The Dry January thread…

I’ve slept well and had dreams every night which is rare for me, think 5 days without alcohol is a record since Covid, did a big run yesterday with parkrun in the middle and feel quite a bit better than I would have today with recovery beers – so far so good haven’t really missed it and keen to see the positives, also probably £30 richer which I’m putting to one side as further motivation.

Great to hear the positive progress stories.

I had a clean sheet of PBs on Itza Climb finish route on Zwift yesterday incl best ever power output for an hour.  Just shows the negative impact of alcohol on body system performance..

clean sheet of PBs on Itza Climb finish route on Zwift yesterday

Hoping to see an increased rate of progression on TR in the next few weeks! Sleep is still much improved according to my scores.

Impossibrew is OK, no difference to others as far as I can tell and no buzz. Have been getting stocks of asahi, Heineken and lucky saint in, as well as tom juice and celery for this week’s 6pm moments

Worried however I might have blown it as we found a pot of brandy sauce at the back of the fridge and needed eating before tomorrow…..

I’m on antibiotics for an abscess so not had any alcohol yet this year. Another two days I’ll have the tooth out followed by another two days to finish off the antibiotics. I’m gonna stick it out for as long as I can.
Usually have a beer after our usual Wednesday night ride, so no pressure to have a beer until the 15th Jan.

Is anyone planning longer than January?

Gonna see how it goes.

I stayed off anything this weekend – one mild craving on Saturday but didn’t get close to cracking at all.

I’ve had a few AF beers which has been nice.

Annoyingly I’ve picked up a bit of a cold somewhere. Banging head.

I’ve actually felt worse today than if I had been drinking! Oh well…

Tried a Days (0%) Lager. The other three cans in the fridge are going down the sink. Truly awful. Should have stuck with Free Damm.

I’ve accidentally been doing dry January. Having a month of my Friday vino and knackered myself out so much on Saturday on a 3 hour hill Zwift climb I didn’t make it down the pub.

Near the bottom of an 8.2abv Belgian ale, one of those an evening I think is about as close as I get to a dry January.

Only three days so far for me, worrying that it feels like an accomplishment! 😆

No real positive effects to report yet, caved yesterday and finished off a bag of crisps I found in the cupboard, then realised today was VO2 day on the turbo so unlikely to notice any improvement with a bunch of fried salt circulating in my bloodstream 🙄

Might try and keep it going until my one CX race of the year 2nd March, maybe even spend the money I’m saving on some beetroot shots instead!

I’ve had a few AF beers which has been nice*

Annoyingly I’ve picked up a bit of a cold somewhere. Banging head.

I’ve actually felt worse today than if I had been drinking! Oh well…

I’m with el boufador here, not only do I feel worse, but I can’t sleep either! sad emoji ?

*Bought some Guinness 00 after the recommendations.

Impossibrew is OK, no difference to others as far as I can tell and no buzz.

@susepic – that was my take as well. Sticking with GZ, Corona 0.0 and whatever random I pick up while rambling around Morrisons.

As I’m “training” for this race thing end March, I think I’d struggle with the number of runs I’m doing if I was necking a few beers every night. That’s what I’m telling myself anyway as it already feels hard work! On Day 112 of the 100 day exercise thing as well and seeing if I can carry on until, well until I get injured I guess.

The other thing I’m noticing (and same when I did this last year) is I’m just not as tired at the end of the day. That might change now work starts again, but I’m taking that as a qualitative positive, if only to get through the streaming backlog 😉

HRV thinks it’s out of balance as – again as per last year – it’s increased 15-20% from the 1st. No idea what the actual real world effect of that is, but I’m assuming higher is a good thing.

@alex yeah, can’t see the benefit of the high cost of impossibrew if it tastes the same as other 0% beers…..unless the ashwagandha is contributing to that sleep and hrv improvement. Higher Hrv is good apparently

Everything You Need to Know About Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

And ashwagandha does increase Hrv (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382041814_Exploring_the_therapeutic_potential_of_Ashwagandha_Withania_somnifera_supplementation_in_alleviating_stress_and_stress-related_disorders) as well as testosterone

I guess that’s something to keep an eye on over the next few days and weeks

Yeah my hrv is trending up since Xmas, despite being a bit ill.

No impossibrew or weird supplements.

Might try that ashwagandha tho!

I did dry January last year which kinda turned into very nearly dry 2024. I had a couple drinks on a couple holidays (and tbh I really enjoyed it). First part of the year I lost 6Kg, and then my weight loss slowly tailed off having binned off about 10Kg last year without even really trying – just cut out beers and doing my normal riding/running/semi-healthy eating etc. Really made me aware of how much beer I was drinking to lose that from just not drinking it.

This is the first time I’ve had a totally dry Christmas / NY too. Though annoyingly, that was also due to me getting the actual Influenza over it – I was looking forward to being a smug b*gger feeling fit instead of bloated and heavier but instead I’ve still got a cough and feel like my lung capacity has halved. Though I was actually planning on having a drink on NYE.

Still don’t consider myself teetotal but I don’t see me going back to couch beers on Friday and Saturday. Biggest thing I’ve noticed is my motivation and enthusiasm for doing stuff has trebled over the year…too many days that have been wasted with those “not really a hangover but 2-3 beers of lethargy I’m just gonna sit and watch brainrot” feelings in the past.

@susepic – interesting article. I’ve read a few things before but that was very clear. Maybe as I ‘d watched a random video this morning explaining why alcohol is so bad for any kind of exercise regime.

I kept my HR/HRV readings from last January so going to compare. Not a big supplement fan, always feels like marketing over efficacy but a mate swears by turmeric shots. Maybe I’ll just eat more curry 🙂

Oh and did my weekly weigh in this morning expecting an improvement and it’s exactly the same as it was on the 24th Dec when I did my last weigh in for the 100 days. It’s either than I lost most of what I wanted during that period and it’s going to be hard to shift the last kilo and/or my ‘not drinking alcohol so I can have as much cheese as I want” approach to Dry Jan so far 🙂

 Not a big supplement fan, always feels like marketing over efficacy but a mate swears by turmeric shots

I thought Turmeric had been a bit debunked as a supplement (you would need to eat kilogrammes of it!) but I do enjoy my turmeric tea, is hardly a beer substitute but is better than nothing of a ‘dry’ evening…

Morning all. I’m in again. I was dry till July 28th last year (1am, about 2 minutes after finishing the lakeland 50).

I’m aiming for a year in 2025. I feel so much better when i’m sober – more energy, better runner, better with my family…

If i do a year I think that will be the end for me and alcohol. Its a big ‘if’ though

Oh and a good AF recommendation from me is the Athletic Brewing stuff. The Run Wild IPA and Upside Dawn are really nice and the most “realistic” I’ve found. I’ve just seen they now do a Belgian Wit style too which I am keen to try.

I always liked the Erdinger Blue, it’s probably still my favourite but it’s very sugary.

Unlike others I find Guinness zero to be a bit too weird to drink – the latter half when it gets warmer it just seems to taste sour to me.

Good morning all! For those of you who need a bit more encouragement and a good follow up to The Guardian articles above is this piece about liver health –

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jan/03/love-your-liver-19-simple-ways-to-look-after-this-incredible-organ-chosen-by-doctors?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Have to say I’ve got mixed feelings about AF beer: it’s clearly better for you than “proper” beer, but at the same time it would be nice to actually break the habit of having to drink something just because it’s Friday/Saturday/<insert reason here>.

AF beer has worked, and continues to work for me as I realised that it’s wasn’t just the alcohol that gave me the relaxed feeling but also I’ve always loved the taste of beer. As Ernie said above, my first beer after I’ve finished work relaxes me straight away fooling my brain to go “aaaah”! Home Bargains is worth checking for AF beer bargains – I’ve had craft cans there for 39 pence and they regularly sell Budvar AF for less than 90p for a large bottle.

I’m normally a bit scornful of Dry January as I tend to think its better to simply reduce your overall intake a tiny bit, permanently, but I may try it this year. I had about 5 weeks off at the start of last year (longest probably since I was 17 and I’m now 43) but that was not super hard as my wife was recovering from an operation and a lot of my drinking is done with my wife when we’re out.

I almost never drink at home or in the week, but have a habit of binging at the weekend whether its down the pub/bar or in a restaurant.

We don’t have kids so both still “go out” a fair to town and gigs and whatnot. I’m not super worried about my alcohol intake (OK, maybe a bit) but I train quite a bit for running, cycling and swimming as well, and I do wonder how much fitter I could be with the same amount of training and effort if I was teetotal.

I wouldn’t care at all if I never had a drink at home ever again, but it would be much tricker to refrain from drinking when out somewhere I think.

I’m making a conscious effort to knock the drinking at home on the head, got into the habit a bit too much during lockdown!

I’m making a conscious effort to knock the drinking at home on the head, got into the habit a bit too much during lockdown!

Same here.  It was (seemingly) necessary for survival at the time, but has very much changed my home relationship with alcohol.  It’s not quite a dependence, but could easily become one.

For those of you struggling with feeling a bit crap in week 1 – that’s part of the process, and you should be feeling better in week 2 apparently….
https://alcoholchange.org.uk/blog/one-week-alcohol-free-whats-happening-in-your-body

Lots of other options instead of the AF beers – tonic/tomato juice/other juice/earl grey

I think that in an ideal world we would all drink sensibly – but many of us don’t, and Dry Jan is the stimulus and impetus to think about making that change, and good luck to all my fellow travellers.

In terms of supplements i have been taking some turmeric, without really noticing any positives. But there is clear evidence that diet is really important to health outcomes and active metabolites get to the places that matter, often through promoting a healthy gut microbiome. So I’m also starting to eat lots of spinach, broccoli and blueberries in the hope that the polyphenols rejuventate me, but fear it’ll only slow the inevitable

Hmm. I think that previous FTP was on the Zwift “grade”route just before Xmas near end of 100 days of exercise. Best ever after FTP builder workout a few years ago was 255. Today I got into a random race and ended up there. And that’s after 5 runs in last six days. Might be co-incidence. Might be a week off the booze.

What’s everyone’s plan for the weekend?
Just a chill one for me so no distractions.

Football tomorrow then off out with friends at night, will see if I can be disciplined enough to drive. I’m aiming to stick within the 14 units a week guideline rather than being completely dry but if, as last weekend, I don’t happen to have anything to drink, so much the better. 🙂

First night ride -> pub last night of the year. Bristol Brewery Clear Head on draft. Very happy to have a ‘beer’ after a ride, wasn’t bothered it was a AF.  Slept noticeably better having no post ride beers.

Shall not be going to the pub tonight tho.  Almost disappointed that I’m going to take a 4 day break for hols Jan 20. Shall be back on it to claim a victory lap till end Jan. See how it goes after that. Post ride beers defo back on, drinking at home hopefully off!

Dinner and then cinema tomorrow night, will have a AF beer with my food and probably that’s it. Got an exam on Thursday so the real test will be to avoid having a beer on Thursday night and the days/weeks following that.

Survived a trip to ‘spoons after night ride last night. There was a moment stood by the bar that my willpower diminished slightly however stuck to the Guinness 0.0 and it was fine.

So what improvements are people seeing 10 days in?

For me, ease of getting going in the morning, feeling better  rested. generally clarity of thinking and being able to focus on tasks better. Loads more dreams. No angst about the damage I’ve possibly just done to myself.

Also when I get into a dry spell it’s easier to keep it going and the cravings for alcohol (which to be honest have been really mild this time around) suppress themselves.

It’s like as soon as I have a drink, I’m then under the alcohol spell and it makes it much more likely I will get cravings the following day(s)

Got friends visiting this weekend but for sure I won’t be drinking.

Can you tell when Christmas was on the hrv chart?

I’ve not noticed any differences yet. Too early I think for me to see any changes. I only binge drank (fairly heavily), so this is only really my first weekend of no beer. Last week I didn’t count as it was only a few days since new year. I still didn’t drink, but it was only 3 days since my last drink. But 10 days without a beer is the longest I have been without a drink for a good few years.

I may be sleeping better, its certiainly been a struggle to get out of bed in the mornings. But that could also be down to how cold it is.

This weekend I am moving house, going to the pub tonight with the family who are helping me move. Plan is to stick to 0.0 Guinness if they sell it, failing that just a couple of diet cokes. Saturday me and the missus have a nice dinner booked. This is going to be tricky to not drink at, my company have offered to pay for dinner and drinks in a fancy restaurant as I ended up having to cancel a dinner with the missus before Xmas due to work commitments. So a fully expensed night and no wine…..going to be tough!

better sleeps, more vivid dreams, still snacking too much in evenings.  Previous experience tells me that the snacking will tail off in the next few days.  Wattbike numbers are improving a bit too, so all good.

Because I don’t drink much at all generally (I’m in the camp of one drink while cooking dinner but its the occasional sessions that destroy my physical and mental health), I think I actually feel worse for stopping completely. That one drink helps me relax and being a few hours before bed, by that time I’m just tired and relaxed and sleep well. I just need to work out how to stop after 3, or don’t drink on nights out.

Anyway, for AF options I had one of these last night and its probably the best AF I’ve had, actually tastes like nice beer.

Alien Form (Alc-Free)

£1.50 in Sains.

I have an overnight next week in Central London with a dinner Tuesday night, usually a fairly social affair, and meetings in Town all day Wed.  I am looking forward to sticking to the lime and soda on Tue and seeing some colleagues with sore heads in the morning 🙂

I’m not missing the ‘fuzzy’ mornings and definitely more awake later in the evenings.  I knocked off the booze before Xmas and you can see that in the HRV graph and you can certainly see it from start of 2025. 25%-30% improvement which feels like a lot! I’ve no idea how that translates to real life tho… However I got on the scales again this morning and was .5kg heavier than Jan 1. So no improvement there- I think as per @ianc too many snacks. Shall check out that AF @jimmy.

I’ve not been drinking the usual Friday wine this January (replaced by a Zwift session)  but out to the pub on Saturday to meet friends. My dad usually phones me as he has a couple of whiskeys on Friday too. He’s 99 this year.

Keep waking up before my alarm which is annoying, chuffed t have done 10 days, have a google watch now to track sleep/HR so be interested to see that data. Too slippy to run or cycle to work this week but have been bouldering twice and think I feel a bit better, disappointed to only see half a kilo weight loss after working out my beers/wine were about 4.5k calories a week!

Yeah it’s amazing how many “empty’ calories there are in alcohol. Sadly probably the same for crisps and other snacks!