LESS Alcohol ~ January 2026 ~ One Day at a Time
🌟 Do You Want to Drink LESS in 2026? 🌟
"Less" can mean a lot of different things—and that's the beauty of it. Maybe you want to:
- Cut out that one glass of wine that always turns into two (or three—hey, no judgment here)
- Save the cocktails for weekends, celebrations… or your in-laws’ next visit.
- Turn “Dry January” (or July, or any month you choose) into a personal tradition.
- Or maybe—just maybe—you’re ready to go all in and explore a fully alcohol-free lifestyle.
Imagine waking up clear-headed every single morning.
(No more “wait… who did I text last night?” moments.)
💡 The beauty is: YOU define what LESS looks like. Whether it's:
- One less drink a day, week, or month
- Taking mindful breaks from drinking
- Or choosing full-on sobriety
There’s no one-size-fits-all here. It’s your journey—and you don’t have to walk it alone.
We’re here:
- Cheering each other on
- Sharing wins and stumbles
- Growing stronger—together 💛
🎉 Join us in drinking LESS—however that looks in your life.
Because every step counts, and a little progress today can lead to big changes tomorrow.
Progress isn’t perfect—but it is powerful.
✨ Ready to start? Let’s do this—one mindful sip (or skip) at a time. 🍋✨
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LESS ALCOHOL RESOURCE & GENERAL INFORMATION LIST
USING THIS THREAD:
Join us at any time.
Set your own goal – this thread is about drinking less and you decide what that means to you.
There are no scheduled check-ins…post as often or as little as you want or need.
AF is an acronym for Alcohol Free. For others commonly used on this site see -To follow this thread easily, bookmark it by clicking on the star or ribbon at the top right of this thread. Remember that we are here for you and care about you. Check in with us when you have time and let us know what you need!
Reported Benefits of Less or No Drinking: (Results may be incremental, and/or they may vary)
- Improved sleep after 2, 4, 7, 10, & 60 days
- Improved skin/complexion after 10 days
- Improved ease in weight loss. Not only from the savings of alcohol calories but some report making poor food choices after drinking.
- Increased energy after as few as 2 days
- Increase in other fun activities. Some have found that daily drinking became their main recreational activity, and their world was decreased in size.
- Reduction of high blood pressure
- Lower resting heart rate
- Retention of vital vitamins and minerals
- Less Acid Re-flux and improved gut health
- Significant financial savings
- Better relationships with family and friends
Life with Less Alcohol:
- It can be helpful to educate yourself with books and web research.
- There is no benefit to comparing yourself to others because this is a personal journey.
- You may often feel conflicted. You will know that there are numerous real benefits to sticking to your goal while at the same time think that alcohol is an important part of stress relief, relaxation, celebration, etc.
- You may feel punished by not drinking or drinking less but that feeling usually fades with time.
- Sometimes drinking less or quitting will strain friendships that centered around alcohol.
- Having a list of reasons to stick to your goals handy for yourself can be helpful.
- Some lists have included remembering how bad it feels to have a hangover, excess/unwanted calories, having a racing heart during the night, sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression.
- It is not uncommon for certain activities that were once combined with alcohol to trigger temptation. Many have said that outdoor activities in warmer weather made alcohol very tempting.
- If you begin drinking daily again whether planned like a vacation or unplanned you may once again face a struggle to get it under control.
- For some people it is easier to not drink than it is to moderate drinking. Others have found moderating impossible.
Getting Started or Starting Over:
- Some people find it easier to set small attainable goals at the beginning to help boost confidence.
- If you have been drinking daily the first days will be some of the hardest and drinking again will feel like a cure but it delays the relief that only time can provide.
- There will always be a reason to delay the start/restart of your journey.
For those ready to commit to being alcohol-free permanently, the videos on YouTube by Craig Beck will help. He also has a program you can join. - You may experience mood swings and anxiety during your first two weeks. It is suggested you try and focus on the benefits of your goal.
- Cravings are said to last only 6 minutes, so find something to distract you like arming yourself with alternatives: tea, mock-tails, activities, etc.
- You may find that filling the time you drink with other activities like exercise or hobbies can be a helpful distraction.
- If you find them tempting try and avoid events/outings that will have drinking for a time.
- Don't let pride or shame keep you from asking for the help you need.
Sometimes talking it out or posting your thoughts/feelings/struggles may help you work things out for yourself. - It is okay that you don't always have all the answers.
- Some days will be easier than others.
- You may have initial/increased sugar cravings.
- Celebrate the smaller victories too. Less alcohol is still less alcohol even if your goal was zero at that moment.
- Failure is not giving in and drinking. Failure is to stop trying to accomplish your goals.
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LINKS
▪▪▪▪
•General Information/Blog Sites:
The Sober School
•Sobriety Blog:
•The Thirty Day Experiment:
•Ten Things That Helped Me Quit Booze:
•The Neuroscience Behind How We Make Decisions:
•Summary of Book on Addiction:
•Article on the Difference Between Being an Alcoholic and Really Liking to Drink:
•To the Mom questioning her drinking habits:
•Guided Meditations:
ALTERNATIVE DRINKS:
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
•Overnight Cold Brew Iced Tea:
•Mocktail Recipes:
APPS
▪▪▪▪
•Daybreak - A Deakin University study of hundreds of health apps found that Daybreak is one of only four that have proven effective and provide quality assistance.
•Dry Days by AlcoChange - is for those who want to cut down or cut out the booze throughout the year, while seeing the impact it has on your health and wallet.
•Nomo - Sobriety Clocks: In addition to an alcohol clock and monetary savings this app lets you check in and do a sobriety exercise if you're tempted and connect with accountability partners.
•Sobriety Counter - Stop Drinking (Sobriety Counter - EasyQuit pro version) - Provides health stats, money saved, games to distract you, motivational tips, and several other features
•Sober Time - Track your progress in the sobriety counter. Stop drinking with built-in motivation. Look at the sobriety clock when you need it most.BOOKS
▪▪▪▪
•Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol
by Holly Whitaker
•The Naked Mind by Annie Grace
•Alcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck
•Rational Recovery by Jack Trimpey
•The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray
•The Liars Club, Cherry, and Lit by Mary Karr (3 different publications)
•Kick the Drink...Easily by Jason Vale
•Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
•Being Sober: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting To, Getting Through, and Living in Recovery by Harry Haroutunian
•The Easy, Illustrated Way to Quit Drinking by Alan Carr
•Alcohol Explained by William Porter
•Tired of Thinking About Drinking: Take My 100-Day Sober Challenge by Belle RobertsonCredit and thanks to the MFP Less Alcohol One Day at a Time participants For their willingness to share their insights and resourcefulness in finding this information~Established 2017~
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Shared by xbowhunter:
5 Life-Changing Lessons From Quitting Alcohol
Highlights from Westcoastgirl_1
Alcohol is toxic to every cell in the body.
Alcohol increases oxidative stress that can cause cell damage, inflammation, DNA damage and chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Alcohol directly affects neurotransmitters that effect mood, cognition and sleep.
Alcohol causes weight gain due to empty calories.
Alcohol reduces fat oxidation which decreases our liver’s ability to manage cholesterol and fatty acids which can cause an increase in visceral fat leading to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
Alcohol raises BP. There is a direct correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and BP. In other words, the more alcohol you drink the higher your BP will rise. And alcohol can cause irregular arrythmias like atrial fibrillation.
Alcohol increases the risk of cancers. Also, directly correlated to the amount of alcohol consumed. It has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen.
Alcohol promises everything that sobriety delivers.1 -
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Happy 2026 and Welcome to yet another great month of support in drinking LESS, and doing what works best for you!!
There were some fabulous successes in 2025!!! Congrats to you all! If you feel you weren't successful, think again, you were here and you were making the effort. Don't ever give up!!
I encourage any person out there struggling with alcohol at any level to either follow us or join in on the conversation.
The holidays are over and it's time to refocus if we got a little off track. Start thinking NOW about how you will handle the first month of 2026. Will you aim for Dry January?
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I'm in.
Let's do this 🎆
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I'm in too. I added my name back in the spreadsheet.
Yes, Let's do this 😀
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Me too. First time tracking this way for me. I can see how planning it out and seeing the % number change is really helpful.
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I’m in, of course, but I’m going to just finish out 2025 as is. 2026 will be a new ball game! More focus and determination. I may even start waking up with my husband to weight train.😬
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Hey, all my friends! I'm back for dry January. It's been a busy and stressful December. I won't elaborate, but I have been drinking way too much and every day again. I'm ready to take a reset break no matter if it's hard or not. I will stick it out!
@NonnieDoiron hope your husband is doing better! I haven't made it through the December thread to catch up, but I saw bits and pieces. Keeping you in my prayers!
@WestCoastGirl_1 Girl, you'd better never leave us! Your input is valued! Let's get this January (and beyond) done!
@SparkSpringtime69 Yay for January! We can do this!! I know you and I struggle with wine together, so let's just struggle without it together!
@itladyee Thank you so much for keeping this thing going! You are appreciated!
I know there are so many more that I have not mentioned, but I hope to see you all active at least for dry January (even if you're not personally keeping it dry)!
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@chicbuc Welcome back friend! I had a feeling you would be back for January 😀 I haven't been doing very good in the LA department for December either. But I'm ready for a Dry January. I will make it! Thirty-one days will be a great reset. We can do it!!!
@itladyee Thanks for keeping the discussion and spreadsheet going.
Have a nice evening everyone!
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Hello friends, looking forward to an amazing year. AF Here we GO!
For Jan 1, picking up gelato from a local italian gelateria as my AF kickoff treat. It will get me thru week 1 then I will focus on lowering my cholesterol in week 2, promise!
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@globalhiker I'm also looking forward to an amazing year in 2026. Well said, AF Here we GO!
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Hello everyone,
I'd love to join for the New Year! I did start a new group beginning today (New Year's Eve) to form healthy habits and break unhealthy ones, but I really love this group with its wealth of info resources and valuable contributions by members!
I actually stopped all alcoholic beverages on Christmas Eve (completed 6 days AF as of today), but I am resetting my official, "Sober Time" app count beginning today, New Year's Eve. (The app will count my Day 001 completed at midnight, January 1st, 2026.)
Thanks so much for keeping this going, @itladyee!💐
Very best wishes to all for a happy, healthy and successful New Year!🎉
💗 Carole
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Happy New Year! I had an amazing Christmas vacation in Spain 🇪🇸 and now I'm back and ready for January. I'm not going dry but hoping to have more AF days this month.
Here are my December stats:
11 AF
9 LA (LA for me was 1-2 drinks, which is honestly harder than AF sometimes!)
11 A
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This is helpful in contemplating a "reset". Wishing all good things to you!
💗Carole
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL!🎉🙏🕊️💞
💗Carole
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@chicbuc So nice to see you here for January. And I actually have a red wine headache this am from too much last night, so yeah the wine struggle is real! I'm planning on just one or maybe two A days in January and am looking forward to doing without.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone, so glad to see so many back so early on this first day of 2026.
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Hi everyone, new to the group for the new year and excited to start cutting out alcohol. Starting with a plan for a dry January and see where it goes from there!
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@scrap0626 Welcome to our group!
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@scrap0626 ~ Happy New Year and welcome to our group.
Join the spreadsheet if you wish to plan your AF days and then track your actual, it's totally optional.
Glad you joined us
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Welcome!!
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Hi everyone,
Happy 2026!
01/01/26: 001 AF day completed as of 12:00am (following 7-day "detox").
"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are." - Sober Time's message for January 1, 2026.
Have a wonderful 1st day of the year!💫
💗 Carole
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Welcome to the group, @scrap0626!
Love this message! I'm deciding to move on from alcohol for at least this month and then who knows! I'd love to get on a tear like @NonnieDoiron and @globalhiker. I realize I need to develop new habits and hobbies, so that's going to be a focus for me, and I hope to find something that sticks. One thing I'm going to do is get a sourdough starter…started…lol. And without wine calories, I can have bread calories!! WOOT!
Happy New Year, friends! May you all be blessed beyond measure this upcoming year!
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