UKH

Off belay 'cos I'm staying out of the pub.

Only 5 days in and I really would like a glass of beer

Yep, me too!

Went to the gym tonight, that helped today's craving.

However, Friday night was always beer/wine and crisps night as a reward for getting through the week... I'm dreading 6pm tomorrow night. 

Stay strong, we're doing the right thing! 

Same here....seriously been having to keep myself busy tonight....I went for a walk earlier to stop myself going to the coop!

Me too, but my craving for sugar is off the scale.

Crap sleeping too.

Speaking as someone who often rewards exercise with chocolate, can I advise that ensuring you don't have any money with you, so as to protect you from moments of weakness when going home from your walk.

Yep good shout.....I avoided it and am pleased that I did! After work is my highest risk time....doesn't help by working at home most of this week and living in a very small village....

I'll m going for a 'dont worry about food' approach for at least this week....once the acute alcohol cravings pass I'll get back on the healthy food...

Stay strong guys. 

This. And this again. And thrice this. I pass the corner shop and the pub on the way back from the gym and the "ah go on, you've just earned a few beers" voice is sometimes really loud. I leave the wallet behind for just that reason. There's no earthly reason why I would need it at the gym anyway...maybe in the past I was taking it with me subconsciously, specifically for booze.... 

I'm joining in this year, I'm having a bit of a head wobble at the moment, powered no doubt by dark days and too much festive booze. I'm hoping the sobriety will help with the good brain chemicals.

I'm the same as the other poster up thread, Friday night wine and crisps is my achilles, but luckily I'm working tomorrow so that'll stop that this week. 

Unfortunately I've got some leftover wine and beer in the cupboards so Saturday will be the big challenge. 

I’ve done dry jan for the last few years but came to the realisation that it’s not the craving for the booze that makes me fail it’s just that I get too bored! This year I’ve invented a system where I can only have a drink if I earn it. Since I’ve not really climbed in 6 months I’ve gone with a single pint for a indoor session, 2 pints if I make it outdoors (quite unlikely atm) and a single pint if I do 100 press ups. Did look a bit odd in the pub yesterday but I was pleased with the 700 press-ups I managed 😂. 

For all the people  worried about today or tomorrow - there are  some fantastic Alcohol free beers around nowadays. They've come on leaps  and bounds in the past couple of years  and I'm always getting complements when my friends  try them. Mash Gang are my favourite but are pricey but apparently  there are some in Morrisons. 

Few good examples here: 

https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/beer-cider-perry/b...  

I bought a crate of the Merakai last time and they were great. They are a bit pricey but I only every find myself drinking one or two anyway and my last crate lasted me around 3 months. 

I'm in too, have done it every year since my teens. The first couple of weeks are fine as a novelty, after that I miss the variety of beer especially in the pub. Fake beer eases the tedium but does nothing for the waistline or wallet.

Good luck all, jk

Just checked on the delicious and most luscious non alcoholic beer I know, Big Drop Galactic Milk Stout, and it's 91 calories per 330ml can cf ~160 in a similar portion of orange juice and ~140 in a coke. Not cheap though but another plus of non alcoholic beer is you don't tend to drink so many in a row.

The one positive of non alcoholic beer is you defo don’t want another one 😂. I just drink tonic water and lime and pretend it’s got a triple gin in it. 

This year I've invented damp January - it's not quite dry and not really wet.

A pint / measured whisky after a decent walk, cave etc and not buy any more booze until drunk up what's in the house already.

Should cut down and save a penny or two. 

You're drinking the wrong non alcoholic beer. Two or three normally suffices for me on stuff I enjoy,  like most non alcoholic drinks I enjoy. With alcoholic drinks I like there is no similar sated feeling...  it's other factors that stop me drinking (health reasons and a dislike of being drunk).

Im not keen on beer with lactose in it at all (like the milk stout you list) so perhaps we just like different beers? Non alcoholic beers are usually too thin due to the lack of malt they can use or too sweet as they have to give it body somehow, usually with unfermentable sugar like lactose . 2 characteristics of beer that just aren’t my thing. I’d rather just wait and have one that I’m keen on.

Most of my favourites are IPA style... the GMS is an exception. Most NA beers I've tried I don't like very much so I think it's worth exploitation unless you don't like the taste of beer. I think it's why I can cope more on average with NA lagers as I drink them very cold.

Top tip:

To those who are cutting down who dont like non alcoholic substitutes, such as me, I have found solace in a particularly spicy virgin Mary.

Good organic tonto juice, L&Ps, loads of tabasco (sometimes chipotle/habanero tabasco depending on mood), celery salt, cayenne/paprika, pepper, loads of lemon juice.*

One of these at the time I would normally have a beer sees off the pangs and I get two+ of my 5 a day if I use celery to stir and eat.

*I'd love to hear of variations on this theme

I'm in too, after a rather hedonistic Xmas and NY I'm in need of abstinence for sure, and my waistline will definitely thank me.

I have heard of Dry January being interpreted as a month where only dry martini's are drunk, I may resort to this if I can't hack it!

My Mrs raised the interesting point that "if you think Dry January will be hard - it's a sign that you should do it", which is fairly valid.

I'm not finding it hard, just annoying. I'm not craving a Friday night drink, but it would be nice.

My husband stuck with alcohol free beers when he broke his hand (apparently alcohol slows the bone healing). I was very amused that I couldn't buy it before 10am, they treated it like an alcoholic beer! Seemed a bit of an odd rule!

I commented similar to my husband last night after reading the thread. Plenty of people here are using phrases which sound like they are addicted. 

I wish all of you doing dry Jan a prosperous and fulfilling month 🙂

Hope everyone is doing ok!!

Cravings are odd.....last night I was consumed with wanting a drink....tonight not at all...!

Dry January only really means no beer. Beer is very wet.

A tot of whiskey is small. And to all intents and purposes, dry.

Dry reds are OK too?

Yes. But no more than a magnum

Our local popped an informative post on Facebook earlier in the week, letting everyone know they would like to help everyone out with dry January but putting on a number of new lines of dry ciders and dry gins.

😃

I too am taking part. It’s not the alcohol so much that bothers me at home, but I find it hard to go out to socialize in the pub.
 

I’m quite good at being a social recluse for the month though
 

I have the same problem (as well as the addiction/habitual Friday night bottle of red). I've opted to socialise by going for a meal rather than the pub. I think I should be able to abstain from booze in a restaurant setting a bit easier (hopefully).

First weekend update, I avoided the wine hidden from myself in the cupboard! 

Now to make the most of this non-hungover weekend-day novelty!

Well done everyone. A week!

Since having Covid at the end of November i find I get a splitting headache if i drink more than a small ammount of alcohol so dry january has kind of been thrust upon me.

It has meant exploration of alcholol free beer, some are really rather good (not like thold Kalibur days!) so thats a plus.

I thought it would be quite easy, as I've operated under 14 units/week for quite a long time now (yes, I track it!).  What I've found is:

- most evenings easy

- If I've had a long day exercising (a walk or splitting a couple of toms of wood) I'd really like a cold beer.  I find 2 pints of water usually hits that

- the toughest is social - a friend's birthday on Saturday and I really fancied a glass of red wine with dinner.  Those moments pass.

I've not suffered a craving as such, just a strong habit in certain situations.

I think that's want is so good about dry January, many of us have bad habits around alcohol (especially around Christmas) and breaking these habits can lead to reduced drinking continuing for a while after the initial dry period.

I'm doing 'dry Jan' so feel OK about posting this. 

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/health/non-alcoholics-enjoying-pretend-...

😅

That is so true!!!! 

It's always 'interesting' to hear how easy giving up the drink is from people who say they drink occasionally or haven't had any for 10 years...!

Decent article to keep the motivation going:

https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/a42420472/dry-january-l...

Am slightly behind the pack here, started on 5th Jan after last first footing visit. Just hitting the 'incredibly tired all the time' stage, how common is this?

I think that's just January rather than dry January no?

That's how I feel and I'm just having normal jan.