Dry January 2023 Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just found out that a friend of mine from.college died of alcohol use disorder last year. I send a holiday card to his parents' house every year and received a letter from his mother informing me of his death. He was early 40s. I'm not actually surprised given that he had serious problems with alcohol in college but it was still so horrible to learn. That shit is toxic!

Do you mean liver failure?

This is not the only way people die of AUD.

Can you be more specific

My friend's mom did not specify how he died exactly, saying only it was due to alcoholism and that things had gotten so bad it was a mercy that he oassed. Heavy alcohol use for years damages just about every organ so there are many ways to go.

I had a friend with alcohol addiction and he died from kidney failure at 50.

[Anonymous]

I was reading a book last night and there was drinking and I was ridiculously tempted to find a drink myself. Ugh. Pushed past it, though.

[Anonymous]

We're over halfway there!!

Tonight seems tough. Sunday scaries I guess. But making it halfway gives me confidence! I just booked a spa day for the first weekend in February to celebrate the success! AND I don't even have to feel guilty because I will have saved enough money from not drinking all month to cover the cost!

[Anonymous]

I’ve done DJ for a few years and every year I say I’m going to re-examine my relationship with alcohol and every year my intake creeps back up after January is over. But this year feels different for some reason I’m really feeling good and enjoying it, and I feel like a more present parent on the weekends without the fog.

My spouse and I developed poor habits in 2020. It seemed like having a few drinks while sitting around at home was the only thing that made the weekend feel different from the other times we were sitting around at home. Now that things are closer to normal I think I want to stick with drinking socially or intentionally rather than just because it’s a Saturday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve done DJ for a few years and every year I say I’m going to re-examine my relationship with alcohol and every year my intake creeps back up after January is over. But this year feels different for some reason I’m really feeling good and enjoying it, and I feel like a more present parent on the weekends without the fog.

My spouse and I developed poor habits in 2020. It seemed like having a few drinks while sitting around at home was the only thing that made the weekend feel different from the other times we were sitting around at home. Now that things are closer to normal I think I want to stick with drinking socially or intentionally rather than just because it’s a Saturday.

Ive done DJ for several years and this is the first time I am legit enjoying it. I think Im just going to keep going. I dont find it to be at all difficult this time. For people new to DJ, its okay if you dont do it perfectly! You'll get better every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're over halfway there!!

Tonight seems tough. Sunday scaries I guess. But making it halfway gives me confidence! I just booked a spa day for the first weekend in February to celebrate the success! AND I don't even have to feel guilty because I will have saved enough money from not drinking all month to cover the cost!

My husband has done this before and told me the two-week mark is notoriously a tough point. We can do it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just found out that a friend of mine from.college died of alcohol use disorder last year. I send a holiday card to his parents' house every year and received a letter from his mother informing me of his death. He was early 40s. I'm not actually surprised given that he had serious problems with alcohol in college but it was still so horrible to learn. That shit is toxic!

Do you mean liver failure?

This is not the only way people die of AUD.

Can you be more specific

My friend's mom did not specify how he died exactly, saying only it was due to alcoholism and that things had gotten so bad it was a mercy that he passed. Heavy alcohol use for years damages just about every organ so there are many ways to go.

I had a friend with alcohol addiction and he died from kidney failure at 50.

Thank you both for the follow ups. I wasn't trying to pry, but it helps me stay dry by reading and hearing about other people's stories.

I think I'm past the hardest part, and have hopefully broken old habits. A coworker is trying to take me out "to get wasted" on February 1st. All because I told her I was doing a dry January. Not to mention that we have never even drank together previously, let alone got wasted. I have no intention of having even one drink just because it's February.

[Anonymous]

I'm doing dry January and haven't posted before. The hardest part was days 3-7. I had Naltrexone to get me through and that was great. I stopped it after a couple of weeks.

I'm still having anxiety in the evenings and I wish that would go away. That's the hardest part. I know that a nice drink would make all of that go away. My chest feels so tight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're over halfway there!!

Tonight seems tough. Sunday scaries I guess. But making it halfway gives me confidence! I just booked a spa day for the first weekend in February to celebrate the success! AND I don't even have to feel guilty because I will have saved enough money from not drinking all month to cover the cost!

My husband has done this before and told me the two-week mark is notoriously a tough point. We can do it!

I've done it for several years now and during Covid for 4 months.

I find now that I've been doing it that it gets easier and easier each passing year. Now, it's really just the first few days(if it's a weekend) and then I barely notice. I remember the very first time I did it that I had an insane sweet tooth from the lack of sugar in the alcohol, but I didn't really have that this year.

[Anonymous]

I just discovered a market near me has a large selection of non-alcoholic spirits, wines, and beers. They’re stupid expensive, but I’m going to try them for special treats on weekends. I tried the sparkling rose alternative first. It doesn’t taste like wine - much more fruity. But there was a nice tartness to it and it looked pretty in a glass. I’ll give it a 6/10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm doing dry January and haven't posted before. The hardest part was days 3-7. I had Naltrexone to get me through and that was great. I stopped it after a couple of weeks.

I'm still having anxiety in the evenings and I wish that would go away. That's the hardest part. I know that a nice drink would make all of that go away. My chest feels so tight

I posted earlier this weekend and have found adaptogens to be really helpful for relaxation.

[Anonymous]

Santa Cruz Pure Lime Juice splashed into my water or sparkling water is a nice treat. Takes the edge off.

[Anonymous]

Today is Ditch New Year's Resolution Day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Today is Ditch New Year's Resolution Day.

Well I hope everyone here continues on with their journey. But I wouldn't be upset if my gym class thinned out a little. It's been chaos in there!

[Anonymous]

Np. I have made it so far, but I am disappointed with the results so far. I am still tired, even more so at times. No less foggy. And only lost a pound or two (I expected more since drinking makes me eat more). But I feel like I am getting better sleep the last day or two, so maybe things are looking up,

Strangest thing is I have less motivation to do my work. I think I used drinking as motivation (work hard and get a glass of wine at night). I did not even realize I did it. Still happy I am doing dry January. I was starting to drink too much, too often.