a.s.
Mr. Chainring
LOL. I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time! Where’s my Michters!?!
Recovery is the new Black (The Sober Thread)
- Thread starter Cassinonorth
- Start date
rosceaux
Well-Known Member
Happy to read about improved sleep and fitness and clarity of mind for a lot of you. I've been dry and I haven't had any of those. In fact, one of my running metrics (Lactate Threshold) went down for the first time in a few years. Maybe I didn't drink enough in December? That could not have possibly been the case...
Regardless, I'm going to stay dry through February and at least through Lent. My cravings are mostly social, but man.... an afternoon cocktail just really takes the edge off sometimes. However, I'm going through some stuff right now where I don't need a reason or an excuse not to be at the top of my game. And alcohol is an easy reason/excuse.
The best part for me has still be the conversations with my boys (14 &12) about why I'm not drinking now. I'm thankful for stumbling upon this thread on 01/02. Frankly I never heard of Dry January before. I wouldn't have done it otherwise and I really appreciate the shared journey. I know some people are wrestling much bigger bears than I am, and I give you all the credit in the world. Onward!
Regardless, I'm going to stay dry through February and at least through Lent. My cravings are mostly social, but man.... an afternoon cocktail just really takes the edge off sometimes. However, I'm going through some stuff right now where I don't need a reason or an excuse not to be at the top of my game. And alcohol is an easy reason/excuse.
The best part for me has still be the conversations with my boys (14 &12) about why I'm not drinking now. I'm thankful for stumbling upon this thread on 01/02. Frankly I never heard of Dry January before. I wouldn't have done it otherwise and I really appreciate the shared journey. I know some people are wrestling much bigger bears than I am, and I give you all the credit in the world. Onward!
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Jmann
Never gonna let you down.
So as it seems I’m actually making it til February, I’ll share my findings.
I decided to try to go dry for the month because of habits I got into in the last few years. Although I fortunately grew out of my binge drinking days, I usually had 1-3 drinks everyday for 2-3 years. The only negative result I noticeably had from it was weight gain, but it still didn’t seem healthy. I still slept ok and rarely ever felt any hangover. I had tried to take mon-tues off each week but it never really worked.
What I noticed over the last month:
Slept a little better, or at least didn’t wake up as often.
At first I missed wine and cocktails but got over it.
I didn’t miss beer. That is shocking to me.
I was worried I might have some withdrawal, but didn’t have that experience.
Unfortunately only lost a little weight, I was hoping for more.
Overall it was a lot easier than expected (I figured I’d last maybe a week). I know that might sound like bragging to those who struggle with addiction, but I expected it to be very difficult. At some point it just left my routine. This is from someone who’s drank every weekend since my late teens.
Going forward I’m not going to restrict myself from drinking, but not going to seek it out. I know that first drink will probably be less enjoyable than it normally would.
Best of luck to all those who have gotten positive results from dry January.
I decided to try to go dry for the month because of habits I got into in the last few years. Although I fortunately grew out of my binge drinking days, I usually had 1-3 drinks everyday for 2-3 years. The only negative result I noticeably had from it was weight gain, but it still didn’t seem healthy. I still slept ok and rarely ever felt any hangover. I had tried to take mon-tues off each week but it never really worked.
What I noticed over the last month:
Slept a little better, or at least didn’t wake up as often.
At first I missed wine and cocktails but got over it.
I didn’t miss beer. That is shocking to me.
I was worried I might have some withdrawal, but didn’t have that experience.
Unfortunately only lost a little weight, I was hoping for more.
Overall it was a lot easier than expected (I figured I’d last maybe a week). I know that might sound like bragging to those who struggle with addiction, but I expected it to be very difficult. At some point it just left my routine. This is from someone who’s drank every weekend since my late teens.
Going forward I’m not going to restrict myself from drinking, but not going to seek it out. I know that first drink will probably be less enjoyable than it normally would.
Best of luck to all those who have gotten positive results from dry January.
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
Michters? No, if you’re going to fall off the wagon, don’t fall off for Michters. And you either drink IPA, or good bourbon, but not both. When you’re ready for good bourbon, then drop me a line.
johnbryanpeters
Well-Known Member
30 days...
Cassinonorth
Well-Known Member
bruh can you talk about this like literally anywhere else on this site or the internet.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
I ended January with 24 days dry and 11 beers. That’s a big success. Now I also know more how the beer effects my body and have been making smarter choices given that. I must say this has been super hard given that I have 3 cases of craft beer on hand the rough all of Jan and that’s all that I drank. For reference I have been drinking 11 beers each Fri-Sun.
JDurk
Well-Known Member
I did my best to start Dry Jan, but didn't last long. However, like you, I have significantly reduced the number of days as well as limiting myself to just 1 if I do. There are several craft beers sitting in my fridge just taking up space.
I went 4 weeks. Champagne at midnight on 12/31 till This past Friday night. Making the month wasn’t super important to me. Its nice to get in the habit of not having a beer. When the thought crosses my mind, it’s easy to skip it.
I’ve been sleeping much better and when I do wake up I’m able to fall back asleep which is huge. Even on nights when I don’t get great sleep I still have pretty good energy and it does not have as much an impact on my day.
I didn’t lose any weight though which was kinda annoying, but I don’t have too much to lose anyway. If and when the time comes to race I’ll be able to shed 5 lbs me thinks. I did notice an increase in my ability recover after a hard workout and being able to consecutive days with hard workouts.
I’ll still drink one or two on friday. I made Saturday an off day just so I can have a beer and pizza with the family and unwind.
Good luck to everyone setting goals and achieving them. Constant improvement is something to strive for. I checked this thread a lot this month and it seemed like it was motivating for quite a few, myself included.
Positivity on the internet is so rare these days.
I’ve been sleeping much better and when I do wake up I’m able to fall back asleep which is huge. Even on nights when I don’t get great sleep I still have pretty good energy and it does not have as much an impact on my day.
I didn’t lose any weight though which was kinda annoying, but I don’t have too much to lose anyway. If and when the time comes to race I’ll be able to shed 5 lbs me thinks. I did notice an increase in my ability recover after a hard workout and being able to consecutive days with hard workouts.
I’ll still drink one or two on friday. I made Saturday an off day just so I can have a beer and pizza with the family and unwind.
Good luck to everyone setting goals and achieving them. Constant improvement is something to strive for. I checked this thread a lot this month and it seemed like it was motivating for quite a few, myself included.
Positivity on the internet is so rare these days.
johnbryanpeters
Well-Known Member
31 days...
a.s.
Mr. Chainring
@cassinonorth ... Can you change the thread title to something like January, February and beyond? Would love to keep the moral support going.
I totally failed last night with the "no sweets for February" goal. Had two RingDings after my third snow shovel. I have a looong f'ing driveway.
I totally failed last night with the "no sweets for February" goal. Had two RingDings after my third snow shovel. I have a looong f'ing driveway.
I liked the post before I read this. Would like a second time if I could.
Cassinonorth
Well-Known Member
@cassinonorth ... Can you change the thread title to something like January, February and beyond? Would love to keep the moral support going.
I totally failed last night with the "no sweets for February" goal. Had two RingDings after my third snow shovel. I have a looong f'ing driveway.
Done. Taking suggestions on a permanent name though.
Ian F
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, cutting out alcohol has not helped me with my sleeping. I still struggle to get to sleep pretty much every night.
Weight... there I'm not sure. As mentioned, I hadn't really planned on this, so I didn't think to weigh myself at the start or take any waist/stomach measurements. Granted, thanks to my shoulder injury my exercising has been greatly reduced as well. I've roughly plateaued in the 170 to 180 range. I'd like to be around 160 and in better XC/road shape. I need to get on the indoor trainer, so hopefully that will help. Right now, I want to have it ready for the Superbowl. Since I don't have TV to watch it, my plan is to listen to the game on the radio while running a "base builder" DVD.
After that, I should be able to get a few hours per week on the trainer (I also have a Wahoo, so I should be able to start on Zwift) and I'm hoping that more regular exercise will improve my sleep patterns. If that helps, then I may start to work in the occasional beer/wine/shot and see how it affects me (stomach & sleep). So "dry February" will be a thing for awhile.
Weight... there I'm not sure. As mentioned, I hadn't really planned on this, so I didn't think to weigh myself at the start or take any waist/stomach measurements. Granted, thanks to my shoulder injury my exercising has been greatly reduced as well. I've roughly plateaued in the 170 to 180 range. I'd like to be around 160 and in better XC/road shape. I need to get on the indoor trainer, so hopefully that will help. Right now, I want to have it ready for the Superbowl. Since I don't have TV to watch it, my plan is to listen to the game on the radio while running a "base builder" DVD.
After that, I should be able to get a few hours per week on the trainer (I also have a Wahoo, so I should be able to start on Zwift) and I'm hoping that more regular exercise will improve my sleep patterns. If that helps, then I may start to work in the occasional beer/wine/shot and see how it affects me (stomach & sleep). So "dry February" will be a thing for awhile.
Ian F
Well-Known Member
Three cases... That's cute.
... and this doesn't include the full wine rack out of the picture, a counter of whiskey in the kitchen and what is currently in the fridge. And to add insult to injury, during the week between Christmas and New Years, I bought 4 bottles from New Liberty Distillery and 4 bottles of KBS. Doh…
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a.s.
Mr. Chainring
Ian F
Well-Known Member
Sorry… I have no idea what conversation you are referencing... I really only read the first page of this thread before my first post last week. If I actually do decide to stop drinking for good, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of that...
