We do what we have to do 
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I read this in MLK’s voice.
I never expected I would post anything related to dry in this thread but here I am. Not that I have or will be dry for whole of January as it’s a big celebratory month in our household but half way through January I will do something sort of like a Dryuary as Jan-Feb cross over, perhaps extended depending on my performance.
I basically have two objectives coupled with curiosity.
The first is it’s time to lose a few kilos, be more mindful about what I eat and as a kickstart take reduce calorie intake, and well wine has some of those and as I enjoy wine with food it probably also stimulates my appetite.
The second is that I for a period would like to be without wine and alcohol in general. I want to experience how/if/what difference it influences physically, especially with get going with exercising and recovery. And what I am very curious about is how I will appreciate wine after abstaining for a meaningful period (whatever that turns out to be).
Still considering about the exact approach, for how long and/or if I allow myself a break. Though at the very least I have a first milestone weight lost target that needs to be achieved. Thinking of 2-3 weight drop steps after that. Continued exclusion of alcohol, very occasional (a bottle every second week), a quite modest weekly allowed intake or will be the way forward.
Quite excited to see the outcomes and learnings. Hopefully the dietary consciousness and shift will have me miss exciting wines a bit less.
Getting close to the first week of whatever this turns out to be.
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I generally find Dry January a surreal experience , as I simultaneously miss wine on a daily basis while feeling like I could happily never have a drink again.
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Very astute and self-aware. I believe I share this dichotomy.
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I would highly suggest just focusing on the weight loss goal and not setting up pre-plans of I can drink this day or week or if I have a burger type breaks.
Its going to take 7-10 days to clear your system where your body really starts to reset, so restarting that timer every 7-10 days is very counterproductive to your core goal.
That was me in January 2021.
Also me. 
I am fully aware of what I eat and drink, but I am not always mindful. To me, that is the key. I know better, and therefore, I can do better. I don’t see that as a guilt trip, but rather a reminder to fully enjoy food and wine and all that life has to give, without being beholden to it.
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That is hilarious. Did you go to Red Lobster before the show? 
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No, we probably just smoked weed in my friend’s minivan first 
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As of yesterday I’m down 12 lbs. This is the longest I’ve ever gone without booze of any kind. It’s been an interesting experience. After a week I really started sleeping better, but the last week or so that trend has reversed. I’m not sure why. No big moon now….which usually really messes with my sleep.
I knew I was drinking too much, which I why I’ve done this. I love a strong G&T when I feed the dog around 5:00. The first week was tough. Another tough one is when I’m outside grilling, not having a beverage in my hand has been very strange.
The no carbs hasn’t been bad as I can easily have a piece of meat and salad/veggie and be ok. Not having any cookies or other things in the house is the only way to make it work for me.
Like others have said during the holidays I was a drinking and eating animal. I’m going to go 28 days or so. On Feb 3 we head to Zihuatanejo MX for 3 weeks and a beer with brunch and happy hour will be fully observed. When I get back I’ll have another look at my lifestyle.
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Nicely done!
As far as sleep goes, keep in mind that sleep will pretty much always be better without alcohol, even when we don’t perceive it as better, or even when our wearables say it’s fine. Things go on in the brain while we sleep that aren’t perceptible, and alcohol definitely impacts those negatively. So while you may be sleeping worse this last week for some reason, you can rest assured it would be worse with alcohol, at least in some ways.
funny, I just said to my wife the other day that I realized this will be the longest I’ve gone without booze of any kind in my adult life (I’m 63). Kinda shocking to think about, frankly, and I am (surprisingly) thankful for this reset.
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I completely agree. I’ve been doing dry January for a number of year. I can’t recall when I first started, but it has to be 7-10 years now. I do it for a number of reasons, but one of them is weight loss. From that perspective, my least successful dry January (by far) was last year when I had 4 exceptions (basically one per week). Most years I have zero exceptions. Some years I stay dry well into February. But the one time where I made exceptions was the time where I had the least amount of success.
I know exactly what you mean. This has helped me: Heineken Zero.
Gripping that cold greenie helps fill the psychological void. It kinda tastes like the real thing … that vaguely weed/skunk note.
Useful as well when watching a Rams game with friends.
Zihuatenejo. Let us know if Andy finally finished his boat.
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This is a fascinating thing, all in all.
After the first week of Dryuary, alcohol goes from something that’s on my mind to being “out of mind.” I like Dryuary for the effect it has on habit behavior. It truly does get easier as it goes. Last year, other then some wine on Super Bowl weekend, my wife and I ended up with dry January, February, and March, and then never got back into our routine.
So, there’s that part.
Here’s the weird part: I think we all handle this differently.
I follow this thread and love the fellowship, but it makes me think about alcohol more and keeps wine on my mind more than if I weren’t chatting about Dryuary, if that makes sense!
When I was young and starting grad school, we had a Psychology unit that required us to attend AA and NA meetings. I didn’t fully grasp the whole journey at first and was surprised that these meetings really seemed that the focus of the meetings was people talking about their drinking. It seemed like strange nostalgia and, at first, didn’t get the cathartic nature and support of common experience that can really support people by sharing similar trials and experiences. I honestly left that first meeting and had to go have margaritas to ponder it - it was tough to fathom. It certainly taught me about every person’s unique life journey. (And there are still questions I have that have (can?) never be answered to ease my inability to wrap my head around some things.)
I can also fall into the stereotypical trap of “Guy Thinking,” where every problem must have a solution…rather than realizing that sharing and caring listening might be the actual thing to do without considering an immediate solution.
I learned even more when, at age 40, my lifelong, since age 4, best friend faced a real descent into dedicated alcohol as his master. Long story short, I joined AlAnon thinking there must be a way to ‘save him.’ Boy, I learned so much from so many great people. That’s a thousand word post if it ever came down to it.
Anyway, I love you guys and am happy to see us being supportive of each other.
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I’ve had little trouble doing dry January. The annoying thing is that my social media feed is very food/drink/sports focused so it’s tough to avoid. I’d love to ditch Wine Berserkers too. But I admit to enjoying the conversations and banter…mostly the stuff not wine related.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Kris (will take it into consideration).
In the end I want to reduce about 5-8kg, the first 3kg is the the first milestone and most important.
Sounds like I’m on a trajectory to making this habit 
Let’s be each others mindful buddies Patrick - we’re on the same page with this all!
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