January 2021 |
10 minutes
Read stories of people who are taking on Dry January in lockdown - how lockdown has affected them, what's helped them with their month, and what they're planning to do next.
Tara
"I have been doing Dry January for the last few years but this year it is different. "
"I have been doing Dry January for the last few years but this year it is different. During the last 10 months, in and out of lockdown, I found myself drinking more. So the first four days of this dry January was very hard… headaches, tiredness. But after that I have seen a real difference in my energy levels, my motivation for doing different things and my productivity. I am sleeping for seven to eight hours solid which is brilliant for me. I am really enjoying getting the emails every day, which makes me take time to pause and think about the impact alcohol has on oneself. Also getting to tick "stayed dry" on the app is very satisfying."
Andy
"This year I WILL finish Dry January and you know what? I’m in no rush to get back in front of a pint glass."
"I have tried to complete Dry January many, many times and failed. Life seems less stressful after a few pints or glasses of wine. Then one day you wake up and nothing has changed other than you have a hangover, a dry mouth, can’t focus. Exercise is hard, no matter how far I cycle my beer belly does not go down, my complexion tells a tale of how drink has taken over my life. Well no more!
"After too many glasses of wine on Christmas Eve and feeling like my head is going to bang and my mouth is like the bottom of a budgie’s cage I spoke with my wife and we both agreed it was time to stop!
"Now it’s 19 January and I have not had a beer or a glass of wine for 26 days. The first week was hard, but signing up to Dry January and a determination to not fail this year has kept me dry.
"Thank you for the motivational emails – they are a big help to identify the changes in my body and mind. I am sleeping, dreaming like never before, I don't look like the red Barron, and I can see my toes! My cycling is fun now, and my blood pressure is back in the ideal zone. It’s the first time I feel free for so many years I cannot remember.
"So this year I WILL finish Dry January and you know what? I’m in no rush to get back in front of a pint glass."
Paul
"It's been really lovely waking up each weekend feeling fresh. That feeling far outweighs the temporary satisfaction of having a drink."
"I've done Dry January a couple of times in the past and found it really challenging if I'm honest. Last year I lasted until the third week and then a friend had a birthday party and it was game over.
"I wanted to do Dry January this year to give me a bit of a reset. I've been surprised at how easy I've found it. Being at home, away from friends and the pub has meant that I don't have the peer pressure that was there before. I love my wine and I have wanted a glass in front of the TV on a Saturday night. but it's been really lovely waking up each weekend feeling fresh. That feeling far outweighs the temporary satisfaction of having a drink.
"I have more energy and focus and after only three weeks, I’m feeling much more positive and all the better for it. I'll still drink but I don't want to go back to how I was before. Who knew that Sunday mornings existed? I hope Dry January and the latest lockdown have given me the reset that I was aiming for."
Maria
"Every year [Dry January] teaches me something more about my relationship with alcohol and about myself."
"It's my third year doing Dry January and can't recommend it enough because every year it teaches me something more about my relationship with alcohol and about myself. It isn't the physical effects that make me do it every year, but the emotional ones. During this month, I feel happier in general and I avoid emotional ups and downs, and it also helps me put in perspective the way I drink for the rest of the year, and think about how I use alcohol. Can't recommend it enough and every year I convince more and more friends to try it."
P
"Things in life can be challenging but the rewards are so great that it's worth the challenge."
"I decided to do Dry January as I couldn't remember the last day I hadn't had a drink and knew it had to stop! I went to Weight Watchers a year and a half ago and when lockdown started I could see my weight slowly creeping on again.
"I have never managed to complete the month before. But I signed up to the app, cut out the crisps and daily chocolate, got rid of all the wine out if the house, mission on... I started running too. I’m feeling good, skin and hair look better, I have a physical job so that's become easier, and I’m having more quality time with my family rather than opening the wine as soon as I get in.
"Things in life can be challenging but the rewards are so great that it's worth the challenge. Once Dry January is finished I'm going to try low alcohol gin and tonics on weekends and have occasional wine. That is the aim!"
Suzie
"Some friends call me ‘Boozey’ - so if I can do it, so can others."
"In lockdown in 2020 I had my bestie (my dog) and wine to get me through. I wasn’t parting with my precious booze. I had a habit of associating wine with things like cleaning or finishing a uni assignment. When we got out of lockdown I partied, went for dinner and ate and drank and in December I felt crap. My mental health wasn’t great, I gained three kilos and I didn’t follow through with my classes or exercise.
"I decided to give Dry January a fair go. My friend suggested downloading the Dry January app. My mental health is a lot better, my exercise regime is going as planned and I am sleeping better.
"Most importantly, I am not wanting to drink and if I do I want to cut out drinking at home and only have a few gins when I’m out. Some friends call me ‘Boozey’ - so if I can do it, so can others."
