Author Topic: Dry January - 2020  (Read 8813 times)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #25 on: 21 March, 2020, 07:35:17 am »
I didn't do Dry January this year, but I am doing 'Dry Lockdown' - haven't touched a drop of alcohol for a week, since I started WFH.

Let's see how long I can last... it helps that we currently don't have any booze in the house.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Speshact

  • Charlie
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #26 on: 21 March, 2020, 08:51:42 am »
#drysolation

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #27 on: 21 March, 2020, 06:39:32 pm »
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

  • Miles eaten don't satisfy hunger
  • Chartered accountant in 5 different decades
    • CET Ride Reports and Blogs
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #28 on: 26 March, 2020, 01:01:53 pm »
It's Lent so I've been drysolation so far, but that will change come April 12th.
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #29 on: 26 March, 2020, 01:15:54 pm »
Second week of #drysolation and going strong. It's actually getting easier, now the DTs have worn off (joke) - and it helps that I haven't been shopping this week, so no opportunity to buy booze.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Chris S

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #30 on: 26 March, 2020, 01:30:35 pm »
BN: Fboab works in a wine factory.
GN: She's working from home

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #31 on: 26 March, 2020, 04:40:43 pm »
Been dry since Jan 21st. Staying off the booze until I've got back to 71kg. It's weird, but as soon as I stop drinking, I really don't miss it at all. Did about 18 months previously, which was fine except for a lapse when there was an Orval event at North Bar in Leeds, where they had Orval at ages from 1-5years. Was totally worth breaking my dry spell for that.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #32 on: 26 March, 2020, 05:34:57 pm »
Orval event at North Bar in Leeds, where they had Orval at ages from 1-5years. Was totally worth breaking my dry spell for that.

 :o

Absolutely 100% definitely worth breaking your dry spell for.

I discovered today that my local brewery (the one that hosts my audax event) is still open for takeaways and deliveries, so I feel I ought to do my bit to support them in these troubled times. I guess as long as I'm only coming off the wagon for beer that is actually worth it, that's more or less OK. It's the drinking out of habit, drinking too frequently and too much, and being indiscriminate about booze choices, that is the real problem for me. What you might call 'mindful drinking'.

Haven't broken my streak yet though. Will save it for the weekend.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #33 on: 16 June, 2020, 09:54:08 am »
It's the drinking out of habit, drinking too frequently and too much, and being indiscriminate about booze choices, that is the real problem for me.

About a month ago, in part because I was in the same situation as above, I decided I'd stop drinking for a while. Thinking back at the time, I couldn't recall a period in the last 20 years of longer that a week when I'd not had a drink, and most weeks (generally weekends) there'd be 2-3 bottles of wine consumed. And the cost was around £50 a week, so not insignificant.

I stuck with it for the month, then last weekend I relented, and bought a couple of bottles of middling red for the Tesco delivery.

Friday night I opened one. It was quite the anticlimax. It was an OK wine, but, apart from the pleasure of having something other than water, OJ or cola to drink, it was all a bit underwhelming. I didn't even feel the effects of the alcohol more keenly, nor was there a resultant hangover.  I guess (fortunately) it was just habitual, and I've not felt an overwhelming desire to revert to my previous habits (the wine on this week's shopping list is for cooking with mainly), which is a bonus I wasn't expecting.  And as my better half doesn't drink, that makes cutting down a lot easier.

I did, however, still finish a bottle an evening. I'm not good around open booze, so that's still to be worked on!  Plus it's coming up to Pimms season, and that I can drink (suitably diluted) like water!

Still, it's a start, and my liver is no doubt thanking me.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #34 on: 16 June, 2020, 12:15:22 pm »
Last day with 0 units was May 26th, but overall my consumption is down, most of the days are just a single beer (2 units, 1 if shared) in the garden in the evening. That period did include half term, my birthday and a few other things.

Ideally I'll look to do Sunday->Thursday with < 4 units and that gives me 10 units to play with for Fri/Sat nights.

That's hardly "dry" but 14 units/week is considerably less than I used to drink many years ago.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #35 on: 17 June, 2020, 12:54:41 pm »
We decided to take ourselves in hand at the beginning of June.  We have a policy of only buying half bottles of wine unless we have friends round and prior to covid would drink perhaps 3 half bottles between us per week.  However in the lockdown this had gone upto at least one half bottle every night.
We therefore went dry for June and also went back to keto properly.  So far 10lbs down in 2.5 weeks.

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #36 on: 17 June, 2020, 01:12:11 pm »
Still dry. Am down to 73kg now. Still not missing booze. GF has taken to having a G&T on Fridays and Saturdays, but I have no interest in joining in. I'm on the extremely vulnerable list, so I've not found myself tempted by new interesting beers in the beer aisle. I've got a 4 pack of Punk on the shelf that's been there since January.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #37 on: 17 June, 2020, 02:28:43 pm »
Shared a bottle of Prosecco for my birthday meal at home 10 days ago.
This looks like it was was our first alcohol this year.
D says he wants to go teetotal.

We just don't drink much.

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #38 on: 17 June, 2020, 04:50:59 pm »
I managed a wet January and a dry lent. Not drunk much across lockdown until the last couple of weeks, when we’ve had a beer or wine each weekend. As we tend to not finish a bottle in one sitting this can run into the week. Sunday’s is waiting for its third night and emptying in the cupboard and we seem to have agreed that we’ll have a couple of weeks off then. Given that Sue doesn’t drink much at all and the 18 year old likewise, I’m the prime culprit.

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #39 on: 26 June, 2020, 09:57:00 am »
Last day with 0 units was May 26th, but overall my consumption is down, most of the days are just a single beer (2 units, 1 if shared) in the garden in the evening. That period did include half term, my birthday and a few other things.

Ideally I'll look to do Sunday->Thursday with < 4 units and that gives me 10 units to play with for Fri/Sat nights.

That's hardly "dry" but 14 units/week is considerably less than I used to drink many years ago.

4 days without booze, first time I've done that for probably a year. Now to hopefully reset myself to under 14 units/week.

(That's quite dry for me on a long term basis...)
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #40 on: 14 September, 2020, 01:19:31 pm »
Still dry. My GF rewarded my 6 months with a box of alcohol free beers from Sober Sauce. Down to 70kg now.

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #41 on: 14 September, 2020, 01:23:07 pm »
Congrats DrM!

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #42 on: 14 September, 2020, 03:49:57 pm »
Well done DrM!

Not touched any alcohol since June myself.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #43 on: 27 September, 2020, 10:22:31 am »
Good work, Dr M.

I've been feeling the effects of excessive boozing lately so gave myself a week off completely and realised a) I'm not missing it at all, and b) it makes a difference to my bank balance, never mind my health. So I'm going to commit to 'Sober October'.

No chance of any social life for the forseeable so I'm only drinking at home anyway.

"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #44 on: 27 September, 2020, 10:28:24 am »
As part of a regim3 to try and loose some weight, I stopped drinking alcohol at the beginning of September. I do have a couple of alcohol free beers on a Friday and Saturday evening, but so far have managed quite well. And as  Citiyen says, it makes quite a difference - £30-40 - to the weekly budget. That’s enough to buy some new bib knickers and longs (I now favour Endura over my ageing Assos, not least due to cost) except I don’t want to whilst I’m losing weight  ;).
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #45 on: 27 September, 2020, 11:03:01 am »
Good work, Dr M.

I've been feeling the effects of excessive boozing lately

Good work to all those succeeding in their endeavours.
The longest I've ever done is three months.

I was thinking of starting a thread yesterday dedicated to those eternally at war with themselves about booze [beer in my case] - but quite honestly, I can't see a great deal of mileage in discussing a subject that would stay in perpetual motion along the lines of "I drink a lot after work, I enjoy the crack, the wind down after hard graft, work hard, play hard and all that, it's satisfying, but it builds up and I eventually start to feel crap, and it affects my sleep. I feel it would be good to stop, but I don't, because...I love the beer, and quite honestly, who the hell cares.'. The problem is, I can never find that really sincere deeply rooted part of myself that is committed to stopping. I found it with smoking, no problem. Got to the other side of the river with fags. But to stop drinking would be a huge life change. Cutting down never works and feels more like punishment than anything.

Certainly affects my cycling and general fitness that's for sure.

Goodness me, what a state. On and on it goes.

Although there is a bit of temporary reprieve with the latest restrictions - it's irritating and much less enjoyable to be drinking beer socially [don't drink at home...thank god], in what feels like a restrained cultural environment more akin to something that the Stasi would have been proud of than anything we're been privileged to know. It's going to be a bleak time over the next few months I feel, so if I can keep the stuff out of the flat, then it could be a worthwhile period to dry out a bit.

Sorry...not looking to divert the thread.
Best wishes to all, who seek, and are getting a cleaner life.
Garry Broad

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #46 on: 27 September, 2020, 11:19:58 am »
Sorry...not looking to divert the thread.

Don't apologise, it's all part of the discussion about why and how to give up/cut down. This is more about understanding and being in control of your relationship with alcohol than seeking peer approval for abstinence.

I'm very much the same as you. I like beer. I like the effects of alcohol (up to a point). I don't want to live without either of those.

I just need to find a way to get my health back on track because I remember what it was like being *really* fit and healthy and I liked it. A lot. I feel that cutting out booze in the short term might help get me pointing in the right direction. It's hard though. Very hard. Signing up to Sober October is making a public commitment to this goal.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #47 on: 27 September, 2020, 12:35:57 pm »
This is more about understanding and being in control of your relationship with alcohol

And this is the key to it really. Awareness about what is going on is crucial. And taking responsibility.
I was able to make a decision about my relationship with smoking [eventually] - I ended it. Best thing I ever did.
But with beer, I can't really see me going down the same road. Not sure I want to either. So I've got to find another way, and the only other way is to exert some kind of control and moderation and to hold a sense of gratitude for my life.

I should have more of a sense of gratitude actually. My mental/emotional health has always left a lot to be desired, but I've always been blessed with reasonably good physical health [a lot of that I can attribute to doing a manual job for the most part], and as a 61 yr old who's drunk as much as I have I'm probably not in that bad a state, but I can really feel it slipping [hardly surprising at 61], and it's crazy to treat your body like an 18yr old and expect it to recover like an 18yr old. Totally crazy.

I went to three funerals last year of people in their mid 50's whose death was inextricably linked to smoking and drinking.
Maybe we are like computers after all - rubbish in, rubbish out at the end of the day.

I just need to find a way to get my health back on track because I remember what it was like being *really* fit and healthy and I liked it. A lot. I feel that cutting out booze in the short term might help get me pointing in the right direction. It's hard though. Very hard. Signing up to Sober October is making a public commitment to this goal.

Yes, I think I'll join you in that. The social restrictions will help in my case. I need to pull back now. I thought the lock-down this year would see me get fit, healthy and 'clean' - but it's been the complete bloody opposite!!! It's been parabolic.
And I can relate to the feeling of fitness in the body. That tends to come in waves with me though, especially with something like preparing for PBP. The build up, the rides, the event and then the come down. I tend to indulge in the come down probably a bit too long than is good for me though  :)
Garry Broad

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #48 on: 09 October, 2020, 08:52:17 pm »
Three weeks without booze now. Only three more weeks to the end of October...

Had to go into the office yesterday for a meeting, which we held in the bar area. (Yes, our office has a bar.) Since the sun was over the yard arm, my colleagues all availed themselves of a G&T but I managed to resist the temptation.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Dry January - 2020
« Reply #49 on: 14 October, 2020, 04:10:50 pm »
Been dry since Jan 21st. Staying off the booze until I've got back to 71kg. It's weird, but as soon as I stop drinking, I really don't miss it at all. Did about 18 months previously, which was fine except for a lapse when there was an Orval event at North Bar in Leeds, where they had Orval at ages from 1-5years. Was totally worth breaking my dry spell for that.

Got down below 71kg, but decided not to start drinking again yet. I don't have any will power, and it's easier not to drink than add the question as to whether an after lunch beer on a Tuesday is a good idea to the list of other stupid ideas I have to resist thinking about (mainly related to unnecessary tech / running purchases, whether I can justifiably bunk off work, and whether a 5th espresso is sensible).