Dry January (Giving up drinking)

[Sydney_Iron]

Giving it a go this year, been nearly 2 weeks, fuck all change!

GP kept telling me i drink too much, 10 standard drinks a week is the recommended amount but given your average Aussie bottle of beer (375ml @ 5%) is 1.5, you cant even have 1 a day  worked out my average consumption is 2 or 3 beers a day plus will drink about the equivalent of a bottle of wine a week, i thought nothing of this if anything pretty moderate, but it works out at  3 to 4 times the recommended amount.

Having been teetotal for 11 days i can honestly say i feel no different despite Doc telling me i may have withdrawal symptoms, but fuck all has changed apart from feeling a bit bored in the evening when i usually sup a few beers, if anything i miss it, enjoy a few bevies whilst watch a movie or Netflix, going out isn't the same either, no wine with dinner, just dull im afraid, plus i actually like drinking, makes me feel good, don't get pissed but just like that feeling you get, i miss it.

Does this make me an alcoholic or on the way to being one? Bit late really im 60 and been doing this since my teens, if anything how the fuck is only 10 standard drinks the maximum??? Personally think its all down to the medical profession being overly nanny state with us, TV ads over here make drinking seem like its suicidal or will see you with a much higher chance of dropping dead, disease, marriage break up, lose your job, its well and truly taken over by the do gooders who know better than everyone else. 

Could understand if you were necking a bottle of Vodka a day but surely in moderation its no worse than binging multiple packets of chocolate biscuits every day, soon as January is over i intend to go straight back on the beers and will only finish the month as too many people know im doing it

Any other WHOERS doing this farce of a month and getting something or like me fuck all from it?

[nychammer]

I drink FAR too much to the point of it becoming a problem and I need to cut down or give up. Thinking of trying THC gummies to ween off, aid relaxation and getting some sound sleep on days I don't drink. Frying pan to fire?

[Mike Oxsaw]

Just moderate your drink intake; sometimes, these days, I'll prefer a mug of tea - when I first came to Thailand after Covid, I'd easily do 6 large beers between 15:00 & 22:00 every day.

Now if I get through 3 I've had a session and often end up pouring half the 3rd bottle down the drain the following morning, which, if I'm honest, is the best place for all Thai beer.

Back to Blighty/Cloggieland soon, so I'll be able to test my resolve further then.

I like Leo, and you do realise that you don't HAVE to drink Thai beer, you tight cսnt. I'm not surprised you drink at home alone either.

I don't recall stating that I drink either alone or at home - kindly point out where I have made that claim.

Oh, and Leo is the most chemically enhanced beer in the Thai market - worse, even than Archer but probably 5 Baht per bottle cheaper than Chang or Singha; unsurprising if your preferred location for living in Thailand is Pattaya - Jaywick without the class.

[zico]

After years of Thursday (Pool nights), Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Quiz Nights) drinking I suddenly realised one day that I didn't actually like the taste of beer, so knocked it on the head.  Suddenly I wasn't staggering home all the time and just hopped in the car and had a clear head in the morning.  Go out with friends once every couple of months and depending on how I feel I may drive or leave the car and have a few brandy and cokes, which I do like the taste of.  Never drink at home so guess that made it easier to just pretty much stop.  I don't miss it. 

[Manuel]

Just moderate your drink intake; sometimes, these days, I'll prefer a mug of tea - when I first came to Thailand after Covid, I'd easily do 6 large beers between 15:00 & 22:00 every day.

Now if I get through 3 I've had a session and often end up pouring half the 3rd bottle down the drain the following morning, which, if I'm honest, is the best place for all Thai beer.

Back to Blighty/Cloggieland soon, so I'll be able to test my resolve further then.

I like Leo, and you do realise that you don't HAVE to drink Thai beer, you tight cսnt. I'm not surprised you drink at home alone either.

[,]

Doing a dry January is indicative of being a piss head.

 

[only1billybonds]

Never seen the point in having certain times to stop drinking/smoking/walking etc, if you want to bin something just do it. I stopped smoking two hours before Englad v Belgium kicked off in the 2018 world cup group game,which on reflection was a pretty strange thing for a patriotic football fan to do. Anyway, if you want to stop something, do it for your own reasons,not because it's fashionable.

[Mike Oxsaw]

Just moderate your drink intake; sometimes, these days, I'll prefer a mug of tea - when I first came to Thailand after Covid, I'd easily do 6 large beers between 15:00 & 22:00 every day.

Now if I get through 3 I've had a session and often end up pouring half the 3rd bottle down the drain the following morning, which, if I'm honest, is the best place for all Thai beer.

Back to Blighty/Cloggieland soon, so I'll be able to test my resolve further then.

[Sydney_Iron]

Well thank fuck that’s all done

Got slaughtered last night mind you after the first beer I wax feeling it So by the time I had 3 more I was buzzing.

Will take it easy today………

As you where

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Giving it a go this year, been nearly 2 weeks, fuck all change!

GP kept telling me i drink too much, 10 standard drinks a week is the recommended amount but given your average Aussie bottle of beer (375ml @ 5%) is 1.5, you cant even have 1 a day  worked out my average consumption is 2 or 3 beers a day plus will drink about the equivalent of a bottle of wine a week, i thought nothing of this if anything pretty moderate, but it works out at  3 to 4 times the recommended amount.

Having been teetotal for 11 days i can honestly say i feel no different despite Doc telling me i may have withdrawal symptoms, but fuck all has changed apart from feeling a bit bored in the evening when i usually sup a few beers, if anything i miss it, enjoy a few bevies whilst watch a movie or Netflix, going out isn't the same either, no wine with dinner, just dull im afraid, plus i actually like drinking, makes me feel good, don't get pissed but just like that feeling you get, i miss it.

Does this make me an alcoholic or on the way to being one? Bit late really im 60 and been doing this since my teens, if anything how the fuck is only 10 standard drinks the maximum??? Personally think its all down to the medical profession being overly nanny state with us, TV ads over here make drinking seem like its suicidal or will see you with a much higher chance of dropping dead, disease, marriage break up, lose your job, its well and truly taken over by the do gooders who know better than everyone else. 

Could understand if you were necking a bottle of Vodka a day but surely in moderation its no worse than binging multiple packets of chocolate biscuits every day, soon as January is over i intend to go straight back on the beers and will only finish the month as too many people know im doing it

Any other WHOERS doing this farce of a month and getting something or like me fuck all from it? 

Doctors are like Politicians.
Do as I say..not as I do.

Best ignored.

Whatever you do don't buy a FIT WATCH or whatever there called.
You'll end up being sectioned Sydney son

[stubbo]

These days I pretty much prefer drinking 0 alcohol lagers....Heineken are good, or 0 alcohol Guinness...same mouth feel/taste, but can drive home and no headache.

Wine though....that's got to be the real deal. The zero stuff is proper garbage.

[Mad Ferret]

Anyone who can’t manage a month off the booze has a drink problem.

[,]

I commend people for completing a dry January but most of them on completing their period of abstinence will mark it with a celebratory piss up. 

[joe royal]

had 3 weeks off the booze in october, felt absolutely no difference in my health apart from feeling tired all the time.

Seemed to have a lot more money tho.

[BerlingtonBertie]

I haven't had a drink in 3 years Syders but I nearly cracked open a bottle when I read your post as its so fucking boring. Go clean out your fish pond or eat Mrs Syders and have a few days off from posting your dribble. 

[Sydney_Iron]

Boring Sydney. Just carry on drinking ffs, you'll be dead soon anyway. As you say, you have it under control with just a few drinks a day, so this is all for nothing, and you have spoke about this before too. A big fucking Z with your Facebook stylie post, you old bore.

Get your point Manuel, although im going to blame the drink on this as well

If people thought i was a bore when i was drinking, then stopping has only seen it get worse and TBH i do feel bored so tend to waste my time ranting about shit like this  prior to Jan 1st i would at least ease off especially in the evening as i enjoyed a few beers whilst watching a movie/Netflix and wouldn't give a shit about much at all............

Will see the month out, in some ways it's not difficult, not like im craving or anything but with family and friends knowing im doing it, if i throw in the towel now it's not a good look and fingers will only get pointed and the piss taken, just be a bit more of a boring cսnt than usual

[Manuel]

Boring Sydney. Just carry on drinking ffs, you'll be dead soon anyway. As you say, you have it under control with just a few drinks a day, so this is all for nothing, and you have spoke about this before too. A big fucking Z with your Facebook stylie post, you old bore.

[Sydney_Iron]

I agree to a point. If you feel the benefits of going without for a month (sleeping better, lose a bit of weight, more energy, better diet etc) it can motivate you to cut down longer term. The health benefits become something tangible rather than  something abstract that doctor tells you that you should be doing.

Well, im 12 days in now and no real change, get your point it's not an overnight change but i do feel skeptical as to how bad "moderate" amounts of alcohol actually are? Sure, if your overweight, do no exorcise and eat a shit diet then it's going to compound and made worse by drinking, but so it would be by binging on pies or packets of crisps, i just don't get this one shoe fits all approach from the medical fraternity, because in my view its bollocks.

When seeing my GP, as i had fucked my shoulder he suggested a blood test as i hadn't had one for a few years, came back and all was good, no sign of diabetes, good liver function etc etc, add in my blood pressure was good and i take no medications, but as soon as i tell him how much i drink he starts going on about all this nasty shit that WILL happen, but im like hang on a minute, I've been drinking in this way for the best part of 40 years, but the blood test show fuck all wrong????? 

Not so long ago they recommended nearer to 20 standard drinks a week, now its 10 and some are saying it should really be zero if you really want to avoid any risk, but couldn't that be applied to any number of factors, eating red meat can have health risks, fatty foods, diary, just about anything really, stress and anxiety see some pretty poor statistics to your health so for my money its all about a balance in how you live, not just one thing (Alcohol) 

Its also fast becoming the demon of choice for the do gooders and those who want to run our lives, seeing similar to the stop smoking campaigns in the 70,s and 80,s in they know want to ban on advertising, health warnings on bottles, nasty pictures of infected livers etc and encouraging government to increase taxes etc to encourage us to stop or drink less, bunch of cunts in my book, the nanny state can fuck off its nowhere near as bad as smoking.

I like a few beers, glasses of wins and the odd shot and the nice feeling it gives you (in moderation), also like the taste and the satisfaction and relaxing feeling you get, no need to get bladdered every session. 

As you were, rant over

Sydders

[wils]

Doing dry January is completely pointless, from a health point of view if you just go back to your normal pattern after the month is over. If you're not an alcoholic, it's far more beneficial to your health to cut down with a  sustainable and realistic goal that you can keep going indefinitely.

I agree to a point. If you feel the benefits of going without for a month (sleeping better, lose a bit of weight, more energy, better diet etc) it can motivate you to cut down longer term. The health benefits become something tangible rather than  something abstract that doctor tells you that you should be doing.

[One Sunny Day]

Doing dry January is completely pointless, from a health point of view if you just go back to your normal pattern after the month is over. If you're not an alcoholic, it's far more beneficial to your health to cut down with a  sustainable and realistic goal that you can keep going indefinitely.

[wils]

I don't do dry January as I am very light drinker these days. But I wasn't alway like that. I was a heavy all day drinker in my younger years. It got out of hand while I was travelling so I started to rein it in a bit. I started off by doing a month teetotal. Increased it to two months about a year later. Then once did three months off the booze. After that I felt I was in control, which the years that passed since proved that to be true.

Difference for me and what you described is that I didn't particularly miss the alcohol itself - although I do enjoy a beer or nice glass wine - I missed the social inclusion that drinking gave me. After three months off I learnt to build a social life that was not centred on drinking and that was liberating. But sitting at home on my own without a drink was never a challenge.

I don't think 11 days is long enough to notice the health benefits and I would see the month out if I was were you. Just so you know what a month going without feel like. If you honestly don't notice any changes in yourself then perhaps you're one of those lucky few whom it doesn't affect too much.