Dry January

I feel like I need to do it. Been a very boozy month. In fact, with lockdowns etc it's been a very boozy couple of years, not having to get up and go to work and just working from home, easy to have a few drinks and wake up late then just start working.

Have done it before a couple of times, so it's not really an issue to leave the booze alone.

I have 2 or 3 occasions in Jan, birthdays etc to go to, so apart from them days I'll probably abstain.

I did think about doing a month (apart from these few days) leaving everything out apart from water.

We'll see.
 
sadgit said:
Ha.. I've been veggie for 35 years and gave up booze 3 years ago and smoking 10 years. Someone last week said to me, you boring b****d. Erm ok mate.
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TBF I think if you reach the age of 40+ and aren’t at least a little bit boring (at least in terms of what you consume) that’s when there’s a problem. I know blokes in their 40s and 50s who booze non-stop and are on the sniff regularly and I can’t say they are great company.
 
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Having a baby really limited how much I drank.
Drinking again I find almost the opposite of what some are saying, if I drink the crappy lagers my hangover isn’t as bad as if I drink ales or beers.
 
I’ll be buying beers to have on Friday night (when I don’t have my 2 sons) and then it’ll be a dry NYE watching tv with them. I’m in my late 40s now and drink has been a problem pretty much since I was a teenager. Always drank too much, never knew when to stop. I’m the same now, even on weekend nights in on my own, I can easily drink 12 bottles or 8 cans. I never go to the pub these days but I guess these boozy nights in on my own are a way of winding down after a week of work in a job I don’t like. It’s also led me to start smoking again in recent years. So anyway, it’s my intention to do dry January and I’m hoping that will lead me to staying sober beyond that. I've kind of diagnosed myself (maybe wrong) but my excessive drinking stems from feeling anxious and nervous when going out, rather than being an alcoholic (I can very easily not drink during the week, apart from the odd beer for the boro match). Anyway, that's my story, good luck to others giving it a go.
 
atypical_boro said:
Ha and being vegetarian. I gave up meat nearly two years ago and not a moment passes that I don’t remind everyone of the fact.

Mind you part of if it is because some folk just can’t seem to get over a bloke being vegetarian, so they actually need to be reminded.
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No we don't.
 
Horses for courses isn’t it?
Anybody who tries to influence a non drinker to drink just needs to give their heads a shake though.

On the medical benefits - seems a 3 day break is good enough to let your kidneys renew. if you want to go longer fair enough.

I like my beer and wine so will continue to drink responsibly (my benchmark of responsibly, btw).
But we have a visit to the Burgundy wine festival in the last week of Jan so I may be a tad irresponsible.
Not often you get the chance to drink magnificent wine at knockdown prices.


On the veggie front. Just reading about a guy who is changing from saying
‘I don’t eat meat’ to ……
‘I don’t eat animals’.
Must admit - I quite like that approach.
 
pallyparker said:
I’ll be buying beers to have on Friday night (when I don’t have my 2 sons) and then it’ll be a dry NYE watching tv with them. I’m in my late 40s now and drink has been a problem pretty much since I was a teenager. Always drank too much, never knew when to stop. I’m the same now, even on weekend nights in on my own, I can easily drink 12 bottles or 8 cans. I never go to the pub these days but I guess these boozy nights in on my own are a way of winding down after a week of work in a job I don’t like. It’s also led me to start smoking again in recent years. So anyway, it’s my intention to do dry January and I’m hoping that will lead me to staying sober beyond that. I've kind of diagnosed myself (maybe wrong) but my excessive drinking stems from feeling anxious and nervous when going out, rather than being an alcoholic (I can very easily not drink during the week, apart from the odd beer for the boro match). Anyway, that's my story, good luck to others giving it a go.
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Be kind to yourself. My drinking started as a mask when I was young to hide my insecurities. Screw that ****. You are a good man who doesn't need that drink. Don't look at other people and society. If you feel you drink too much, then try to cut back. I personally couldn't leave the house without many drinks in me. That side I really have control of now. However, many many people drink a lot and they don't have a problem with it. My wife drinks a few glasses of wine at the weekend as she enjoys it.
 
sadgit said:
I have had my 3rd sober Christmas and I love it. I just need to control my depression binging still but on the whole, I love being sober. I love being in control.
What I hate is the alcohol shaming that goes on. People say, go on, just 1.... They wouldn't say the same about crack or heroin. It is the only drug (poison) where you feel forced that you need to join in.
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I never understood that, people seemed to take offence when you don’t have a drink just because they are, like it’s unheard of to go into a pub and not have a proper drink

Definitely the best thing I ever did financially and health wise, far more to life than being sat in a pub most nights
 
Economically of course, January is the worst month to go dry, all the pub offers are on, much better for the pocket to do it in December.
 
I'm lucky. I enjoy 3-4 pints of real ale maximum on a night out, and tend not to do 2 nights in a row. I also enjoy a glass or two of red but treat it the same - as a treat. Sympathies to anyone struggling, especially at this time of year.

As far as others' reactions, people are very strange. Anything outside of a very narrow seam of 'the norm' and they cover their inability to engage in an adult fashion, with thinly veiled jibes or just plain embarrassment. Same with vegetarianism or with vegans. You'd think it was freakish rather than a healthier choice.
 
sadgit said:
Be kind to yourself. My drinking started as a mask when I was young to hide my insecurities. Screw that ****. You are a good man who doesn't need that drink. Don't look at other people and society. If you feel you drink too much, then try to cut back. I personally couldn't leave the house without many drinks in me. That side I really have control of now. However, many many people drink a lot and they don't have a problem with it. My wife drinks a few glasses of wine at the weekend as she enjoys it.
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Thanks Sadgit. Yeah I'm still not convinced I'm ever 'in control'. I'm envious of others who are. But I will be giving it a damn good shot (excuse the pun) in January.
 
I’ll be doing it again this year and extending out further than January. I tend not to drink so much in the house (got beers in my fridge that have sat there since August!), I’m just more of a social drinker.

I play darts, go to the matches and in the summer, play cricket. All of these activities tend to lead to me having a decent scoop.

Nothing too crazy, but 5-6 pints (a few more on a match day) and a few shorts to finish the night off tends to do the trick for me.

I’m probably going to have a hiatus on the booze until March when Cheltenham kicks off / it’s my birthday. Then maybe go again.

Me and the missus are going to Newcastle for a night in February so will probably have a drink then. But beyond that, I’m staying off it.

Since the cricket season finished I’ve piled on some weight which I need to get rid of and also want to get into good shape for my wedding in July. I’ll be back to full on diet, running, no booze. Done it a few times before and it’s a great way to shed the timber! Going to make the most of it tomorrow on the way to the match and out for a meal Friday. A few extra pounds to shed isn’t going to hurt now 😆
 
I've pretty much stopped the drink - bar a couple of glasses of wine on a couple of occasions - but not being a big drinker I've found it pretty easy tbh. Dry January will be straightforward. Thought Xmas would be difficult with family gatherings etc but just didn't feel the urge to have a beer.

The social aspect is a funny thing. Works do, drinking lime and soda. First question, is it vodka. No. Second, are you driving. No. Then an embarrassed pause where I have to explain no, I'm not a recovering alcoholic either.
Lot of younger twenty something's in the office getting hammered on the free bar don't get it.......but they're having a good time and I would have done exactly the same at their age.

Each to their own - as long as you don't become an absolute knobhead/ten men when you've been drinking, crack on if you enjoy it👍
 
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