Anyone doing Dry January?

I don't do "dry January" or "stoptober". October 2015 I was admitted to Hospital with Pneumonia, 5 week stay, I was advised to stop drinking (I was drinking too much!) & Liver had taking a bit of a "hammering".

I didn't touch a drink until our Christmas Lunch when I had a glass of wine (not driving which is a rare occasion).

Over Christmas I had an occasional drink. I will have a drink when I want but it's not often.

I didn't lose any weight & I certainly didn't feel any health benefits so there is no incentive there for me.

We are having three dry days a week and sharing three bottles of wine over the four nights. This should work out at the recommended ish units of 15 each per week! May not last on our Lakes Holiday in a couple of weeks though if we need a little something to warm us up!!! Dry January is just too depressing to think about, more chance of doing it in Summer when I am happy to drink lots of cold water!

Quite right gaggi
Good luck with your treatment.

That's where I get confused Ana

I do a dry Lent 6 weeks worth gives the liver a chance to repair.

But Riverwalk it depends on the alcoholic volume of the wine! A unit isn't determined by the size of the glass...

No from me because I don't drink that much but do like a glass of wine in the week.

Ana rather like the Government's '5 a day' mantra for veg/fruit, I expect a unit of alcohol is a moveable feast.

I do remember that once upon a time 125mls of wine was one unit - they could well have moved the goalposts!

I drank only tap water during January for WaterAid during Januarys 2015 and 2016. This year I'm feeling cold and sorry for myself and generally not up to it, still ridiculously pathetic after knee joint replacement.
I'll still publicise and support WaterAid however, is anyone doing tap water only this year?

Yes Greyduster the choccy biscuit challenge is far harder to do.I had a whole day without one yesterday ( a vanilla slice doesn't count, does it?)

At least it was water you wasted and not wine Lynker!

Well Lynker... they say that you should take more water with it!

Yes I'm doing Dry January, only lasted six days last year, but did the whole month in 2015. I LOVE wine & find it a real challenge to go without...don't notice any health benefits from abstaining & didn't lose any weight. This year my daughter & her husband are going Dry too, so we'll support each other when the Pinot beckons!

I am doing dry January as posted earlier in this thread. I did it last year and I lost weight and slept better. This morning I decided that I should try and increase the amount of water that I drink, by having a pint of water each day.......I have just tipped the full glass into my lap.......good job it came my way and not all over my computer!! Is it February yet??

Yes we are doing it. Started yesterday but may not make the full month as DH is meeting up with friends on 26th for beers and curry so my willpower might not be so good if he's not there! (Plus if he's drinking ...... why not me too?)

Dry January is so much easier for those of you who don't often drink, but when you've got into the habit of a glass or two each evening it takes willpower. That said, it is only habit and I find if I have something to hand, even if it's only squash, I'm usually fine

I'm beginning to think I'm sounding like a really heavy drinker here !

Riverwalk, if a bottle only contained 6 units the alcoholic volume would be 8%.

Not many wines are that low in alcohol, but I think it would be a mistake to assume that a 125 glass of any wine equals one unit!

I thought Imight swap to Prosecco as it's only 5% - shows how much I know about wine.

Certainly not. I'm 73, about to start radiotherapy for breast cancer, and am constantly trying to gain weight. Also think January the worst month to contemplate giving up anything.
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I'm doing it - not officially as I can't be bothered downloading apps etc - but decided my poor liver probably needs a break. I'm not a huge drinker, but my late DH and I had got into a pattern of having two glasses of wine every evening and I have continued on my own. I've also not eaten any chocolate yet this year! Only day 3, but so far so good.

Best of luck to whoever is doing Dry January, and cheers! to those who aren't.

Oh have I got that wrong Riverwalk Blimey if Prosecco is 11% or thereabouts and that lady was drinking 2-3 bottles a night she is not doing too badly!

I don't think any wine, including Prosecco, is 5% volume, unfortunately! Most seem to be 11 to 14.

As I understand, one unit is 125mls (the tiniest of glasses). In London if you ask for a large white wine you are given 250mls i.e. a third of a bottle and equals two units, so six units per bottle.

The Daily Mail woman, who was knocking back at least 12 bottles per week, had perfect liver function tests prior to going dry, plus perfect blood pressure and only weighed 9st 6lbs !!

Must be the genes.

Yep OH and myself doing dry January. We decided we would awhile ago having done sober October and found it reasonably easy. Harder this time as we have had all the Christmasy drinks in and quite a bit left over. Still it doesn't go off does it so shouldn't be a problem. As a rule we only have alcohol Fri/Sat/Sunday and very rarely on a weekday apart from Friday but we have got into the routine of chilling out on Friday evening after doing the big weekly shop and that is sankrosanct but will cut that out till February now. We like the idea of 2 alcohol free months out of 12 and don't consider it too much of a hardship. We only have one family birthday in January so may relent and have a glass with the family birthday meal - we'll see...... feeling virtuous

Wine bottles tell you how many units they contain on the back label.

You can calculate it yourself by multiplying the alcoholic volume by the liquid volume (ml) and dividing by 100.

The Prosecco woman must drink a heck of a lot of it during the week!

No - but defo cutting down this year. Bottle of wine 3 times a week ( not on 'school nights' but Sunday doesn't count!!) has become 4-5 nights a week followed by a scotch or gin & that often becomes 2 so we think we are over doing it.

I'm SO going back to 5:2 eating. So that's 2 dry days a week, that'll do!