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A Dry January + No Chocolate Now!


Fragile Bird

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I've posted about this in the past, I think the threads are gone. Once again I have decided to do a dry January. No alcohol for the next four weeks. Our Sunday dinner was moved to Monday so I did actually drink on the 1st, but the rest of the month will not include alcohol. Last year I met a friend for lunch on inauguration day and we did actually drown our sorrows with one beer and frankly we might do the same on the anniversary. Last year I also said I was going to reduce consumption overall, and that happened as well. Wine with Sunday dinner, and maybe the occasional cocktail. One beer at the lunch I have with a friend each week, but not every time.

If this is something you do every year as well, or if you've read about dry Januaries and need some encouragement, please feel free to join me. :) 

Besides, it's good for your liver. :) 

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I've never read about this before, but it sounds interesting.  I wonder how many people get through a dry January realizing that it was quite enjoyable and give up drinking altogether.  It's been so many years since I've drank that I no longer understand the allures.

Anyway, good luck and enjoy and may you find that life without alcohol can be just as happy and joyful.

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3 hours ago, Dr. Pepper said:

I've never read about this before, but it sounds interesting. 

At first I thought you were being sarcastic. :)

It feels as if I never stop hearing about this (and STOPtober and Veganuary). This is likely because as I beer writer it's impossible to avoid people talking about the health/evils of alcohol. There's actually a backlash movement called Tryanuary, where people are encouraged to try new beer-related activites, visit different venues etc. This is related to the supposed downtown in business for pubs and bars in January, where the quietest month for socialising is exacerbated by people being super healthy and doing Dry January.

I don't have strong feelings about it either way. I moderate all year round, instead of bingeing/banning. But I'm not going to knock anyone who wants to be healthier.

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6 hours ago, Isis said:

At first I thought you were being sarcastic. :)

It feels as if I never stop hearing about this (and STOPtober and Veganuary). This is likely because as I beer writer it's impossible to avoid people talking about the health/evils of alcohol. There's actually a backlash movement called Tryanuary, where people are encouraged to try new beer-related activites, visit different venues etc. This is related to the supposed downtown in business for pubs and bars in January, where the quietest month for socialising is exacerbated by people being super healthy and doing Dry January.

I don't have strong feelings about it either way. I moderate all year round, instead of bingeing/banning. But I'm not going to knock anyone who wants to be healthier.

I've never binged alcohol in my life (not counting having had too much on a handful of occasions). I think the Dry January idea took hold because so many people binge drink these days on a regular basis. In fact, I associate the Dry January movement with people in London reacting to the staggering amount of pre-Christmas drunkenness in the City. Not about getting super healthy but about getting a grip on yourself. At least, that's where I heard about the concept, from English media.

Reading the statistics connecting breast cancer with a relatively small amount of alcohol per week is also, shall I say, sobering. Setting a tone for the year seemed to me to be a good thing. :) 

2 hours ago, larrytheimp said:

When I was in my early 20s I'd give up drinking one month each year just to let myself know I could do it, but I always was real practical about it and picked February.  

As I recall you said this last year too! :P

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4 minutes ago, Erik of Hazelfield said:

If having a dry month would make a big difference in your life during that month, it’s probably a good idea to try it.

Myself, I only drink once a month or so anyway so dry months is something I do regularly without even thinking about it.

Lol! You know,you can do it without it .making a 'big' difference in your life, but if you don't drink, it would be meaningless, wouldn't it? Maybe 'a month without potato chips' or 'a month without chocolate' then?

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Yes, but that’s my point. I mean, a dry month only makes sense if you drink enough for it to make some kind of difference. If you only drink every now and then it wouldn’t be a big deal.

So if you feel that it would make a big difference in your life to be sober for a whole month... then it’s probably a good idea to try it, right? Just to see if you can do it and how it feels. Because drinking so often that a dry month seems like a real sacrifice isn’t good for you.

I would struggle badly with a month without chocolate though. :unsure:

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11 minutes ago, Erik of Hazelfield said:

Yes, but that’s my point. I mean, a dry month only makes sense if you drink enough for it to make some kind of difference. If you only drink every now and then it wouldn’t be a big deal.

So if you feel that it would make a big difference in your life to be sober for a whole month... then it’s probably a good idea to try it, right? Just to see if you can do it and how it feels. Because drinking so often that a dry month seems like a real sacrifice isn’t good for you.

I would struggle badly with a month without chocolate though. :unsure:

'Some kind of difference' is far less than a 'big difference'. It makes some kind of difference because I drink every Sunday and often once a week. So I do feel giving up 10 to 15 drinks. It's a pleasure foregone. :)

But you know what? I am going to take up the challenge of giving up chocolate for a month. That I will really feel (says the person who had some dark chocolate just before breakfast). That's quite a few Christmas presents that need to be locked up. 

Oh dear.

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If you drink enough alcohol that taking a single month off is a newsworthy event, you might have an alcohol problem.

If you don't make it through the first day of that month, you DEFINITELY have an alcohol problem. Good luck getting your 30 day chip.

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On ‎1‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 6:07 AM, Stego said:

If you drink enough alcohol that taking a single month off is a newsworthy event, you might have an alcohol problem.

If you don't make it through the first day of that month, you DEFINITELY have an alcohol problem. Good luck getting your 30 day chip.

Oh don't be such a genius, lol. I started on the 2nd.

And I'll finish on the 2nd, giving the full 31 days.

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2 hours ago, Wolfgang I said:

I used to do take one month breaks from drinking two or three times a year when I was still binge drinking. About 4 years ago I felt withdrawal symptoms at the start of such a month and I have not touched alcohol again.

Ooooooh, good man, Wolfgang!

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4 hours ago, PyroclasticFlow said:

Sort of related, recently heard of a new "trend" called Sober Curious. In NYC they are holding sober social events for people who would like to have fun without alcohol.

Here's the lowdown from Time Health.

I actually really like this idea. It gets kind of annoying if you go out and don’t drink or (like me) if there is one night you just don’t feel like drinking, and you are bombarded with the “why aren’t you drinking” questions to the point where it starts to intrude on your enjoyment of the evening. Designated no-booze events sound like a nice workaround

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11 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

I actually really like this idea. It gets kind of annoying if you go out and don’t drink or (like me) if there is one night you just don’t feel like drinking, and you are bombarded with the “why aren’t you drinking” questions to the point where it starts to intrude on your enjoyment of the evening. Designated no-booze events sound like a nice workaround

The UK has a huge problem with this issue. It's not an issue for me currently, even though the friends I socialise with are mostly all in the brewing industry, I cannot recall anyone ever getting grilled about not drinking in this community (ironic, huh?).

But with work colleagues and previous social groups there has been a fuss made about someone not drinking. It's incredibly rude, intrusive and judgemental. It makes me angry actually. If a person realises they have a problem and wishes to reduce/stop drinking that is difficult in itself without idiots (so called friends, no less!) bullying them into drinking. 

There is this attitude where one person not drinking is taken as a judgement on others behaviour and they (drinkers) want to pull everyone down to the same level. Similar to when someone gives up smoking and other smokers don't want them to stop. 

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