Dry January

novembersuse

I'm trying an alcohol-free January this year for the first time, with the aim of losing weight and saving cash. So far so good, but I'm worried about Friday and Saturday nights....

harvo

HERE, HERE....I'll drink to that...

hdelamore

I'm doing the same- my first challenge is tomorrow night I'm going out for my friends birthday.

But my thinking is if I can't have fun with them sober- then we're not really friends!

novembersuse

Ha! I've heard from some folk that it's much easier than you think. I'm still in the post-Christmas phase of not wanting to drink at all. I don't know how long that will last though!

MrsJuli4B

I'm going for it this year, but the Fridays and Saturdays will be hardest for me too, that's my wind down time! And, as luck would have it, there are 5 weekends this month!

Looking forward to the extra weight loss, better sleep, and maybe saving some money.

Good luck to anyone giving it a try.

K8Y88

I am too also trying the dryathlon however I don't go out much so I should find it easy :-) good luck x

edeonline

I stopped drinking on 26th December 2009, and never started again. So just over 5 years now.

Unless you are alcohol dependent, or using alcohol to deal with stress/anxiety it shouldn't be very hard. You just need a bit of imagination.

I gave up for health reasons, but to be honest I haven't missed drinking one bit. There are plenty of alternatives in the marketplace these days and pubs/bars cater really well for non-drinkers. You can have mock-tails and all sorts of great non-alcoholic drinks.

What is hard, is being around people who are absolutely hammered when you're not. I once dropped off a friend after a 'lively' evening. She thought I was a taxi driver, and tried to tip me. So you could potentially make some money

What I'm saying is if you're friends and family aren't doing it with you, it will be an interesting insight into what they're really like after a few drinks.

After all this time, I still have the same friends, I still go to the pub with them, and dinner and other social occasions. My world did not end. So I'm sure you'll all survive for one month.

Good luck with the challenge!

Rob

itsjustmish

I stopped last May, supposedly temporarily, in order to help speed along the weight loss ... and I still haven't started up again! I found that I don't miss it at all. Though having said that, I wasn't really a massive drinker in the first place ... I just used to drink socially. I've not found any problems with being a sober socialiser!

six1908

I'm a newly sober recovering alcoholic... it's never felt SO good... seriously. I'm 80 days sober today and would love to have some non drinking pals (even if it's temporary!)

SimonCypher

I'm partaking in Dry January also, what's worse is that I've still got 30+ bottles of Budweiser in my kitchen. I'm going to take all my alcohol and put it in my shed hoping the saying 'Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind' will be true. I go to the pub every weekend with friends and none of them believe that I'll succeed so not only am I doing this for myself but to also prove them wrong. Good luck to you all, I'm sure you'll all succeed in Dry January and enter February healthier and richer!

jamieish1984

My ex-husband and I have done this for many years, dry Januarys! It's not as hard as it seems. Just keep yourself occupied with other things and check your priorities. If going out on Friday/Saturday nights is a priority for you, it's going to be tough. I'm boring I guess and don't go out much, but I just think of how horrible the hang over is the next day and that keeps me from drinking. When you're my age it take days to recover from a night out. lol Not drinking is a wonderful feeling! I'm hoping to make it through the majority of 2015 sober. Good Luck!

Hollywood_Porky

Agreed with all on this post. I am going off wine (only alcohol I drink) for awhile. I want to lose the last 10 pounds of fat on my body and alcohol is a killer for that. Cheers!!!

sstolii123

I stopped Drinking on November 16, 2013 and I have not looked back! Just over a year now.

I found it was not to hard for me to quit and I agree with Rob, I still go out and have fun with friends and I am able to still have a great time without drinking. I found that most people don't care if I am drinking or not and I was the one who made more of a big deal about not drinking and wondering what people thought of me.

Drinking was getting in the way of my health plan, I was making bad food decisions and slacking on my workouts when I was hitting the sauce.

I ended up losing close to 50 pounds and have completed my first half marathon in 2014 and now I am training for my first marathon and Triathlon.

My Vodka tonic replacement is now a Ginger beer if I need to have some sort of special cocktail.

Good luck with your challenge.

LTGPSA

Good morning, Everyone. So, on reading the title of this thread, I initially {mistakenly} assumed it was weather-related, since we've had a rather gloomy/rainy month in Florida. LOL. After noting the intended meaning, I can also contribute to this. I gave up the drink in October 2007, and do not regret my decision. I was also a social drinker who began drinking in my teenage years (sadly). I've been very lucky during all of those party years that I didn't hurt anyone or myself, etc., in getting home from my nights out with friends. I tried to stop several times in earlier years, but I hadn't yet realized that I could have fun without it. What I found interesting was when I really did quit I also had friends who didn't think I'd succeed and some people even got mad at me over it. (Their problem, not mine.) What finally hit home with me was that I was exercising and eating better and then I'd go out and party and the next day medicate my hangover with crappy food; I was sabotaging my attempts to get healthy. (Sure there were other reasons to quit, but this got my attention finally.) So, here I am over 7 years dry and still not regretting it. It hasn't always been easy. I still encounter people who choose not to understand - to me that is their self-justification of their own issues with the drink. Personally, I wish I'd never taken the first drink - but I did, and now I don't anymore, so it's all good. Good luck to all of you on whatever goals you set for yourself regarding "drying" out. Peace.