I did do this once a number of years ago - managed to drink a total of 7 drinks for the month. Didn’t lose an ounce. Thank God for GLP-1s.
Definitely going to give it a bit of a go this year. Failed yesterday but the beef tenderloin demanded some red wine. Today is the start!
No wine, no problem.
Interestingly, @JBierly I had surf and turf tonight and the filet was good enough that I didn’t mind not having any wine. The tuna was even betterl. My small town in West Central Indiana is lucky enough to have a roving fish monger that comes one Saturday a month. In the summer they are at the farmers market, and in the winter they’re at the Ace Hardware parking lot. The owner drives down to the gulf coast every now and then and brings back the most excellent, flash frozen product.
So let’s go with “Fish Heads” by Barnes and Barnes as the musical selection. I grew up listening to the Dr. Demento Show. This song makes me remember I was a kid once.
Fish heads, fish heads, roly poly fish heads.
Fish heads, fish heads
Eat them up, yum.
Stay dry, folks.
Did you see much effect in your cycling? I’ve got some goals on my bike this year and I’m trying to figure out a strategy.
I did, yes. I think the biggest benefit is that there’s much less inflammation in the body and recovery is noticeably much faster. Sleep is better. I just felt fresher overall. I’m 46 so that helps a lot for me.
I had also been working hard on some things and I felt this was sort of a catalyst that kicked everything off. I stopped drinking for almost 2 months. When I started drinking again, I drank noticeably less. I was super strong in the spring and early summer and I felt like that was predicated on less alcohol.
Have been doing Dry January for a few years and in again for 2026.
Did an extended dry period (several months) last year as part of an overall health and fitness reset, which led to excellent results. Have been drinking far less, both frequency and amount, so I am hopeful that Dry january will just be a continuation of my commitment to personal wellness.
Good luck to everyone!
No wine, no problem.
I tried a sparkling tea the other day. It was okay/good, but there was a lot of residual sugar. There was a strong honey aroma and taste that reminded me of mead. I think it would make a good ingredient in a cocktail, which, news flash, I’m not having this month.
Today my younger brother texted me a photo of a signed album from a “Weird Al” Yankovic show we at the Star Plaza Theater (RIP) in Merrillville, Indiana, not far from Chicago. He and I talked our way into the green room after the show. As we were waiting in line to meet Al, a side door opened and someone poked their head through to see what was going on. It was none other than Davy Jones of The Monkees! They were playing the next night.
“Pleasant Valley Sunday” is my favorite song of theirs, and in about four minutes, it will be Sunday here in Indiana.
Stay dry, folks.
I’m in this year and am actually looking forward to it. But I’m also looking forward to that first toast to celebrate when February comes around!
lol that song is about the boring mundane life in suburbia. It is about pleasant Valley Way in West Orange, New Jersey, where my college roommate lived
It’s a deeply satirical song
No wine, no problem.
The food, however… I ordered takeout sushi instead of having a salad at home. I need to curb those carbs if I’m going to lose a few pounds this month.
“Born In the USA” is another track where the vibe of the music can obscure the commentary of the lyrics. I’m not a huge Springsteen fan, but I have seen him twice – first in 1996 in support of The Ghost of Tom Joad, and again in December 2002 in support of The Rising. The Rising show happened to be the last one of the tour. It was a jolly affair but an indoor arena show was just not my style.
The Tom Joad show was a revelation. It was just Bruce and his guitar. I really appreciated his ability to tell a story and convey pathos. “Sinaloa Cowboys” captured the plight of Miguel and Louis, two brothers from Mexico who travel to California in search of work.
They left their homes and family
Their father said, "My sons, one thing you will learn,
For everything the north gives, it exacts a price in return."
There is no happy ending.
Stay dry, folks.
Same!
Interestingly, despite severe calorie restriction on a PSMF, my lifts are just as strong. I am ascribing this to the fact that I started on a weekend, when I’d normally be drinking, so thinking that the boost from lack of alcohol is balancing out less energy due to caloric restriction.
It takes a few days to deplete glycogen, but I haven’t found myself to appreciably lose strength until > 3 weeks of keto.
Fair enough, but I am guessing the lack of alcohol makes so.e differnce.
It probably does to some degree but I think it’s more of a long term thing than an acute one. I set my all time PR for bench press the day after a long night of clubbing, for what it’s worth.
Lol - guess you are a beast and possibly not over 50 at the time. Better sleep always makes me stronger in the gym.
I haven’t found it to be that predictable from day to day. I can have perfect sleep and nutrition etc and not feel great in the gym, and other times I can not have good readiness etc and light it up. I think most of the effects are long term, though.
“Whenever I feel the urge to exercise I lie down until the feeling passes away.”
— Mark Twain
Drank on the 1st and 3rd - dry on the 2nd and 4th. Does that sort of count?!
Start as of yesterday and have a Mostly Dry January
True, you gotta add the good ol’ Cipionate.
One week is all it took, because that’s the half life of the shots.
Cynicism aside, we did dry January last year, and after the initial few days of habit changes, it is pretty easy.
Then, had some wine Super Bowl weekend and we stayed dry until the end of March. As others have mentioned, it lead to lower consumption for the rest of the year. It makes you realize how much we do can be simple habit.