Wow - my 60-something friends think it’s much stronger now compared to the 80s!

I can’t comment, having given it up 40 years ago, but my 39 year old son says is way stronger than what was available in the 90’s.

Looks like I will break the January-free alcohol thing... will probably have a couple of beers tonight. :eek:

Noooooooo! In the words of Jon Bon Jovi, you’re halfway there. Stick with it, dude.

Dont give in to peer pressure.

Almost halfway through! We were both off work last week and it felt tough because we were in vacation mode, but honestly, it's been worse since being back at work! But we're hanging in here and tough/worse is all relative. I'm bummed I haven't lost more weight but Mr. CE has dropped about 10 pounds :eek:

I'm still pushing to have booze next Wednesday.

I have been dry-ish (only had a couple beers over the weekend at street concert) this month but I have been saving a bottle of Taittinger to celebrate the inauguration on Wednesday We deserve it after all what we have all been through. :idea:

I say that people should enjoy themselves, with or without their preferred vices. :-)
I don’t know when I last had alcohol outside cooking wine. Not sure when I last had gummies. I’ll probably have a bowl of cereal.

Do it! You have my full virtual support! Alcohol has never failed me! :)

ditto! I like your encouragement :-)

I’m wrapping up day 6 of a planned 33 without alcohol. It’s been a lot of kombucha and Perrier.

I am marinating some beautiful lamb chops to grill later. I am really tempted to hop off the wagon---not because I am craving booze (I am not) but because I know that a Pinot Noir would go so nicely with them. I already planned to make an exception for the 20th because I have reason to celebrate but so technically it is dry-ish January. Hmmm...should I or shouldn't I?

You answer to no one but you. So, I say go for it.

My abstinence is part of a whole 30. You break a rule, you start over again. So, if I break a rule, I assume it wasn’t meant to be and that’s usually the end.

Yes, only to me but I don't want to feel like a loser to me.
What do you mean if you break a rule you start over? What other rules?

I'm mostly a non-drinker to begin with, but I realized with COVID that I've gone from drinking a little maybe a couple times a quarter to coming up on a full year since I've had any a full drink - the only alcohol I've had since last March has literally been a couple of instances where I've taken a small sip to see if port or wine for cooking was still good.
Can't say I miss the alcohol per se. Definitely miss the occasions (international flights, nice dinners out, the once a year trip to a baseball game) that go with it, I hope I have any minimal tolerance for it left when life gets back to normal.

Halfway there and I really don't miss it. There have been a few times where I moaned to Mr Gfunk that I really wanted a cocktail, but I'm surprised at myself how easy it's been. I'll have to cut out the booze more often going forward. Maybe one week a month dry.

I bought a bottle of kombucha at Whole Foods when I was there earlier in the week and it wasn't as vile as I remembered, but neither was it what I'd call good. I'll just stick to fizzy water. I like the idea of limeade/lemonade and fizzy water.

Whole30 rules: no alcohol, no grains, no dairy, no added sugar. Also no legumes (so no soy, no peanuts, no unshelled beans of any kind). It lasts for 30 days and at the end, you have achieved enlightenment. Okay, no enlightenment, but supposedly reduces inflammation and I always lose 10 pounds and feel better.

Some are far worse than others. I avoid any that are green in color. My preference is something fruit punchy and red. I recommend Synergy brand as they avoid added sugar and *most* seem to have a more mainstream flavor.

Day 16. The temperature hit 80 this afternoon and I really would have enjoyed a beer. Wisely, I removed them all from the fridge at the start.

Reads better now. :)

LOL. It does read better. But I would never not have beer on hand. The beer fridge is empty. But the beer closet is well stocked.

I failed... had some beers several days ago. :eek:

I know some of us had some elderflower beverage discussions on here. I have not tried this but a friend posted this on FB with a cocktail that she made from it. Sounds good! Trader Joe
https://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/springy-sodas

And... my friend just gave me a 12 pack of IPA...

Intended as a 100% non-judgemental question, but how long after one stops drinking alcohol does one go from regaling an interesting recent detail of one’s life to becoming one of those utterly dull tee-totallers that never seems to shut up about it. It’s somewhere in the gap between a month and year, by my reckoning.

I’ve been told I’m the same person, drinking or not. A complete A-hole, but interesting. During the 16 adult years I did not drink, no one knew the glass was full of nothing but club soda unless I had told them. But I’m exceptional. No doubt most people are as you describe them.

Well, yesterday I really just wanted some bourbon so I had the rest of the bottle of Woodford Reserve I had. It was maybe a shot and a half.

Today I decided to have some wine so I had a delightful Freeman pinot noir. I will have the rest of the bottle tomorrow. And then nothing until next Friday. I think restricting drinking to the weekends is a good thing.

Yay for drinking. I don’t get this dry culture - we can just enjoy legal products as we wish. Now in my city, bars are not legal, so I support the act of enjoying alcohol and not being inside a bar. I really don’t mind drinking alcohol or not, but it’s definitely been awhile. I really don’t know what to do with that cinnamon vodka.

So, why post on a thread called “Taking A Break From Alcohol”???

well, I am taking a break from alcohol :-)

Well, you've convinced me, I am gong to start dry January and give it a go, wish me luck, I'll need it !

you can do it!!! Only 1 day!

Technically, 1 hour 45 mins where I am :)

Delete

gl gl!!! You can celebrate your achievements in February :-)

......starting in about 45 minutes.

agreed - how went Dry January? :-)

You have to be strong. I am not sure I am going to put myself through that again. Good luck to everyone else that attempts it in the future! :)

Yesterday I considered giving up on the last day because a close friend literally nearly died in my arms. Had a 2 hour staring match with the bottle of whisky on the shelf. I decided it wouldn't actually solve any of the problems in hand and stopped myself. I also decided that I'm going to stay dry for now. I actually started on December 4 so this was never specifically a dry "January" for me anyway.

Had the whisky been better than Bells I could well have lost.