Thoughts On Dry January

I really debated on if I wanted to write this post or not. Ultimately, I decided to because I have enjoyed reading others experiences on dry January. Also, I think it’s important to add to the conversation if you have something to say.

I should start by saying that while I don’t have a problem with alcohol I do feel as if I could do better in this area. Personally, I don’t really drink on week nights as a regular occurrence usually just on the weekends. However, I live in a province that has a massive drinking culture. Most events and experiences in Newfoundland are based around drinking. While that can be fun it can also be unhealthy and toxic in many ways.

 

 

Why I Decided To Do Dry January

After a particularly indulgent Christmas I just felt like I never wanted to look at another drink again. When I saw the dry January hashtag on Instagram I thought to myself what a great idea to kick off the new year! I love a good challenge that others are participating in and you can read their thoughts and opinions about the challenge. In addition, I also thought it was a great way to kick off 2018 creating some new healthy habits!

 

My Experience

Overall, I had a really positive experience. In the interest of full disclosure I did cheat once by going out with my cousin who was moving away and having a few beverages. I made the conscious choice to break my streak that night. She was moving away for good and I wanted to have one last night out with her! It was totally worth it. I kept up dry January right through Feb 6 to “make up” for my night out.

For the first two weeks I didn’t even notice I was doing dry January. I just didn’t want to drink so it didn’t even feel like a conscious choice. However, the first time I went out to dinner in 2018 when I didn’t order a drink with my meal it felt odd. I had a realization how habit forming alcohol is. You don’t even really think “do I really want to drink this” and just order a glass of wine with dinner out of habit because it’s what you’ve always done.

I did go to parties throughout the month and brought my own sparkling water and sparkling coconut water. I really did not feel like I was missing out at all. People of course asked questions and I happily told them what I was up to. I am sure a few people thought I was pregnant (I’m not haha). Mostly people were just curious about the whole dry January idea and super supportive which was nice.

I had a super productive month, I felt like the productivity queen crossing items off my 2018 goals consistently like it was nobody’s business. When normally I’d be fighting the fog of wine on a Sunday morning I was bouncing out of bed to get shit done. It was amazing!

I also found that healthy choices beget healthy choices. When you are at the top of your game health wise you will generally continue to make healthy choices. Whereas waking up hungover is a slippery slope into skipping your workout and eating junk food.

 

Going Forward

Overall, I think it just made me question some of my habits and caused me to create new healthier habits that I plan to continue. I think really questioning if you want to have a drink or two rather then just doing it out of habit was huge for me. If you ask yourself why you are doing something and you are okay with the answer then that’s great! That is a good lesson not only in drinking but in habit creation in general. Being mindful of why we do what we do and questioning those habits is what forces us to change.

I used the Dry January app to track my progress. It’s basically like a sticker chart for the modern age! There is also an app called 101 Tokens I know that some people use and find useful. Essentially every time you have a drink you use a token, whether it is 1 or 3 drink and you ask yourself was it worth it? Once your 101 tokens are gone for the year that’s it, so it forces you to moderate throughout the year.

I’m not giving up alcohol all together, but I have some big goals this year that require hard work and being in top shape. Alcohol in general is just empty calories and expensive, two things that I definitely think about! So for special occasions and when I really want to I will indulge for sure, but otherwise I am planning on a much “drier” year then 2017.

 

Did you participate in Dry January? What did you learn? 

What healthy habits are you trying to focus on this year?