Happy New Start!

Ok here is the last installment of my Dry January saga. Just a very brief one as I have covered the month-long journey in my previous posts and as they say it’s the journey not the arriving that counts.

Midnight tonight is the official end of my abstinence from alcohol and it has been a loooong month, no, actually it HAS because there are 5 weeks rather than 4 in January!  I have totted how much I have saved by not drinking and donated to Alcohol Concern. I hope that by my and many others endeavours this month we have raised awareness of an ongoing increasing problem worldwide.

It has certainly made me aware of my own drinking patterns and given me a kick-start in re-establishing more healthy habits. January is a dull depressing month at the best of times (if you are in the UK) and it felt doubly so at times but now I am here and the Champagne that I didn’t drink on New Years Day is still chilling in the fridge (you see I DO have willpower!) Maybe it will keep for next year, either way,  a little late but as of  tomorrow the 1st of February I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a HAPPY NEW START!

The Final Countdown – Dry January

OK, so here I am with 4 days to go on my self-inflicted booze free month! Sipping a cool glass of sparkling water. How’s it going?  Generally very well. Sleeping like a baby! (tell the baby that keeps you up all night that he/she should sleep like one!) I love the clear-headed feeling every day and fresh alert feeling in the mornings, I love that my body feels healthy and detoxed to the max.

However, I have learned that I hate rules, even more annoying are  my own self inflicted rules because I can’t possibly break THOSE can I? I also now have a vow that all my friends and family are waiting to see with bated breath if I break or not. To be honest if it wasn’t for that, I may well have cracked by now. Of course ultimately I am doing it for myself, to start  healthier habits, to feel more zesty and vibrant, to prove a point to myself, hey, in truth I made the rules I can break them too if I really want BUT ultimately to let down those who believe in me would be the worst case scenario.

So here I am the last weekend behind me looking at 4 measly days left, I have resisted on New Years Day, family nights out, restaurant meals, stressful days at work, even my daughter emigrating for who knows how long, to go to New Zealand. But last night, on a plain old boring Sunday I have never wanted a glass of wine more! I hate rules and restrictions and the fact that I couldn’t have one  made me want it all the more.

However, and here is the great bit, once we reach Feb 1st and all restrictions are lifted, there are no more rules and I release myself from my contract, I will most likely say, you know what, I don’t even want a glass of wine! ‘Bring on the sparkling water’ or I might not, but I will have the choice and to have choices are a privilege and it will make me use those choices wisely.

Dry January

Well like a lot of others I have undertaken to not drink any alcohol during the month of January and I suspect like a lot of others it seemed a good idea in the midst of crazy overindulgent December! I missed my glass or two of wine massively in the earlier days, it even crossed my mind to resurrect my religious beliefs so that I could indulge in a sip of communion wine on a regular basis because that is surely not cheating!

So I am now just over halfway and wow I never knew January was such as long month! I have had a few wobbles and near cracks, the closest was last week when we saw my eldest daughter off to New Zealand for a year but I stuck stoically to my Sparkling water and Lime.

So what are the benefits? I am sleeping more deeply and longer than I even thought possible. I dont wake up to  pin drop noises several times in a night and don’t wake up feeling like I just got to sleep. The wierd intense dreams are an added bonus!

I feel more alert and can concentrate for longer and the desire for a glass of wine is getting less and less. Thats not to say when I see a cool  Pinot Grigio glugging into a frosty glass I am not just a bit jealous but my cool bubbly Pellegrino is a good substitute for now.

So what next? The purpose of this for me was to break a habit to allow me to structure a new more healthier one. So instead of opening a bottle as routine I will put limits on when I drink and why. I am also donating the money I have saved to Alcohol Concern so I help a good cause in the process. There has been a few articles lately pooh poohing Dry January as pointless but it has been far from pointless for me, at the very least an exercise in self discipline and any attempt for people to improve their health or lifestyle can’t be bad in my book.

Cheers!