[Drinking] Dry January [and beyond...]

[zefarelly]

I genuinely thought I'd struggle, but it's easier than I thought. I even went to the pub on Wed as I do most weeks when Arthur has drum lessons, and was given a few choices of AF beer. No one took the piss.

Just ran/walk/ran (dodgy knees) 7.5 KM's with the dog . . Feeling good but knackered.

The alcohol free beer thing is an odd one . . . But, there's nothing nasty in it, unlike most soft drinks. We make a concerted effort to avoid shit chemicals and processed crap in our house. Aspartame being one of them.

 

[Bozza]

The testing times of Friday and Saturday night have come and gone and it didn't really cross my mind to have a drink at all.

I just avoided the pub pre-match which, as someone else said above, also came with the benefit of saving me £25/£50 (I always seem to buy early in a round so will often have to get a second one). I also didn't get my usual veggie pie and also didn't have to dash for the gents to beat the half-time rush!

Interesting talk about alcohol free stuff - I'd not considered getting any at all. I do now feel slightly curious as to what it tastes like, but I'm otherwise largely drinking black earl grey tea.

 

[zefarelly]

One wine I tried was like Ribena , the other quite good, from stressco of all places and only £2.50!, I generally drink red with sparkling water, either alongside or sometimes mixed, that seems to work well with meals, don't feel like your missing out, certainly helped wash down a large chunk of lamb last night!

Interesting talk about alcohol free stuff - I'd not considered getting any at all. I do now feel slightly curious as to what it tastes like, but I'm otherwise largely drinking black earl grey tea.

 

[janee]

Just discovered this thread which has helped.

I've had 4 days of extreme headaches followed by viral sore throat thing which has helped me stay dry.

Am suddenly addicted to sweet things so no weight loss. Guess wine has lots of sugar so I'm trying to replace it

Tea at the Albion and didn't really crave a beer at all

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Interesting discussion on AF options. I used to hit the Nanny State quite hard when I started my stints of non-drinking, but over time that desire for an alternative has stopped - at home certainly. I've had 6 cans of Nanny State sitting in my fridge for a couple of months now. I've discovered a liking for Tonic Water, and at home I mix that with Seedlip, which is basically AF gin... well worth a look.

These days too, most people are quite supportive of being AF so peer pressure is far less of an issue than I expected.

 

[zefarelly]

I'm rather partial to tonic as well, fever tree, I had spotted some AF gin, but at £24 a bottle I'll survive without.

Sadly, we've grown out of that peer pressure thing, oh to be 25 again!

 

[Knocky's Nose]

I've heard of Seedlip, but the mind boggles how you could have a non-alcoholic spirit

If you took a swig neat out of the bottle, would you get that alcohol 'burn' sensation (somehow) - or is it basically just very expensive flavoured water?

 

[Durlston]

Had a really good session yesterday (first of the year) but I didn't have one single alcoholic drink over the festive period. It was so nice having the pubs quiet and I feel fine today. I deserved it after having a pretty shite xmas and new year was a non-event.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Nope, but I barely drink, so if I decide to have a few on holiday in January I shan’t feel bad about it.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

Had chilli tea in Peru whilst hiking had a damn good effect, internal central heating with a kick. Could be a distraction!

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Wow, tough weekend to get through that one, but did it. I must say the amount of people that have told me "I could give up alcohol if I wanted, I just don't want to" and then go on to justify it further, is amazing. I was one of them and whilst I've stuck with it for 14 days so far I'm very surprised at how much willpower it's taken and how much I relied on it socially. Had a few nights out now without it and I have to say they've been good nights, as good as drinking too, probably not but most of that "downside" has been my focus on not drinking rather than cracking on with the night.

Drink is a problem for so many of us and whilst people take the p1ss out of Dry January etc I would say it's worth it to "challenge" your perceptions of control once in a while, I also think it's helped me understand my relationship with alcohol and how I should approach it going forward.

Side benefits:

Lost 6 1/2 lb
Saved 7,050 calories (allegedly)
Saved, based on normal weekly consumption over the two weeks just under £150, plus the extra for buying others drinks

 

[BLOCK F]

Well, I've done two weeks now without a drink and have cut down substantially on the grub. Feel a whole lot better, but a long way to go on the diet.
I find that once I get through what I call the 'Witching Hour', from about 6pm to 8 pm, the yearning for a tincture fades and the danger of lapsing has passed.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Well, I've done two weeks now without a drink and have cut down substantially on the grub. Feel a whole lot better, but a long way to go on the diet.
I find that once I get through what I call the 'Witching Hour', from about 6pm to 8 pm, the yearning for a tincture fades and the danger of lapsing has passed.

I experience the same thing, so changed my schedule slightly, leaving work a little later and when I get home it's a quick game of FIFA with my Sons and then into the gym, before I know it, as you say, the urge has gone and it's time for food!

 

[darkwolf666]

Wow, I didn’t realise there were so many alcoholics writing on these boards, explains some of the nonsense spouted I guess...

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Wow, I didn’t realise there were so many alcoholics writing on these boards, explains some of the nonsense spouted I guess...

Where to start responding to that?

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Wow, I didn’t realise there were so many alcoholics writing on these boards, explains some of the nonsense spouted I guess...

Maybe the alcoholics are the ones decrying the efforts of those who seem to have their consumption under control?

 

[BLOCK F]

Wow, I didn’t realise there were so many alcoholics writing on these boards, explains some of the nonsense spouted I guess...

Harsh

 

[darkwolf666]

Wow, I didn’t realise there were so many alcoholics writing on these boards, explains some of the nonsense spouted I guess...

With your tongue firmly in your cheek I would suggest...

 

[pearl]

Weird things for me, too.... I'm now 'Day 11' and I've noted the following :

1) Head feels SO much clearer on the whole. Stupid little things which used to eat away at my thoughts and stress me now just get filed as 'unimportant : to be dealt with later' - or actually dealt with as I'm so much more productive.

2) 7pm - 7.30pm every night I have a huge (not sure what to call it, so here goes) 'wave of knackeredness' come over me. Honestly, I could just lay on the floor and go to sleep. It passes either by having a 10 minute power-nap, or powering through it (then I'm fine by about 9pm). Looked into the causes of this - and lo and behold... what did I do EVERY night when I got in from work at 7 - 7.30pm? Yep.. wine o'clock. Wallop. On it. Turns out my body was expecting alcohol, preparing for it, and not getting it.... This will pass as I get my body back in balance.

3) Sleeping badly, then waking up like I've been in a sarcophagus for 150 years and crawling out of bed like the first time a fish crawled from the sea onto dry land. Once I'm awake though, I feel quite chipper. The first 2-3 nights of AF I was wide awake until 2am-3am. Now I'm at Midnight-1am.

4) No real desire or cravings - just habit. Always used to call in at Tesco Express for tea, grab some wine or beers, then home. Now it's odd bypassing the fridges and racks of wine and going to the till - but wow.. my bills are a lot smaller! I've also noticed just what a massive section the alcohol section is in there!! Have a good look next time you're in one.

5) When I did this a few years ago I got thoroughly hacked off with Coke, Fanta, Lemonade, Dandelion & Burdock, Tizer, Pepsi Max and so on. Boring, Boring, Boring. Couldn't face soft fizzy drinks any more so fell off the wagon and back to lovely wine and beer. This time I'm into fresh fruit juices. A big glass of ice, then Orange Juice, then Cranberry - or Apple & Cranberry, or Mix 2 or 3 juices. Actually bloody lovely, and also full of vits! This sounds so feeble and evangelical to say, but tonight I actually got as much pleasure out of the first sip of Apple Juice with Cranberry than I did an ice cold glass of Chardonnay. That's really not me!

6) Friday has always been my 'It's the end of a hard week, fill your boots' day. Been on the road today, was driving home and started getting the old 'right... what's it gonna be tonight?' excited anticipation for a few seconds, then remembered. I'm going to miss that feeling, but I'll probably end up just replacing it with nice food instead.

That's about all I can think of for now. All I can reiterate is how bright I feel during the day. My mind is at least twice as sharp as it usually is, I'm not stressing about stupid stuff, and I look a bit 'brighter' in my complexion. I'll breeze this 30 day thing, then I'll decide where I want to go from there. With the 'Alcohol Experiment' you get a daily newsletter thing, plus 1-2 videos which I find really interesting and informative about the how's and why's of alcohol. Helps to understand what's happening, then you don't think you're the only silly bugger thinking this or that... The best thing is - it's all FREE !! No catches, no hard-sells, just free.

Well done to everyone who is sticking to being AF. To all those who have fallen off - just go back to Day 1 and try again. To all those who don't care, or don't want to stop - fair play, I've been like that for 20 years. I'd forgotten what a life without alcohol was like. It's actually very, very good - but I'm dreading my first 'Night Out' without drinking. That'll be strange....

You're an inspiration ..... seriously, thanks

 

[chaileyjem]

Good to hear the stories on this thread. I'm on Day 166 now . Never thought i'd stop drinking for such a long period of time but you can... and even trigger points (for me that was early evening at home after work, football matches, evening train journeys, restaurants ) no longer mean beer/wine/cider purchases once the habit is broken.
PS: a really useful documentary that was discussed on here at the time - Adrian Chiles looking at his own alcohol consumption is still on iPlayer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0bhkc8b/drinkers-like-me-adrian-chiles