Dry January 2024..

It’s confirmed my triggers for drinking: work stress, boredom in the evenings and habit

Same here. Tonight has taken some will power. It’s been a long week, and a particularly tough day. Recently given up my career as a musician so boredom levels on a Saturday night are fairly high currently.

What a terrible idea, if ever there was a month where a glass of red or a pint of beer was justified, this is it.

Just don’t drink too much, stop after one or two, its not hard.

Just don’t drink too much, stop after one or two, its not hard.

Rather patronising

For some people it is hard to stop at one or two

What a dick

Yeah gotta be honest if I have one alcoholic drink I want another. Bit like just sticking the tip in, I want to go all in 😆

Last year I had an accidental point of Guinness on the 31st, dry January slipped my mind until I was a good halfway through the pint 🤦🏻‍♂️

Family New Year dinner was had on the first with a couple of beers, but no alcohol since then. Most notable thing is not needing a pee through night. 

Not missing it too much so far.   Occasionally craving a nice glace of red wine with Sunday lunch or while cooking.

Guinness 0% is a game changer.  Not really tasted anything that comes close to the alcohol version but that is really close.  I stocked up on it.  £1 a can at Morrison’s.

There’s an interesting documentary on Amazon Prime called Alcohol.  The magic potion, that’s worth a watch.

I’m feeling hungover despite not drinking. The cold I thought I’d shifted has decided it’s not done with me yet. Got a stinking headache. Although it’s a free headache rather than costing a load of money in the pub ladt night so that’s a plus of some sort I guess.

It’s confirmed my triggers for drinking: work stress, boredom in the evenings and habit

This is the same for me, but also sugary treats.
I’m worse with the sugar to be honest so cut back both.
Not had a drink since boxing day, I was just getting headaches so stopped and nearly cut out the sugary treats to the point where on little chocolate ball last night was enough as it was so sweet.

Both me and the misso havent had any ETOH since NYE.

No take-outs or junk food. No pasta / spuds / rice too.

She’s coeliac and I’m type 1 diabetic and we both feel great and lost a couple of kg each. We’re not doing dry January per se but just being realistic about our alcohol use and feel the habit of couple of glasses of wine with dinner could be done away with. I’m not saying I’m never drinking again, just, not for now.

Wife did suggest getting some alcohol free booze but I said what’s the point you’ll just wish it had some alcohol in it. Best to just avoid.

Next stage is to seriously reduce my caffeine consumption.

Wife did suggest getting some alcohol free booze but I said what’s the point you’ll just wish it had some alcohol in it. Best to just avoid.

Alcohol free beers does seem like cheating to be honest, but then it’s more my wife who’s the drinker than me.

Only downside so far was admitting to doing dry January at a comedy night & then generally getting roasted by the compere.

Ah… comedy nights usually go like this…. Me trying to sink into my seat and not attract attention. Wife calling out and answering every question the comedian has. I recall one gig when the compare said I was punching above my weight. My wife saying she “used to be fat” then the comedian asking me if I get them when they’re chubby then starve them! At this point my wife goes to the loo and he asks if she’s going to stick her fingers down her throat? I said I hope not, I’d just bought her a meal… Made the comedian laugh (can’t recall who it was but it was a set before Michael Macintyre before he was “famous”.

Week 3, how are folks doing ? Easy here, not actually missing it at all really. Sleep is better, no changes in energy levels or weight.

Had to use all my willpower to resist a couple of times this weekend. Friday night was homemade pizza night when I would normally have a couple of beers while navigating the chaos between stretching dough, frying pan and grill x6 pizzas. Made do with a big glass of lemonade instead and that seemed to do the trick of just having a cold drink to grab and swig when needed.

Then MrsPP was away for the weekend leaving me responsible for the children which seemed to involve a lot of Dad-taxi duty. By last night I could really have done with a nice glass of beer to sit and chill with. Instead I ended up doing a bit of DIY so I guess that’s a bonus for my productivity.

I’m not normally a big drinker, rarely more than 2 or 3 beers in a night and mostly only on weekends. My tactic is to not have it in the house then the temptation isn’t there to just grab one out of the fridge.

I managed from the 31st of December until Friday there, when I just really fancied a beer. Started but never finished an Erdinger Dunkel. Had one blonde sitting outside the pub on Saturday afternoon, and a bloody Mary later that evening. Got bored with a Chimay Bruin yesterday and didn’t finish it. Last night was the worst night’s sleep I’ve had this year. Whether there’s a correlation or not, I couldn’t say. I’m not drinking for the rest of the week now, because I’m not feeling like I ‘need’ to.

I’ve set myself a challenge not to buy any more beer this year. I’ll fail at some point, obviously, but it’s still worth a try.

Onto the third week! Went out for dinner in the local with OH and a couple friends after watching CX nationals on Saturday, and to be quite honest was expected to be tempted as I love that place. However I ordered an Erdinger Blue which I have always really liked, and after about two sips realised I was quite content not having 2 pints alongside my massive burger. It’s funny with AF beers or just soft drinks, in that you feel appropriately quite full after having half a litre of liquid, but with normal beers it doesn’t seem to affect me haha. Funny to think people including me will go out and have like 2.5L of beer in a short time period – imagine doing the same water.

Interestingly I have also been eating very light and healthy meals since New Year too, and I felt almost as bad as hungover after that big greasy slab of mince the next day. Went to go a ride but had to turn back and spend some time on the throne.

Down about 2.5Kg but feel like I have less bloating too. Jackets feel and look looser. All good so far.

I have also been eating very light and healthy meals since New Year too

this is my week 3 and onwards challenge, having now successfully completed first fortnight without any booze !

19 days done and I’m sure once I shift this lurgy I’ll feel great.  Currently feeling like I had a heavy weekend despite not touching a drop of booze.

Received 5 bottles of various good red wines yesterday. Tough to not have a glass last night, but managed to keep myself distracted. Thats always been the key I find – distraction. Same with snacking. Nice clean week for me – less than 2200cal/day, no alcohol, no caffeine after 2pm, +10000 steps/day, 25km ran, +3 bootcamps, 2ltrs water/day, plus a weekly challenge. I find the calories not too far off my normal day – its just no snacks in between. Its also taken me a bit of time to work out how much more I can eat for each meal, rather than be overly cautious and end up starving by dinner time and with bags of cals left in locker. Not weighed myself yet

Is it ok to join halfway through January? I’m signing myself up. I’ll let you know how it goes.

^^^ of course it is !

Day 7 for me, was tempted to celebrate getting through the weekend with a cheeky Talisker last night but held firm…actually fell asleep!

Although I’m still  not sold on staying completely dry I might need to get through a decent stint initially to reset the bad habits.

Anyway, despite feeling knackered the first few mornings I’m starting to feel much brighter fist thing. Which is nice.

Was down at my parent’s over the weekend for my Dad’s birthday. We went for a pub meal on Sat evening, but I just had a Peroni 0%, which was fine. I was driving, so wouldn’t have had a pint anyway.
Later on back at their house, had a small glass of fizz but had said from the outset I wasn’t going to stay completely alc free, for special occasions etc. And it was just one glass.
Hmmm. Saying that, I took 2 bottles of Ghost Ship alc free to drink, which is actually just low alc (0.5%) – but I think that just about still counts.

Still trying to get better sleep by going to bed earlier. Was hoping to get consistent 7 hours to start with & then up that to 7.5 once I’d established a routine. Realistically averaging 6h30 or so, still. So need to focus on that.

Weigh-in tomorrow morning. After a few treats at the weekend I’ll be surprised if I’ve lost anything.

Agree with the fizzy juice volume – no way I could drink the volume of fizzy juice that I can easily drink when it comes to beer. Fizzy juice is usually a good bit fizzier, mind you.

As an aside, when the weather’s better? Post-ride cold ice tea is preferable to cold beer.

What a terrible idea, if ever there was a month where a glass of red or a pint of beer was justified, this is it.

Just don’t drink too much, stop after one or two, its not hard.

See also:

Be less depressed you loser..

Just eat less fatty…

Run faster to win the race, slowcoach….

Sigh

DrP

I wouldn’t worry about your 0.5% ABV beer unless it’s on religious grounds. Lots of normal food and drink is alcoholic due to it having been fermented/proven or having natural yeast and sugars in.

burger rolls – up to 1.28g per 100g (1.28% ABV)
rye bread – up to 0.18g per 100g (0.18% ABV)
banana (ripe) – up to 0.2g per 100g (0.2% ABV)
banana (very ripe with dark bits) – up to 0.4g per 100g (0.4% ABV)
pear (ripe) – up to 0.04g per 100g (0.04% ABV)
cherry yoghurt – up to 0.02g per 100g (0.02% ABV)

Soy sauce – 2% ABV

The unexpected alcohol in everyday food and drink

I’ve had a headache on a couple of occassions, and not sure if that’s the dehydration that they say comes with the detox of getting on the wagon.

Today’s headache i’m wondering if it was the red wine gravy I made for sunday lunch. Only had a pint

I have some Erdinger <0.5 % , but not sure if that’s borderline cheating, so now looking at variations of fruit cordials to ring the changes from Tonic Water and Tomato Juice

Nearly half way – keep it up everyone 💪💪

Day 15 for me.

Definite weight loss (as evidenced by me trying on a pair of jeans I could barely do up… Now I can do them up!

I’m not missing it. But am thinking ahead as I have a week long bush doof in March and it’s “likely” some alcohol will be consumed, purely for hydration purposes. 😀

I wouldn’t worry about your 0.5% ABV beer unless it’s on religious grounds. Lots of normal food and drink is alcoholic due to it having been fermented/proven or having natural yeast and sugars in.

I’m sure the cottage pie my GF made on Saturday was stronger than that, thanks to the 1/4 bottle of nice pinot noir in it.

We had a night away with friend’s last weekend at a hotel, and I had 2 glasses of wine with dinner, then last week the missus, who’s not doing dry January, opened a bottle of wine that happened to be a gift someone had given me! As it was a very good bottle, I had a glass. Other than that it’s been absolutely fine.

I’ve been diligent with exercise and I’m doing something physical at least once everyday.

Didn’t bother with the scales at the start of the month as I tend to get too hung up on the numbers but just before xmas I got a new set of snowboarding bib trousers. I bought them online and when I tried them on, I was struggling to get the front zip closed without feeling like i was wearing a girdle. Tried them on again last night and they now fit comfortably around the stomach and chest. Also tried on another thing the mrs got me for xmas and it was very tight on xmas morning but now fits comfortably.

Sleeping better, feeling more energetic in the main (felt on the verge of manflu for about 3 weeks) weight isn’t an issue for me.

Went to our local yesterday, I did actually quite enjoy sitting in there and having a none alcoholic beer.

The range of alcohol free beers available now is superb and they’re widely available in any decent pub. I’m old enough to remember when Kaliber was the only thing available and even now almost 30 years later I still shudder at the thought of the taste.

The 0% Guinness in particular is absolutely fantastic

Ok to join halfway through ?

Need to change some poor habits round snacking and alcohol. Haven’t drunk huge amount since NYD, but would like to sack off alcohol consumption for a good few months.

The more the merrier.  But not in the drunken sense of the word.

Kind of unsettling observation:

My average resting heart rate has dropped from 57-60bpm in the days around Christmas, to a weekly average just updated to 49bpm this morning. Slight pinch of salt as only from a Garmin Fenix watch, but a very clear trend downwards. I did not think that would happen in 3 and a half weeks.

I guess processing all that salt and fattiness in the Christmas fayre would have spiked it a bit but still.

Still no real cravings – although I realise it is actually a bit more boring than I thought watching TV on a Friday night.

I normally do 100 days at the start of the year. I definitely have a sometimes problematic relationship with alcohol. It doesn’t cost me jobs, or friends or relationships, but once I start I tend to drink until I’m drunk, and always have a drink if I’m hungover = problematic spiral.

This year I’ve got three big races – Manchester Marathon – April (3hour ish goal), Second time at Lakeland 50 in July (sub 11 goal), Cheviot Goat in December (goal to finish), so I’m seriously considering no booze all year. The training I’m doing now for Manchester simply wouldn’t be happening if I was drinking, and I intend to keep this level up all year. you just feel better, happier, more productive, fitter, but i know I love a drink, so never say never…

Ok to join halfway through ?

Need to change some poor habits round snacking and alcohol.

I dont see why not. I love a drink in the right situation but can (and do) easily go a month without a drink, almost by accident, if we dont have any partiess or events to go.

Snacking, however…For me, that is a far, far bigger challenge, and will have a far greater effect than stopping the alcohol!

Trying my best to behave and avoid the lunchtime greggs for January is having a marked effect.

I seem to have joined in

Trying to manage my Long Covid with the aid of my Garmin watch. Ever since getting LC I’ve felt a bit crap after just a couple of pints, so I generally keep it down to one drink, once or twice a week. But I’ve started watching that on the ‘stress’ levels on the watch. A couple of weeks ago I drank a 3.2% table beer (500ml), watched the body stress levels double almost immediately (and last for about 3 hours) and felt slightly ropey all evening. That was a bit of a one-off, it’s not always that clear cut.  But I’ve figured for now it’s not really worth it, and am back on the alcohol frees for  a while (special occasions excepted!)

Lot of the shops jumping on the dry Jan thing have 0% beers at reduced prices.

Just got myself 4 pack of Edinger 0%, 4 quid in Asda. I really like the Edigner, the head is wild!

Aldi had a variety, got some San Miguel again 4 quid.  And 4 cans of Free Dam 3 quid!

my fave on the zero alcohol ones has to be from the ranges by Infinite Session – have been buying them for the past year or so.  Also, as a treat as a ‘low alcohol’ one, Small Beer Co do small cans of different varieties at around 2.1%, so a cheat but only a wee cheat 🙂 – only available online tho I think.