*sigh* this is still taking a while, but moving forward (slowly!)

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Thanks L
Dry January is going fine, I haven't really missed alcohol at all.  Occasionally, I think it would be nice to have a glass of wine tonight or whatever, but overall it's been easy.  Not giving up forever, but will definitely be more aware of my intake after this break.

EssexHebridean

That’s been a really interesting experiment for you hasn’t it. Sounds like a lot of the issue previously was habit - and hopefully the month is long enough to reprogramme the habit. 

savingholmes

Well done you. 

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Thanks EH and SH
Yes, I think I've been using it as a lazy way to wind down.
We had our first child nearly 19 years ago and our 5th is 7... that's a lot of years of juggling and not a lot of free time.  Would be healthier to go for a walk or workout when stressed, but carving out time can be tricky.  Easier to drink wine  
I don't really drink socially as I'm often the driver, so it's very much been a crutch if I'm stressed, tired, need to wind down or had a bad day.  I'm also quite a lightweight, so can never manage more than 2 glasses
I've been doing a lot of reading around alcohol and listening to podcasts, it's been very educational and made me look at it differently.

lucielle

Good for you on the drinking. Hope you have a good week. 

L

Drawingaline

Well done on the drinking. Hubby and me were discussing dry January, mainly because he just can't understand it 😆 But neither of us are big drinkers, and we don't often drink at home. We are definitely social drinkers and because we rarely socialise we just don't bother! I will occasionally have a can of cider one evening, but can then easily go six months or so before having another one. Also because I am the only driver here if we do chose to go out for a meal I am always driving and won't have anything at all (alcohol affects me quickly so I don't risk even one). So I think because it isn't our go to for unwinding in the evening he struggles to understand how other people need to have a dry month to perhaps break an unhealthy habit.

Now if it was Choc free January, I would totally struggle! We all have habits we are loath to acknowledge haven't we?! 

crunchy_time

Well done on the drinking! I realised I was an emotional drinker. I haven’t managed dry jan but I have managed to stop drinking during the week and then actually really enjoy my glass or two of wine on Saturday night without any more. I’m trying to do the same thing with sweet things but that is proving much harder!!

EssexHebridean

It might be healthier to go for a walk or whatever, but it's not always practical is it - if it's dark and cold, or closer to bed than that sort of activity is ideal, or if there are things that need doing...you might be able to juggle a wine glass around any of those things, whereas the alternatives simply don't fit as well, so it's dead easy to see why/how you slip into the habit. 

ohdearhowdidthathappen

Thanks L, DAL, Crunchy and EH

So I completed dry January , have decided going forward that I won't drink during the week and keep to weekends only.  That should stop the reliance on it for winding down, but still means I can have a drink socially or at home if I choose.  If I find that hard to stick to, then it's probably a sign that I should cut back completely.

Weight wise, I'm down to 159lbs (BMI 23.6) so it's slowly coming off.  I'm mainly sticking to my calories and have found the increased protein has stopped me feeling hungry.

Money wise, doing ok.  We managed to pay money into CC and PP and there's now £300 in our EF.
DH thinks his bonus pot will we be smaller this year as they've just been told they're getting 5% payrise.  Bit cheeky really as a 2023 payrise, shouldn't affect a bonus based on 2022 achievements.  We'll see next month.

DH has backtracked on selling the 2nd car, which is a shame.  He says we can sell it if the utilities and mortgage payments make life uncomfortable when our fixes end, but he wants to hold onto it for now.  I'm unsurprised, but a bit disappointed.

savingholmes

Well done on dry January. Sounds like it was hard for you at the start but got easier. 

Well done on the debt reduction and the start of an EF.

Good your weight is headed in the right direction too. Wish mine was...