Dry January (or "January" to Trag)

[washing machine]

So I've been keeping NA beers in the fridge, but I only reach for one a night. They taste great, so it's not for lack of enjoyment. I just have no desire to stack the empty calories if there's no buzz.

That's super-telling data for me and overall diet. 3-4 beers a night makes you heavy. Who'd have thought?

[tree_]

Ha. Love NA beers. And ice cream.

[Monkey_Driven]

So I've been keeping NA beers in the fridge, but I only reach for one a night. They taste great, so it's not for lack of enjoyment. I just have no desire to stack the empty calories if there's no buzz.

That's super-telling data for me and overall diet. 3-4 beers a night makes you heavy. Who'd have thought?

What are your go to NA beers? I'm trying to cycle in a few into my normal rotation, but I don't want to buy a bunch to see what I like.

[washing machine]

Ha. Love NA beers. And ice cream.

Yeah, that's the other side of the coin! Every time I put down alcohol for an extended period of time, my sweet tooth kicks into high gear.

[washing machine]

What are your go to NA beers?

Best Day makes a great kolsch. That stays in rotation. Athletic used to make an insanely good mangonada IPA that you could buy from their website. Not sure if it was limited or year round.

Lately I've really been into Deschutes Golden. Poured in a pint, it's the best approximation of foamy head, full bodied beer.

[washing machine]

Feeling unproductive lately. Can't blame it on alcohol.

[tree_]

Feeling unproductive lately. Can't blame it on alcohol.

Yeah man, I've been going through a rough patch as well. Like I just need to turn off for a while after trying so hard. Being human is weird. Haven't drank again since Sunday, but thinking about tonight. Something about snow on the forecast and being home for the weekend...

[washing machine]

Feeling unproductive lately. Can't blame it on alcohol.

Yeah man, I've been going through a rough patch as well. Like I just need to turn off for a while after trying so hard. Being human is weird.

That's the thing, huh? Showing up every day is enough to make you either want a drink or just kind of burn out. There's no shame in not being constantly on, but I guess the trick is not letting yourself relax in a mental swamp for too long.

[tree_]

Feeling unproductive lately. Can't blame it on alcohol.

Yeah man, I've been going through a rough patch as well. Like I just need to turn off for a while after trying so hard. Being human is weird.

That's the thing, huh? Showing up every day is enough to make you either want a drink or just kind of burn out. There's no shame in not being constantly on, but I guess the trick is not letting yourself relax in a mental swamp for too long.

Yeah, I kinda hate the "everything in moderation" slogan but, ... true

unless you're kind of an overachiever type. Like, I was watching John Mayer talk about his sobriety and it seems like the big thing for him that made him perk up about it was how "productive" he is able to be with his music career, which also made me want to drink. (Nothing against you using productivity as a metric, personally). Also he embarrassed himself in front of his celebrity friends when drinking too much. His ego is his problem. My lack of ego might be mine.

[washing machine]

Interesting. I did not know he was sober.

One factor in my lack of motivation: it's painfully slow at work. Always this way in January for restaurants. Even moreso now that Dry January is such a thing. Though we do have a delicious zero proof menu.

I suppose I should use this time to get ahead for the year, but I don't want to!

[tree_]

what's the point? we're all gonna die someday. (i didn't mean this to sound negative, but realistic)

[washing machine]

Shout out to all my fellow February teetotalers.

[Dev]

My lack of ego might be mine.

I think this is probably true for me on in a broader context than addiction...

[Dev]

Seems like you guys are discovering the depression/anxiety that drug abuse masks. Our baseline emotionality is not great.

[Dev]

I saw a thing I liked the other day that is dumb and probably everyone knows. Basically the idea was that alcoholics make the best fighter jet pilots. Why? Because in chaotic situations they feel calm and function well. The problem is when they are in a stable environment... It's intolerable. They drink. There's no question that's me.

[spike]

I saw a thing I liked the other day that is dumb and probably everyone knows. Basically the idea was that alcoholics make the best fighter jet pilots. Why? Because in chaotic situations they feel calm and function well. The problem is when they are in a stable environment... It's intolerable. They drink. There's no question that's me.

I can relate to this. I’m fairly calm and functional in higher stress situations - my mind is sharp. Everyday mundane stuff I can be kinda scatterbrained - it’s my approach to trying to be laid back and adaptable, but then I’m not as clear headed.

[daft twat]

Shout out to all my fellow February teetotalers.

My first no alcohol month in years. It wasn’t great. I have been having so many headaches. I’m just eating too much junk and not sleeping well. Seeing a doctor tomorrow for the first time in years. Regardless of how that goes, I think I’m going to continue to abstain for a while.

[coptheriotact]

Shout out to all my fellow February teetotalers.

My first no alcohol month in years. It wasn’t great. I have been having so many headaches. I’m just eating too much junk and not sleeping well. Seeing a doctor tomorrow for the first time in years. Regardless of how that goes, I think I’m going to continue to abstain for a while.

When I cut down significantly on alcohol, it did make me more sensitive and in tune with other Problems with my diet, such as
eating too late
Too much caffiene
too much salt and sugar
not enough water
But I don’t know if there’s any relation to alcohol or I’m just getting older

[daft twat]

In mid-March I decided I needed to have a drink. It wasn’t a craving. Because my first day without a drink was February 1st, I knew exactly how many days it had been every single day, and it was weighing on me in a weird way. Kind of like a Wordle streak. If it gets too long, I find myself not enjoying the game anymore because I’m so obsessed with the streak.

Anyway, I had a couple drinks before bed. It was enjoyable. A little over a week later, it was my birthday. I didn’t go anywhere or anything, but I used it as an excuse to drink a couple before bed. Again, it was nice. Less than a week later, I was on spring break and decided to start it by watching my hockey team with a couple drinks. Unfortunately, that became 5 nights in a row. On the last of those 5 days, I even drank during the day because I was bored.

I woke up the next day feeling disgusted with myself. I wasn’t hung over or anything, but I had let myself turn one night into five so easily. Just right back into the routine. Fell into a pretty deep depression for a couple weeks. By coincidence, that was April 1st.

So it’s May 3rd, and I once again know exactly how many days it’s been. April was so much easier than February. No headaches. The first week was tough with cravings, but it’s been easy since. Summer vacation is just 4 weeks away. I don’t want to teetotal all summer, but I don’t want to fall back into the nightly routine. I have no idea how it will play out. My simple goal is to drink less days than I do this year. I drank every day in January. I drank 7 days in March. I wouldn’t say I’m winning, but I’m ahead.

[wease]

Hang in there man. The best way to stay out of the routine is to simply not do it again. I’m very much the same way. “Just this once” turns into once a week, then a few nights a week, then we’re back where we started. I know full well it’s easier said than done but I’ve found it best to just stay away from those things I feel are negatively contributing because I know I’m not a one-and-done guy.