no alcohol challenge!

Nope. No way. I enjoy a beer with the ballgame and a bourbon on the couch. I still get up at 4:45 for my workouts. Alcohol isn't evil and I'd rather work it in to my diet and my lifestyle. If you are going to stop drinking entirely (and more power to you if you are), that's one thing. But if not, why create a temporary habit??

I think it is good to give your body a break from foods that are harder on your system. I get what you mean with most things, but I think alcohol is different. It is good to see how it affects you when you don't have it at all. Like some of the posters have said, they've been amazed about how their weekends have changed and how much they have accomplished without drinking, etc. I imagine the end goal for most of them is to drink less all around and accomplish more, although I can't speak for everyone and their reasons behind it. Personally for me I just don't want to spend my extra calories this month on alcohol as I am not a big drinker anyway, and a lot of times when I do drink even just a glass of wine I end up snacking! I also swear I am lacking the enzyme that digests alcohol correctly because I can't even drive after one glass of wine :laugh: Thank goodness for my husband to drive me around

LOL, well believe it or not, some of us were born with the inability to process alcohol, especially those of us that have American Indian in us.(the white man did not bring us meed until 1492, we smoked the peace pipe). So there is an actual inability for our bodies to process it like "normal" people. It starts with the neuropathway in our brain.

I was one of those people that fit alcohol into my life, worked out several times a week and could not imagine giving it up, I mean why would I do that? I loved drinking and was not hurting anyone but myself drinking. I loved going on vacation and setting at the bar and trying to beat the house with my all inclusive package! Then one day I woke up and realized that no one else was allowed to hurt me, why was it okay for me to hurt me? I also came to realize that alcohol was more important in my life than I realized, and I did not realize that fact until I gave it up.

I am 45 today and have been sober for 6 years. I honestly can say that I look better now than I did 10 years ago, and I was not one of those every day drinkers either. I was a 3x per week drinker, and I drank the good stuff, so that made me a classy drunk.:laugh:

If any of you that are trying this challenge come to find that you are having a serious issue with it, please feel free to reach out to me to talk if you like. Simple fact of the matter is, if you do not have a problem with alcohol, then stopping drinking is not a problem.

PS: Now when I go on vacation I actually do and see stuff. Instead of spending all day feeling like crap nursing a hang over and looking forward to spending the night in the bar. IT.IS.AWESOME!

I've sworn off alcohol as well. I find that when I do give it up the weight loss is easier. I do have to admit its hard for me. I'm a wine lover, usually one glass before bed about 4-5 days a week (yeah I know...lol). But I'm going cold turkey for 12 weeks and then see how it goes from there. But I'm with you. Feel free to add me for support.

2-3 glasses of wine, a bottle of wine, drinking each night....that was my pattern for the last 6 months of '13.

QFT!

I haven't had a drink since New Year's Eve. I do have one night planned in January bc my husband turned 50 in December and we just couldn't make it work to get away or do anything. I booked us a room in New Orleans January 18th. NFW I'll be in the French Quarter and not have a drink. LOL! :bigsmile:

Other than that, I've definitely had more energy and already lost 4.4 lbs. I know the loss is not JUST from not drinking as I've been eating right and exercising too but still. It has me motivated!!

Haven't cut out my beer but sadly the IPA and Guinness are a no go for awhile; Replaced with MGD 64 , not sure how I feel about that yet. Who am I kidding it is terrible for me,lol. I love dark, hoppy deliciousness. Good luck in your alcohol free January. I will be here suffering under the tyranny of 64 calorie beer. Bless the MGD.

Nope.

And for all of you who are so excited about not being hung over, you are aware that you can drink in moderation and not get so drunk that you will get a hangover, right???

LOL, you do realize that some people are incapable of drinking in moderation, right? Most people ( adults anyway) do not set out to get wasted when they drink, they typically start out with saying, I am just going to have one. Many people have died alcoholic deaths because people in their lives insist that they should be able to drink in moderation. It just does not work for many of us, trust me, I have tried.

And if it was that easy, rehab would not be a multi billion dollar industry.

I'm in starting January 13!
Starting with 14 days alcohol free. Very interested to see how much of a difference it makes!

You have inspired me! Just starting back tracking today. Will have to pass up the wine this weekend!

I only drink red wine when my bad *kitten* boyfriend comes to town and he is taking the month of January off as we are going to Cancun in February, so no alcohol for me, it doesn't bother me, I like my green tea

Lesa_Sas "LOL, you do realize that some people are incapable of drinking in moderation, right?" that is incorrect. i know many people that can drink in moderation quite well and easily. I am that way, most of the time. so, that would be an incorrect generalization.

Lesa_Sas "LOL, you do realize that some people are incapable of drinking in moderation, right?" that is incorrect. i know many people that can drink in moderation quite well and easily. I am that way, most of the time. so, that would be an incorrect generalization.

I know a lot of people that can drink in moderation, my husband is one of them. I said "some" people and I am not incorrect in that matter, this is a fact. If everyone was able to drink in moderation, no one would die from drinking.

I've quit for January and am being sponsored for it for Cancer Research, My drinking had become a nightly affair and definitely feeling the benefits now after 8 days but it's definitely harder than I thought it would be which is rather worrying!
I've raised £65 so far for a very good cause and I am getting better skin and weight loss out of it!
yay!

As a recovering alcohlic (been sober 2 years) this is a really tough subject for me.

Everyone asks me since i quit, DID YOU LOSE WEIGHT?

My embarrassed answer was/is no.

A lot of times we just change addictions, so guess what I did? Yep, starting eating even more to make up for it!

My wife says i don't look so "puffy" anymore but the weight is still there.

Now i have begun to hopefully tackle #2.

I think anything in moderation is probably the best bet as we know what we are like.

I can not do this, because 1 beer would lead to 12 more. I drank to get drunk.

Looking back on it, i need to approach alcohol like it is pure evil. It tried to destroy me, my family.

I don't care what i do, even if i stay overweight, i can not go back to that.

.02

Friends, fiance and i just started a No Drinking contest as well. $100 each to go in and see who lasts the longest. We have one cheat day a month and even that will be hard considering that we love to go out and have a good time!

I am in - hoping to get to March!

As a recovering alcohlic (been sober 2 years) this is a really tough subject for me.

Everyone asks me since i quit, DID YOU LOSE WEIGHT?

My embarrassed answer was/is no.

A lot of times we just change addictions, so guess what I did? Yep, starting eating even more to make up for it!

My wife says i don't look so "puffy" anymore but the weight is still there.

Now i have begun to hopefully tackle #2.

I think anything in moderation is probably the best bet as we know what we are like.

I can not do this, because 1 beer would lead to 12 more. I drank to get drunk.

Looking back on it, i need to approach alcohol like it is pure evil. It tried to destroy me, my family.

I don't care what i do, even if i stay overweight, i can not go back to that.

.02

It can be done 23yrs here! You learn to level out the Roller Coaster. Its pretty much the same concept ODAT