The Dry January thr...
 

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The Dry January thread…

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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.


 
Posted : 05/01/2025 10:39 am
milan b., wheelsonfire1, el_boufador and 3 people reacted
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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..


 
Posted : 05/01/2025 10:51 am
susepic, mattcartlidge, wheelsonfire1 and 9 people reacted
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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.....


 
Posted : 05/01/2025 9:16 pm
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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.


 
Posted : 05/01/2025 9:32 pm
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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...


 
Posted : 05/01/2025 9:39 pm
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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.


 
Posted : 05/01/2025 11:35 pm
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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.


 
Posted : 05/01/2025 11:58 pm
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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.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 1:19 am
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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!


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 7:28 am
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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.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 7:41 am
 Alex
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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.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 8:10 am
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@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

https://www.polar.com/blog/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


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 9:08 am
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Yeah my hrv is trending up since Xmas, despite being a bit ill.

No impossibrew or weird supplements.

Might try that ashwagandha tho!


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 9:17 am
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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.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 9:19 am
 Alex
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@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 🙂


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 9:31 am
 Alex
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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 🙂


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 9:33 am
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 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...


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 9:42 am
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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


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 9:55 am
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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.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 10:01 am
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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


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 11:32 am
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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>.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 11:35 am
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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.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 11:52 am
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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.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 12:00 pm
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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!


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 12:11 pm
wheelsonfire1, pondo, Daffy and 3 people reacted
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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.


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 12:23 pm
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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


 
Posted : 06/01/2025 5:33 pm
wheelsonfire1, pondo, pondo and 1 people reacted
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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.

IMG_6807


 
Posted : 07/01/2025 3:11 pm
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What’s everyone’s plan for the weekend?
Just a chill one for me so no distractions.


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 6:45 am
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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. 🙂


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 7:38 am
 Alex
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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!


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 8:15 am
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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.


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 8:34 am
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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?

Screenshot_20250110_082950_Connect


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 8:39 am
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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!


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 8:55 am
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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.


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 9:58 am
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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.

https://williamsbrosbrew.com/products/alien-form-alc-free

£1.50 in Sains.


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 10:21 am
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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 🙂


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 10:26 am
 Alex
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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.

IMG_6821IMG_6820


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 10:45 am
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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.


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 11:27 am
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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!


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 12:01 pm
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Yeah it's amazing how many "empty' calories there are in alcohol. Sadly probably the same for crisps and other snacks!


 
Posted : 10/01/2025 12:23 pm
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Navigated another dry weekend. Had a few 0% Guinness yesterday whilst watching the football. Quite enjoyed them but loved being clear headed today and was very productive.


 
Posted : 12/01/2025 7:31 pm
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Well I'm still in and finding it far easier than I thought I would. Definitely feeling less tired in the evenings and generally have more energy. Apparently my mood has improved too ?

I've not even bothered with AF stuff since the GZ in the pub a week past Friday ago. I had intended to get some for the house but thought why not try and break that habit too. Soda water ftw!

Unfortunately the weight loss doesn't seem to be happening but I'll put that down to continuing to snack, sleep seems no noticably better either but I wasn't terrible anyway unless I'd had several beers in one sitting.

A major positive is that my stomach seems more settled, hopefully the good bacteria not being killed by the alcohol is helping there.

Overall it's all good and I do feel better for it ☺️


 
Posted : 12/01/2025 7:49 pm
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For me the long term trick has been to never actually say I don't drink, which means if I fancy a glass of beer or a whisky it's ok. I just have it. But in reality I probably only have 2 or 3 a month, and that's cool. Overall there's no pressure either way, and by and large I'm quite happy not drinking, and that's usually my default.


 
Posted : 12/01/2025 8:12 pm
lb77, Kryton57, el_boufador and 3 people reacted
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I’m also still in the game. No snacking from me, but no weight loss either…also very little exercise due to work and a house move. So I guess it’s to be expected.

Not feeling as good as I thought I would. Not bad, just no different.

This weekend was difficult, as mentioned moved house on Friday. Was gagging for a beer by 7pm on Friday! Managed to resist.


 
Posted : 12/01/2025 9:01 pm
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Apparently my mood has improved too ?

Two of my favourite things about not drinking is:

1. We have much fewer arguments

2. When we do argue my memory is so much better that I definitely know that she is wrong


 
Posted : 12/01/2025 9:07 pm
wheelsonfire1, lb77, Duggan and 11 people reacted
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Still in... had friends over last night half of whom are doing dry January and half aren't. I got nowhere near cracking at all.

I did quite fancy a beer after quite an arduous walk. Had some soda water and fruit juice, then an erdinger AF which has sorted me out.

Loving the clear head in the morning


 
Posted : 12/01/2025 9:29 pm
wheelsonfire1, swavis, wheelsonfire1 and 1 people reacted
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I tried the Brooklyn Special Effects lager today, I thought it was the best AF lager I've had. Had a Moretti Zero.yesterday at the pub which I didn't enjoy quite as much.


 
Posted : 12/01/2025 9:36 pm
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I'm not doing dry January as I don't really drink but I do enjoy a beer. As such I've been really enjoying Jump Ship offerings. We went on a tour of the brewery yesterday as it's local to us and it was very interesting and bought some more of their beers which I haven't tried yet. They're gluten free and vegan too if that's a consideration. I like that they only do AF so are really invested in it and passionate about it. They only beer I haven't enjoyed so far was the raspberry sour but that didn't surprise me as I'm not a fan of fruit sours normally.


 
Posted : 12/01/2025 10:10 pm
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I'm not doing it properly, more just trying to be a bit more disciplined about midweek beers. Had Butcombes Goram 0% on draught last weekend and was pretty impressed. It's amazing how much it being in a proper pint and not a can or bottle does.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 7:24 am
 Alex
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Yep still in. Including two trips to the pub after riding. Couldn't find that AF beer in Sainsbury's recommended a few posts ago, but did find some cheap Beavertown Lazer Crush which has gone on the 'it's not terrible' list.  Definitely sleeping better, also definitely not losing any more weight. Not missing the fuzzy head at 7am at all.

Will definitely be moving from 'dry' to 'damp' a week today when we head out to Alicante for a 4 day break, but going to try and keep it closer to dry than damp! No way I'm not having a beer in the sunshine tho.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 7:27 am
susepic, lb77, el_boufador and 3 people reacted
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Yeah still no beers for me yet this January. I could not say I feel any different in myself but usually I would have had a hangover yesterday and it was nice to have a clear head instead. It is also nice being able to mentally schedule any day of the week for exercise without (as usually happens) thinking I should probably avoid exercising on Sat/Sun/whatever day because I'll be hungover.

I'm not sure if 'll last the month or not, but at this point I think I will try.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 8:08 am
susepic, el_boufador, Alex and 3 people reacted
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I fell off the wagon fairly spectacularly on Friday night and ended up having 5 or 6 pints (and sofgairl had a bottle of wine). As our "dry January" is more about changing our drinking patterns over the long term (rather than nothing for a month and then back to normal) i'm not beating myself up about it as it's bound to happen again after January is over (and this is far less of what i would of normally drunk by this time), however the hangover and crappy all day tiredness on Saturday was a useful reminder of what we are looking to change!

as with others, i've noticed the benefits to sleep and improved mood when not drinking, and a pleasant side effect is that both me and sofagirl have commented that we seem to being kinder to each other and less bickering has occurred.

for those looking for a half decent AF lager - Aldi's Saint Etienne AF French lager is very drinkable and in the top 10% of the many i've tired over the years. bonus points for it being 99p a 500ml bottle as well


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 8:33 am
susepic, lb77, el_boufador and 7 people reacted
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all good here, and as with others sleep better, mood better, waistline not better.  I think my snacking plateau'd at the weekend, as it usually does after a week or so.  I certainly hope so, having put on 3 or 4 lbs in under 2 weeks...

Exercise has been pretty consistent,  with 120 miles on the Wattbike and 7.5k in pool so far, along with 10-12k steps a day with the dog.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 8:53 am
susepic, el_boufador, downshep and 5 people reacted
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As our “dry January” is more about changing our drinking patterns over the long term (rather than nothing for a month and then back to normal)

My dry January is about this also. I just don't really know yet what I'm going to do when I get to the end of the month.

If I've found that I haven't really missed out on anything by not drinking (which I don't think I have at this point). I might just carry on with sobriety.

My problem with alcohol has always been that once I start on a beer or 2 I find it very difficult to stop there. Any good intention of quitting while I'm ahead goes out the window then more often than not I end up bingeing and regretting it.

That's got to change this year for me. Too much angst about the damage I might be doing and I'm finding over time I'm just enjoying drinking less and less anyway. It might just be easier all round to go teetotal and have done with it.

If I just put my mind to not drinking, it's absolutely fine. A few cravings, but totally manageable. I haven't found this past 2 weeks difficult at all and at the moment I hardly miss the booze. (Being totally honest I do miss it a little bit, but I'm liking the upsides more)


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 9:08 am
susepic, ernielynch, lb77 and 7 people reacted
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If I’ve found that I haven’t really missed out on anything by not drinking (which I don’t think I have at this point). I might just carry on with sobriety.

My problem with alcohol has always been that once I start on a beer or 2 I find it very difficult to stop there.

A help advisor with Al-Anon, who was herself a recovering alcoholic, once told me that the true definition of an alcoholic wasn't someone who "needed" a drink but someone who couldn't stop drinking once they had started.

Apparently not drinking is doable but being able to stop once started is not possible. Although based on my father's alcoholism I am not sure how totally true that is all of the time.

Anyway well done everyone who has maintained a dry January, it is undoubtedly a worthwhile challenge.... and I don't recall anyone ever regretting not having a drink.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 9:36 am
susepic, el_boufador, susepic and 1 people reacted
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I refer again to The Guardian article that I’ve mentioned several times on different threads, “the truth about booze”. Once you have that first drink then control is largely taken from you by the alcohol hence the inability to stop at “just the couple”.

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?


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 11:20 am
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Also made it through the weekend without any major cravings. There were a couple of moments while eating when I thought to myself that a glass of wine or beer would go great with this, but nothing I couldn't handle.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 11:40 am
susepic, wheelsonfire1, susepic and 1 people reacted
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Apparently not drinking is doable but being able to stop once started is not possible.

the inability to stop at “just the couple”

And, yet, I know loads of people that can do that. Mrs mogrim, for example, will have a decent size Aperol at lunchtime, and then stop. Sometimes she might have a second. But it never goes beyond that.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 12:31 pm
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Still standing and yet still still being social, which is, I believe, the key for me. I quit for 5 months 3 years ago but isolated myself to an extent and then when booze was reintroduced shock horror had the same habits.

This year been to football ST holder and whilst there was the urge i had an AF and was ok

Mums birthday meals out and show in london - AF again

Friends 50th - - AF again and out as soon as the same storys were told

Gym going well - Far more productive - Finding time I thought i never had (I did i just had a beer in hand)

And Had a great weekend being 100% Present with my son.

Easy so far - enjoying the clarity

Well done all


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 1:08 pm
susepic, wheelsonfire1, Duggan and 7 people reacted
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My biggest problem when I've had a drink is that my self control when it comes to food goes out the window, not doing dry January but try to limit going to the pub to once a week and I don't drink at home.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 4:50 pm
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Still standing here too. Trip to the pub and drank their local AF beer (0.5% counts in my book) and a 60th party over the weekend where they had a Dry Jan table!

I even made gravy with some red wine for lunch yestrday and didn't have a glass in the process, and assuming all the alcohol would have steamed off by the time it hit the plate.

Sleep/HRV consistently good, except the early morning when EpicJnr was back to school, and that was down to reduced duration rather than quality.

Planning to keep going beyond Jan as well as things stand at the moment


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 7:50 pm
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13 days in - won't do this again.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 7:55 pm
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My partner took advantage of the Ryanair seat sale at the weekend (£50 East Mids - Malaga return) so we're off to see her parents on the 1st March, which has now given me a new target to aim for. Seeing as it's my birthday while we're there I doubt my dry Jan/Feb will go into March.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 8:18 pm
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 Spin
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13 days in and I honestly don't feel any better than I would from having 2 days off the booze.


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 8:48 pm
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Still going, finding it strangely easy so far but have been in a good place exercise wise recently with lots of motivation to get out for rides or runs, especially early, so maybe it's taking my mind off it.

Seems a shame that my very fancy port-finish Ardbeg that I got for Christmas us going untouched so far...

Weight has stayed exactly the same, but then it usually does, takes an heroic effort to budge it one way or the other 🙄

Sleep hasn't been brilliant to be honest, I guess replacing a glass of wine or s whisky with lots of fizzy water or cups of tea is always going to result in getting up to pee more often...


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 9:53 pm
Alex and Alex reacted
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Well yes, and if you're drinking normal tea it has plenty of caffeine in it!


 
Posted : 13/01/2025 10:24 pm
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As per bloody usual, 2 weeks in and no notable benefits, but seem to wake most mornings with what feels like a hangover.  I knew this was coming and so assuming it’s dehydration, have tried to drink more water before bed.  No difference other than waking in the morning with a really full bladder.

Gah.  On the plus side, I’ve gone from 20 ciders a month to zero and probably the same in crisps.


 
Posted : 14/01/2025 7:51 am
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Well yes, and if you’re drinking normal tea it has plenty of caffeine in it!

Ha, no, I'm very aware, don't touch caffeine after lunch, this is turmeric tea.

Actually legs felt pretty heroic yesterday despite slightly higher than average mileage in the past few days, I was putting it down to having re-fitted normal tyres after riding heavy ice spikes for a few rides, or could have been the massive glass of beetroot that I drank 3 hours prior...


 
Posted : 14/01/2025 8:20 am
iainc and iainc reacted
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Well yes, and if you’re drinking normal tea it has plenty of caffeine in it!

I recently whinged at my better half when she added Decaf teabags to our shopping trolley. Only to be informed we'd be drinking that blend for 3 years!

I'm making an effort to drink a lot more water. The only effect I can measure is the number of night time toilet breaks!


 
Posted : 14/01/2025 8:45 am
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I am sure I read that the way caffeine is broken-down in tea is different to coffee so whilst it does have caffeine in it, the effects of it are negligible.

Or, I may have dreamed that up but I can't be bothered googling it.


 
Posted : 14/01/2025 10:28 am
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seem to wake most mornings with what feels like a hangover.  I knew this was coming and so assuming it’s dehydration, have tried to drink more water before bed.  No difference other than waking in the morning with a really full bladder.

I have had this ever since I was about 14.  I call it 'not being a morning person'. Quitting caffeine helps somewhat, and Long COVID has made it way, way worse.

But some people are just not built to get up at 7am or even 8am, and I am one of them.


 
Posted : 14/01/2025 10:38 am
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Still going here and not been close to breaking although I'd have happily had a few beers at the weekend. Interestingly my main vice is usually red wine but I've not missed that at all.

Sleeping better, feeling less tired in the day but ready for bed earlier at night. Not lost much weight but defo less bloated.


 
Posted : 14/01/2025 10:56 am
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Roll up roll up for some more sick absistence sendz.

I'm still in.

Eldest back to uni tomorrow so we wnt out for

1. some kebabs. Drank some lime and mint drink, don't know what it's called but it was very nice)

2. A trip to the pub. Had a very decent range of AF stuff on. Had a nice stout, I don't know what it was called.


 
Posted : 17/01/2025 9:36 pm
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Just saw someone call Dry January "Millennial Lent", so thought I should share that here.

I've not touched alcohol all this week. Snacking's reduced as well. I think I'm going to keep at this.


 
Posted : 17/01/2025 9:45 pm
Duggan, swavis, el_boufador and 3 people reacted
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In contrast, I'll drink my local dry after this.


 
Posted : 17/01/2025 10:05 pm
chipster and chipster reacted
 Spin
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Well I've binned it and had a couple of whiskies. Not proud of that but not ashamed either.


 
Posted : 17/01/2025 10:10 pm
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Still going here. It's been easy to not drink this week as I had a septoplasty and endoscopic sinus surgery on Monday, fun times lol


 
Posted : 17/01/2025 10:12 pm
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Yeah still going here so far. Completed an exam on Thursday but just had a AF Moretti with some food in the pub afterwards. Though, it sounds strange to say, but I have some minor ongoing stressful things hanging over me at the moment and so I feel like I can't really relax until I get them off my plate so the real test will be whenever that happens I think.

I was going to go out for a meal tonight with my wife which would maybe have broke my resistance but she's now realised she's double-booked and is at a pottery class instead (or something) so the meal has been moved to the afternoon- which seems much easier for abstaining purposes.

So, still going but partly through luck and happenchance.

I must say I don't really feel different in myself but have had other stresses to deal with so not sure if its a fair comparison.


 
Posted : 18/01/2025 11:04 am
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I'm doing an intermittent one this year, but going to try and extend beyond Jan. Started 4th, had a lot on 8th and 9th as I l was on a trip with mates. Other than that I'm doing well.....really enjoying not drinking at home (we drink most nights).

We've been varying degrees of ill (wife really ill) for much of it thus far, so health benefits are hard to quantify.


 
Posted : 18/01/2025 11:32 am
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Still going here. Woken up feeling slightly hungover for the last 7 days, it's particularly bad this morning ?
Not really lost much more than a kilo in weight either!


 
Posted : 18/01/2025 11:39 am
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