Anonymous wrote:There's a week to go and I want to start watering the seed. . .

D\Because I'll do it with you?

I think it makes sense to be conscious of your drinking habits and assess your relationship with alcohol with a break from time to time. I learned the hard way that no amount of alcohol is good for me, but we’re all different. If you’re questioning whether or not it would be a good idea leads me to believe it’s a good experience at least. As a PP stated, there’s really no chance of anything going wrong on account of abstaining for a month.

Anonymous wrote:I am not a teetotaler at all but have noticed that in middle age, the people who still drink quite a bit have a lot more health problems, including weight issues, than people who don't. People who either don't drink or drink very lightly tend to be more physically active, weight less, eat healthier, and just have fewer health concerns in our 40s and 50s.

I don't do dry January but greatly reduced my drinking a few years ago due to a health issue and now I'm so glad I did. I still have alcohol on holidays or other special occasions, but usually it's like one glass of wine or one cocktail -- I almost never have more than that. Most days I don't drink alcohol at all. I feel so much better day to day than I once did, and I wasn't even a heavy drinker. But I was a more regular drinker and stopping that has made a huge difference.

People drinking in middle age also seem kind of sad. Like addicts or holding into their college days. Maybe because the new generation thinks drinking is disgusting—youngsters are influencing our culture for the good.

As a beer lover, I never thought I’d say this but I just got bored with alcohol. It’s expensive, developed a tolerance so there was no buzz, and it packs on pounds. Switched to making water kefir—I like the fermented taste and it’s healthy and cheap if you diy.

Got bored with coffee too and switched to strong tea. Did not like having to pay double what I used to pay for coffee and it’s not good for you.

Maybe because I’m reaching middle age.

I don't drink because I'm too vain about my appearance to risk doing anything that will make me less beautiful.

I am not a teetotaler at all but have noticed that in middle age, the people who still drink quite a bit have a lot more health problems, including weight issues, than people who don't. People who either don't drink or drink very lightly tend to be more physically active, weight less, eat healthier, and just have fewer health concerns in our 40s and 50s.

I don't do dry January but greatly reduced my drinking a few years ago due to a health issue and now I'm so glad I did. I still have alcohol on holidays or other special occasions, but usually it's like one glass of wine or one cocktail -- I almost never have more than that. Most days I don't drink alcohol at all. I feel so much better day to day than I once did, and I wasn't even a heavy drinker. But I was a more regular drinker and stopping that has made a huge difference.

I stopped drinking a few years ago, because when I did a dry month I realized how much better I felt! So I just kept going. Then when I eventually had a drink, I started feeling hungover about halfway through it. I also didn’t like feeling buzzed, and man I got buzzed quickly after a few months of not drinking. I tried to have a drink here and there for a couple of years with the same negative experience and finally just stopped for good. Over the years I’ve been so thankful alcohol isn’t part of my life anymore - difficult experiences would have been worse, good experiences would have been clouded. Most of my friends still drink and it’s NBD, but I am glad I learned that for me, life is better without it!

Anonymous wrote:I would like to do dry January, but my birthday is in early January. Can I start dry January a few days late?

Nope. If you start late, it doesn’t count.*

*Hopefully you see how ridiculous your question is, since obviously you can do whatever you want whenever you want and call it whatever you like.

I never do Dry January because we always go on vacation for 2-3 weeks. No way in hell I’m abstaining on vacay.

Anonymous wrote:I would like to do dry January, but my birthday is in early January. Can I start dry January a few days late?

Why even bother? You know you are not going to stay dry w/ "I don't drink except when I do" attitude

Anonymous wrote:I would like to do dry January, but my birthday is in early January. Can I start dry January a few days late?

of course, why not?

I would like to do dry January, but my birthday is in early January. Can I start dry January a few days late?

It's a good time to do it for the reasons PP said - there tends to not be a ton of social stuff that month and others might be doing it. I've done it a couple of times as part of Whole30 and maybe once standalone doing the Naked Mind 30 day thing. I've always lost weight and my skin looks better.

If you have any interest in not drinking for a month - it’s the best time, because it’s a common thing to do - so you do not have to answer a lot of questions.

I think it’s good to try, because if it’s difficult, that’s a sign you have been drinking too often. It also helps break away from drinking out of habit.

I found it really helps me maintain/ lose weight - it’s easy to start gaining weight over the holidays and keep it on. Not drinking for a month helps cut calories (especially if drinking makes you eat more). Plus gyms will be packed for the next month, so a good time to focus more on your diet. Even if weight is not an issue, just resetting to a healthier diet is nice.

Some people immediately see health gains, others do not, but you won’t know until you try. You will not feel worse.

There is literally no harm in trying it. There is no negative effect.

There's a week to go and I want to start watering the seed. . .