Dry January - 2022

[TimC]

Yep, prescriptive, as I said.

Would you disagree that the approach taken against tobacco has produced brilliant results?
Give me a single drawback... I can't see any

You do what you like. Give it up, or not, it's of no concern to me. Nor should my use, or non-use, of alcohol be any concern of yours beyond perhaps offering some moral support to those attempting to give it up for this month - for various reasons, none of which are any of your business. Evangelising prohibition is a very different subject and does not belong here.

[ElyDave]

Glass of white wine with Sunday lunch yesterday, will probably have another this evening, as I'm still on AL today.

I'm OK with that if I then have Tues-Thurs off, in line with my reduce, not abstain, viewpoint.

[Regulator]

I'm in as well. Started on the second as there was a bottle of beer and a glass of wine remaining and I wanted to remove temptation.

We have 76 bottles of gin in various states of depletion, numerous (probably another 40+) bottles of other spirits, as well as 3-4 cases of various wines in the kitchen/scullery.  All sitting there tempting us...

OK we'll let you have 10 days to remove your temptation and you can start on the 14th. But you'll have to continue until February 14th

Already on day 4...   I've just banned Mr R from buying any more booze before the end of January.

[Chris S]

My Resting HR on 31st Dec; 71
This morning: 51

 

[Hot Flatus]

Lets face it dry January is toast

[DuncanM]

I don't drink that much, so a booze free January isn't so bad, but I'm trying to avoid chocolate, and that is hard!

[Regulator]

I don't drink that much, so a booze free January isn't so bad, but I'm trying to avoid chocolate, and that is hard!

We actually threw some chocolate out the other day to remove the temptation...  I didn't let Mr R throw away the cacao gin though. 

[hellymedic]

The medic/pedant in me is wondering if arguing about the ethanol content of VERY low-alcohol beverages has any merit in practical terms.

There is a small amount of alcohol in fruit salad that's been hanging round the kitchen for an afternoon or in yeasty bread dough.

The amount of ethanol in some drinks is also pretty trivial. (Liqueur chocolates also provide scant alcohol.)

I really doubt that these minuscule alcohol quantities will do any harm or trigger addictive behaviour, though I stand to be corrected.

Abusive argument is not helpful anyway.

[Jurek]

Lets face it dry January is toast

Yep. 

[Hot Flatus]

My downfall is company. If I'm with a good crowd, I love the craic

Yeah I've heard craic is seriously moorish.

On the wider point, I don't think Dry January has any point for me whatsoever. I barely drink. This christmas a big night out was a 440ml can of 7% IPA. In normal times I'll probably have a 3-4 pinter once a month, and I'm not very interested in drinking at home.

But, as the offspring of a (long dead) functional alcoholic, and the son-in-law of a (dead) completely dysfunctional alcohol (didn't end very nicely) I'm loathe to think that I am completely immune, nor that I can extrapolate my experiences to anyone else.  Addiction is insidious, and the last person to realise they are an addict is probably the addict. Foregoing a substance in a meaningful way often means forgoing all sorts of other things in one's life. Social habits, friends, lifestyle and lets face it, fun.

All power to those who manage a dry month, whether it be easy for them or not.

[hellymedic]

All power to those who manage a dry month, whether it be easy for them or not.

This ^^^^
Especially if it's not easy.
I neither know nor care when I'll next touch any alcohol. I only had any in June 2020, all other months last year being dry.

Good luck all!

ETA D and I shared a 500ml bottle of Kopparberg Rhubarb cider last night.

[rob]

In light of this evening’s new I wish everyone all the best with sticking at it.

I am eating a box of fudge that I got for Christmas.

[ElyDave]

Stuck with that single glass of wine, even though there is half a bottle left

[Geriatricdolan]

In light of this evening’s new I wish everyone all the best with sticking at it.

I am eating a box of fudge that I got for Christmas.

In which way does the news make any difference whatsoever?
Aside from schools being closed and some having to work from home, anything else is different as of midnight?
I fail to see how anyone's resolve to stick to dry January would be affected

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Look up the meaning of ‘tone-deaf’.

[rob]

In light of this evening’s new I wish everyone all the best with sticking at it.

I am eating a box of fudge that I got for Christmas.

In which way does the news make any difference whatsoever?
Aside from schools being closed and some having to work from home, anything else is different as of midnight?
I fail to see how anyone's resolve to stick to dry January would be affected

You have literally no idea what I or any others have had to deal with in the last year.

[Hot Flatus]

In light of this evening’s new I wish everyone all the best with sticking at it.

I am eating a box of fudge that I got for Christmas.

In which way does the news make any difference whatsoever?
Aside from schools being closed and some having to work from home, anything else is different as of midnight?
I fail to see how anyone's resolve to stick to dry January would be affected

Lots more dead people.

HTH

[Geriatricdolan]

In light of this evening’s new I wish everyone all the best with sticking at it.

I am eating a box of fudge that I got for Christmas.

In which way does the news make any difference whatsoever?
Aside from schools being closed and some having to work from home, anything else is different as of midnight?
I fail to see how anyone's resolve to stick to dry January would be affected

You have literally no idea what I or any others have had to deal with in the last year.

I'm just trying to spot the 8 little differences between tier 4 (or 3 for what that matters) and what was announced last night...
The local cafe' was quick to tweet that they will continue doing takeaway service, so that's not one of them...

Many will have to spend more time with their kids, is that a reason to run to the bottle?

[DuncanM]

In light of this evening’s new I wish everyone all the best with sticking at it.

I am eating a box of fudge that I got for Christmas.

In which way does the news make any difference whatsoever?
Aside from schools being closed and some having to work from home, anything else is different as of midnight?
I fail to see how anyone's resolve to stick to dry January would be affected

You have literally no idea what I or any others have had to deal with in the last year.

I'm just trying to spot the 8 little differences between tier 4 (or 3 for what that matters) and what was announced last night...
The local cafe' was quick to tweet that they will continue doing takeaway service, so that's not one of them...

Many will have to spend more time with their kids, is that a reason to run to the bottle?

At this point, I have to assume you are just trolling us.
People lost friends and relatives during the last lockdown. Without being able to say goodbye, or even have proper funerals. Other people had enormous burdens placed on them, due to work or mental health issues (theirs and others). Many will be have important operations or other medical procedures cancelled, with no knowledge of when they will actually take place - they will know that this delay might kill them. Others have kids who have special needs that were not met during the last lockdown and may not be met during this one. Some will now officially be shielding again.

Pick one/many of those things and then imagine how hard it is to give up a crutch during such a time.

[rafletcher]

I fail to see how anyone's resolve to stick to dry January would be affected

There's lots of things I fail to see the reasoning behind, but my wife, a trained counsellor, reminds me that any one persons reality is what they feel / believe. She also has empathy.

You seem to have no understanding of, nor sympathy or empathy for, people who struggle more than you. It would be better, I think, if you kept your opinions on this matter to yourself.

I come / came to this thread because it helps me, because I lack the willpower without some prodding, even if its's only mentally, and by my conscience. Your comments have in part meant I have avoided it. Please leave us alone if you can't help or be positive.

Thankyou.

[Geriatricdolan]

Fair enough, then it is different as of today...

I've just spotted my neighbour going into work... he sells cars... 

[Polar Bear]

Alcohol addiction is both real and dangerous in both mental and physical health terms and affects both men and women from all walks of life.  People do not choose their addictions, they happen across them then find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle.

Why not be grateful for your apparent good fortune in that you are not addicted in exactly the same way for instance that I am grateful that I am not addicted to smoking, gambling, drugs or alcohol.  I do however have the ability to empathise with those who struggle as I have my own different demons with which I must fight alone on a daily basis.

[Geriatricdolan]

Why not be grateful for your apparent good fortune in that you are not addicted in exactly the same way for instance that I am grateful that I am not addicted to smoking, gambling, drugs or alcohol. 

I guess... I have smoked for 15 years, so I am not totally clueless about addiction... and exercise is just another addiction which replaced smoking, just a healthy one, for a change.
I just struggle to see the differences between the different shades of restrictions... we were in Tier 1 in October and that was different... then we had lockdown/tier 3/tier 4 and now lockdown again in the space of 2 months... and it all blended into what seemed exactly the same... I guess you need to be directly affected by one of the small changes, to see the difference and probably I am not...

[Chris N]

If you want to discuss that stuff, find another thread please.  Stop derailing this one.

[rafletcher]

Why not be grateful for your apparent good fortune in that you are not addicted in exactly the same way for instance that I am grateful that I am not addicted to smoking, gambling, drugs or alcohol. 

I guess... I have smoked for 15 years, so I am not totally clueless about addiction... and exercise is just another addiction which replaced smoking, just a healthy one, for a change.
I just struggle to see the differences between the different shades of restrictions... we were in Tier 1 in October and that was different... then we had lockdown/tier 3/tier 4 and now lockdown again in the space of 2 months... and it all blended into what seemed exactly the same... I guess you need to be directly affected by one of the small changes, to see the difference and probably I am not...

Ok, I tried nicely. Reported to mods for lack of excellence.  Now fuck off.