Dry January 2025 (The Sober Thread)

Anyone even trying dry January this year?

I cut back on the beer to a level that I don’t feel a need to completely abstain. But if anyone is in a rut and looking motivation, this is a good time.
I found that wearing a sleep tracker (Fitbit, garmin, whoop, some Apple Watch apps) show some eye opening information. A night with a few drinks negatively impacts your sleep for multiple nights.
Yes and the family wait loss challenge til 3-31. Migrated up to 209
 
Cutting back, but not going totally dry. Saving it for the once a week cheat meal if I feel the urge. I too have noticed the RHR, stress level, body battery and sleep info from my Garmin Vivoactive. I also notice it from sugar from a dessert. And I just read this, published on 01/01/23
Great read, hit a bunch of solid points.
 
Anyone even trying dry January this year?

I cut back on the beer to a level that I don’t feel a need to completely abstain. But if anyone is in a rut and looking motivation, this is a good time.
I found that wearing a sleep tracker (Fitbit, garmin, whoop, some Apple Watch apps) show some eye opening information. A night with a few drinks negatively impacts your sleep for multiple nights.
Yup. I’m in.
 
I have reached a point where I rarely enjoy drinking alcohol anymore, as it gives me migraines and messes with my sleep and recovery. But there is so much casual social pressure to drink! Wine with meals, drinks after work. I am thankful for Kombucha as its different enough that it fits into that social construct. Rooting for all the dry people - whether it be January or all the time!
 
For te record I always hope this turns into dry forever. Alcohol should be as illegal as heroin.

Ehhhhh.

Alcohol is way too easy to make. How did prohibition and the War on Drugs go? Instead of punishing addicts and alcoholics we should work towards helping the root causes of why people end up using those substances. Not to derail this thread, but decriminalization is far more effective than prohibition of substances.

Why hardly anyone dies from a drug overdose in Portugal - The Washington  Post
 
Alcohol should be as illegal as heroin.
I don't think the dangers of alcohol are talked about enough.

It shouldnt be illegal. Not to go off topic but its the Same with all the sports books... .they talk about "risk free betting" then do a quick little hot line number at the end. IMO gambling and alcohol, much like cigarettes, should not be advertised on TV.

Anyway I'm still on a anti-inflammatory medication for colitis and March 2023 will be 5 years no drinks... only 1 flare up in those 5 years but it was more because I thought I was off the meds and in remission.
 
Ehhhhh.

Alcohol is way too easy to make. How did prohibition and the War on Drugs go? Instead of punishing addicts and alcoholics we should work towards helping the root causes of why people end up using those substances. Not to derail this thread, but decriminalization is far more effective than prohibition of substances.

Why hardly anyone dies from a drug overdose in Portugal - The Washington  Post
How’s Portland working out?
 
I don't think the dangers of alcohol are talked about enough.
I think it actually is the only drug with a fatal withdrawal. You could shoot up heroin every day for years and quit cold turkey without dying. It will be absolute hell, but not fatal. People with serious alcohol addiction will literally die if they stop cold turkey without medical supervision, and yet we have we have alcohol EVERYWHERE. When someone comes off of heroin they don't have to walk past a heroin store on every corner. Imagine sitting down in at a restaurant and the waiter comes over like "Hi can I start you guys off with a few lines of blow?" I'm in south carolina now and I can't even walk into a gas station without passing the beer cooler. A very large factor in me leaving my job in NYC was the accessibility of alcohol. You get off the train at 8am and they already have the to go beers on ice in the terminal. I'm not saying it needs to be illegal, but they really aren't giving alcoholics much of a fighting chance. It's like going through a nasty divorce and being forced to see your ex everywhere you go for the rest of your life.
 
I think it actually is the only drug with a fatal withdrawal. You could shoot up heroin every day for years and quit cold turkey without dying. It will be absolute hell, but not fatal. People with serious alcohol addiction will literally die if they stop cold turkey without medical supervision, and yet we have we have alcohol EVERYWHERE. When someone comes off of heroin they don't have to walk past a heroin store on every corner. Imagine sitting down in at a restaurant and the waiter comes over like "Hi can I start you guys off with a few lines of blow?" I'm in south carolina now and I can't even walk into a gas station without passing the beer cooler. A very large factor in me leaving my job in NYC was the accessibility of alcohol. You get off the train at 8am and they already have the to go beers on ice in the terminal. I'm not saying it needs to be illegal, but they really aren't giving alcoholics much of a fighting chance. It's like going through a nasty divorce and being forced to see your ex everywhere you go for the rest of your life.
A good friend of mine realized she had a minor drinking problem and stopped drinking. We were talking about the culture of alcohol when we met in western MA at a large museum. While discussing this it was apparent how correct she was where at a museum at 11am they're selling beers.

NJ doesn't have alcohol in most restaurants for sale so it's a bit of a shocker here in NC to us when we go somewhere for breakfast and people are getting Bloody Marys at 10am.
 
A good friend of mine realized she had a minor drinking problem and stopped drinking. We were talking about the culture of alcohol when we met in western MA at a large museum. While discussing this it was apparent how correct she was where at a museum at 11am they're selling beers.

NJ doesn't have alcohol in most restaurants for sale so it's a bit of a shocker here in NC to us when we go somewhere for breakfast and people are getting Bloody Marys at 10am.
Yeah NJ actually has the strictest alcohol laws of anywhere I have lived. SC still has some Sunday blue laws in certain counties but otherwise you can buy wine and beer 24/7 and pretty much anybody can sell it. I forgot about college football culture down here until about a month ago when a friend called me wasted at like 10am asking if I was gonna come tailgate. This person is a high school teacher lol.
 
IN. So far so good. But it's not that easy

I agree - last year when I got home after working (and it didn't matter if i was programming a computer or putting up drywall) - there was an urge to pop a beer,
and/or have wine with a meal.

If you can deflect to something that you can't drink while doing (like riding the trainer or on a treadmill) - i found that helpful.
I also go to bed much earlier and wake up earlier. I've never had an urge to drink in the morning - so that worked for me.

It gets easier.

this was a good read - note that it does not address addiction.


Funny how trained we are - and it is both physical and mental.
I'm trying to cut 30lbs or so - and I had a 6" RB sub (hero/grinder/....) in the car for lunch - as i'm walking out, i start to salivate.
These Pavlovian responses run deep!
 
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