that ride (this is what kills me the next day), in fact just don't drink on your own (my wife barely drinks at all)
- "Hardest" non beer time is defo after riding. Way easier at home although have drunk quite a lot of AF beers. Seem to be addicted to Erdinger Grapefruit 🙂
- I do feel a lot better. Sleeping well (still wake up tho), still getting knackered end of the day (but you know mid 50s, gonna happen!). Not sure my riding has benefited except the no hangover at the start of the ride is something to be cherished. Have been running a lot (from a zero base) and that's definitely negatively affected riding MTBS.
- On hols 29/1. Not going to go to end of month when sitting in a bar in 22 deg sunshine overlooking a lovely coastline. But going to see if I can actually do the have a beer and then stop thing.
I generally try to avoid alcohol-free beers when I am doing a detox as 1. I don't find them particularly enjoyable and 2. I definitely get a bit of a placebo effect and I can loose that clear-headedness which is one of the biggest benefits of a booze break for me.
However, I saw some of that Guinness 0.0 in a shop yesterday and bought a couple of cans. Wow, tastes like the real thing. Easily the best 0.0 I have tried.
Seem to be addicted to Erdinger Grapefruit
Didn't know this was a thing!
Didn’t know this was a thing!
We took a punt at our local discount store with a few boxes due to 'go out of date end March 24' .
We ended up buying about 30 bottles and I fully expected to be giving them away/hiding them at the back of the cupboard way before then.
Nope. Been back for another 30 🙂 Everyone I've offered one too has left the house with a box of 4. I've always liked Erdinger after a turbo session or a run, but this version is like human cat nip!
I really hope I am not like that when I’ve had a few.
I think we all know the answer to that one...!<br /><br />DrP
I'll be looking out for it, love Erdinger and happily the Alkohofrei one is a great alternative when I'm behaving myself.
Pedant alert: Isn't that Erdinger grapefruit stuff technically about 2.5% abv? I mean still chump change but not an AF beer.
Pedant alert: Isn’t that Erdinger grapefruit stuff technically about 2.5% abv? I mean still chump change but not an AF beer.
Not the ones we bought- same as link below.
https://www.carlsbergmarstons.co.uk/products/erdinger/erdinger-alkoholfrei-grapefruit/
Oh man - I am geting mixed up with the orange cans of Schofferhofer. I gotta find some of that Erdinger!