Dry January 2024..

I'm in.  Woke up on the 27th Dec feeling rank and decided to lay off it for a while so already 6 days in on the 2nd of Jan.  It's my birthday mid-Feb so planning on staying off the booze until then.  Not missing it at the moment but I have been keeping myself busy.

Well I don't drink, haven't done for years as it screws my guts up, but in a spur of the moment, buying other stuff in the local shop, I bought a bottle of Newcastle Brown for New Year's Eve.

I didn't quite manage to finish the whole bottle 🤣

So, it's back to dry however many months or years until the next one!

Good luck with those of you giving it up (for however long) or cutting down.

There is very much a great world out there that doesn't involve booze, it's cost, health and social issues.

longdog... we'll rally around you pal, and help you off this slippery slope you've got yourself into 😉

DrP

Me and Mrs Epic starting today. We always have a new year's day family lunch, so starting on the first would be hard.

Having a spicy 🍅 juice at around 7pm is one thing I do to have a non-alcoholic snifter to address the gap in the evening that would be a beer or glass of wine.

What other tips to help get through the first couple of weeks?

Good luck if you are doing it

Damn. I hoped this about the weather improving. 

Yeah I'm in. Didn't have a particularly boozy xmas but I normally do dry Jan anyway and always feel very good by the end.

I'm in from tomorrow, on holiday still today so last beers this afternoon. 

Yeah we're doing it. We drink a lot, although I'd cut down somewhat towards the end of last year. Third year that I've done it, first year for my wife.

Definitely not today Clubby!

But the news yesterday did say from this weekend could be a dry, cold,still January due to big high pressure coming. Sick of the flooded roads and paths.

No! I’m going to jump on another bandwagon, albeit belatedly, and grow a moustache. 🥸 Happy Mouanuary.

Nope. It’s not unusual for me to stop for a bit but never took park in an ‘official’ one. 

There won't be any booze in the house, but stopping for a pint in a country pub mid-ride is one of life's pleasures that I don't intend denying myself.

Yeh we're in too. Despite it also being my birthday. Not even going to bother with a meal out as I always have to pay.

I've said I'll have a dry couple of weeks and see how it goes.

Yes. 3rd year in the row for me. Miserable Jan I call it!

January accountability challenge:

No Alcohol

2Ltrs of water each day

20KM run /week

Restricted calories https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

3 sessions at my local bootcamp/outdoor circuits per week

No caffeine past 2pm

10000 steps a day

and a surprise weekly challenge  🙂

I lost 9lb last year. Aiming for similar this year.

I lost 9lb last year.

...and the will to live? That does a bit too punitive if I'm honest

Never seen the point myself as it always looked like a sticky plaster solution. I.e. I was good/will be good in Jan so can crack on for the other 11 months. This obviously not helped by having a Jan BD :D. I did however cut down to only drinking once a week in October as the previous state was getting a bit much.

After a rather excessive ( well for me any way) week in Lanzarote at the end of November I decided to knock it on the head for a while. Tried Zero Guinness on NYE , quite acceptable more so than Thatchers Zero Cider that was gash ! 

My wife tried to get me to break by buying me 4 bottles of ale , one was Grumpy Santa another Old Peculiar, hmmm 🤔For me it's easier this time of year it's the summer beer garden rides that would be more of a problem.

One annoying aspect is the fact that I haven't lost any weight 😡😡😡

Me and Mrs Pizza are doing it this year, decided to after realising there hasn't been a period longer than say 10 days since about 2016 where I haven't had a drink, including the odd one here and there stopping in the local for a pint and bowl of chips after dog walk or cracking one open after a long day at work. Rarely do I get battered anymore but realised I do drink quite a bit spread out.

About to go skiing (in France) - therefore unlimited free wine. Would be silly to pass that up.

And in all honesty, would have failed by about 5pm on the 1st as there was 1/3 of a bottle of bubbly left in the fridge whcih needed finishing before oging flat.

Very boozy December for me. Back at work today and m my suit and shirt is very very tight….so tight I’ve just had to issue my colleagues safety specs as buttons look and feel like they could be pinging about the office any time now!

Dry Jan and back to training from today. So glad December is over, towards the end of the festivities I was feeling rotten, just from over indulging.

Go on holiday in February so got to try and slim back down to fit my summer clothes!

No Alcohol

2Ltrs of water each day

20KM run /week

Restricted calories https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
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3 sessions at my local bootcamp/outdoor circuits per week

No caffeine past 2pm

10000 steps a day

and a surprise weekly challenge  🙂

I lost 9lb last year. Aiming for similar this year.

I'll take the extra 9lbs 😁

I didn't drink from the middle of September to Christmas, so I'm going to get wasted for the whole of January. 👍

So this Christmas I've laid off the booze, not given up but every drink I've had next day I've felt rough.
I'm having some time away from alcohol, I'm too heavy as it is and get back to some sort of fitness routine.

I'll just go back to my normal routine of only drinking on Fridays and Saturdays.

I gave up caffeine mid-December though and I definitely noticed an improvement in my alertness. I was drinking up to 8 mugs a day though!

What other tips to help get through the first couple of weeks?

I just kinda tell myself that actually, i don't NEED a drink, and the way i feel in teh morning is SOOO good when not drinking, that I look forward to THAT, rather than missing booze in the evening.

Never seen the point myself as it always looked like a sticky plaster solution

I get that idea..but I think it's useful to tell myself that I can actually survive without booze, and hopefully improve my relationship with it in the future.

DrP

January is cold and dark and the pub is warm and welcoming, so I'll carry on.
Never on a school night though.

"No! I’m going to jump on another bandwagon, albeit belatedly, and grow a moustache. 🥸 Happy Mouanuary."

Januscratchy

Maybe.
I've not had a beer for the last 4 days due to a somewhat excessive intake in the build up to Christmas. At the moment I'm just choosing not to have a beer on a day by day basis, we'll see how long it lasts for.

In. Been VERY boozy for a while, time to break the cycle. Need to shift some timber too

January is cold and dark and the pub is warm and welcoming, so I’ll carry on

These are my sentiments exactly. If you’re going to select an arbitrary period of time to stop drinking then surely January is the worst possible time? It’s cold, wet, dark and miserable, and we’re confined to the indoors more than any other time of year.

Good luck if you’re doing though. My sister did it last year and ended up not having a drink for over 6 months

Pretty sure I had a hang over last night from home made Tiramisu, which must be some sort of record...

Yeah, also in - day two today. Heavier month - and heavier year, really - than it should have been for an 'athlete'... 🙂

I don't miss the effects of alcohol at all, but I do miss something nice to drink while I'm cooking and eating. The only think that ever really fills that gap for me is sparkling water.

If you’re going to select an arbitrary period of time to stop drinking then surely January is the worst possible time? It’s cold, wet, dark and miserable, and we’re confined to the indoors more than any other time of year.

Totally get this. I think I do January because I've had such a heavy period of drinking over Christmas I can't face any more. Same goes for red meat, bacon and sausages. Body can't face anymore (although sausage normally falls first, by the second weekend)...

Totally get this. I think I do January because I’ve had such a heavy period of drinking over Christmas

Yep, they picked January to get people while they were feeling vulnerable.

Anyway, February would be an even worse month to do it. It's often colder, wetter and Christmas is a distant memory.

I know this as I did Dry February a year or two ago 😀

I think I do January because I’ve had such a heavy period of drinking over Christmas I can’t face any more

We’re the opposite. We’ll tend to nip out to the pub for a couple of pints quite frequently as We both work from home and it’s a nice way to get out of the house in the evening and have a stroll if you’re getting cabin fever after being constantly indoors

…. apart from in December, where the nobhead proportion of all pubs goes through the roof and being a miserable bugger my tolerance for the Colin Hunts of this world is low at the best of times. That’s before they’ve even donned their best Christmas jumper and decided everyone has to apparently be ‘jolly’.

So January is when we get ‘our’ pubs back

#takingbackcontrol

😉

January is always so miserable anyway; It's still darkest mid-winter, The weather is crap, it goes on forever. Adding to the pain by 'giving up' stuff just feels extra punitive and too self-flagellating to me.

I mostly have just a small glass of wine with my supper anyway and I'm pretty strict about it, I don't feel the need to make the dark nights even more intolerable.

I think the miserable weather prompted us to book a couple of nights out to cheer us up through January, starting with a nice Brighton restaurant tonight. So won't be dry, but will definitely cut right down as my body feels somewhat violated even though I didn't really go mad.

The "posh" carbonator I bought the Mrs for Christmas is going to get a hammering I think.

dont really do the whole dry January thing, just cut right back, nothing on a school night and just a couple of nice beers at the weekend.

The “posh” carbonator I bought the Mrs for Christmas is going to get a hammering I think

We’ve done periods of abstinence at more sensible times of the year and ‘getting busy with the fizzy’ definitely helps 😃

My Wife & I are doing it this year, but I'm not going to worry about the odd transgression. We're starting today, as we had a decent bottle of wine to drink last night before sloping back to the office this morning.

I might extend it until I have reached my target weight loss, as I have been gradually packing some lbs on that need to go. They're not doing my Zwift w/kg any favours at all, and I need all the help I can get.
I did dry January last year & found it surprisingly easy.

It's my Dad's birthday on the 11th, so chances are I'll have a drink then, but will keep it moderate.

It's also annoying how at this time of year the whole world goes from "Here, have another mice pie, and a glass of wine!" to "You fat bastard" over just a couple of days.

No wonder we're all confused and weirded out by the whole thing.

Noone asked me if I wanted a mice pie this year 😭

Alcohol is one of those strange obsessions we somehow justify to ourselves isn't it ?

Had a crap bike ride , rough day at work @@@@ it I deserve a drink.

Had an epic ride, a great day , some good news time to celebrate! 😁😁😁😁

Never seen the point myself as it always looked like a sticky plaster solution. I.e. I was good/will be good in Jan so can crack on for the other 11 months...

Kind of my thoughts, I barely ever drink as a matter of course anyway as I normally need to be functional for various reasons, but I'm not "abstinent" I just don't need to be under the influence to cope with my day to day life.

If you have to make a special effort not to get pissed, doesn't that suggest some deeper issues?

Over the last 10 years or so I've really cut down generally from being a moderately big boozer down to sharing one bottle of wine with Mrs OD over a weekend.   

Now if I go out and have 3 pints ( of 4%) across a night I have a hangover - any more than that and I'm in a real state thd next day 

May try laying off completely until we go away early Feb

I'll be carrying on with the red wine as normal. I enjoy it.

We've agreed that we'll stop having booze in the house. If we go out we'll have a couple of beers or glasses of wine, similarly if we go over to a friends house for drinks we'll partake, but we won't buy any for in the house.

Only trouble is we have about 6 bottlese of beer and a couple of bottles of wine. So they'll need to get polished off pretty quick.

Birthdays and holidays occupy a big portion of January so I'll be drinking when required. 

I could do with a zero drinking booze at home requirement. The remaining cans of Fosters might get buried out of sight to achieve this. 

Dry Feb for me.   The last week of 2024 sees a “Bavarian Themed” company kickoff overseas so I decided to enjoy the freebies and commit to between 1st Feb and my birthday in early March, which also coincides with my first XC race of the year.  

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://singletrackmag.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!