Alcohol free January

Is there anything more ridiculous than the manner in which the new drinking limits have been announced today. All that hectoring and threatening short lives and fatal illnesses. I can think of nothing more likely to encourage people to drink to excess.

People will just ignore the limit and drink what they like. I know a lot of people do that already, but I think a lot of those who always had the limit in the back of their minds when drinking will now just shrug their shoulders and ignore it completely.

I wonder how many have given up on the Dry January as a result.

I haven't had a drink since Christmas day - not because of Dry January but I've been ill since then and haven't felt like one which is a sure sign I'm not well. I generally only have one glass of red wine a night but these new guidelines make it look like I've been going over the units on a regular basis for years! Makes me want to go and open a bottle just to be a rebel!

Exactly! I am definitely going to have a drink this evening, even though I wouldn't have one normally.

It's enough to drive one to drink! I don't drink on my own, so am unlikely ever to exceed a recommended limit. However, it's about time England followed Scotland in lowering the drink drive limit from 80mg to 50mg of alcohol in every 100ml of blood. It's still 80mg in the rest of the UK.

I am into day eight but have struggled the past couple of days. We were up at half past five yesterday to travel to South Wales for my brother in law's funeral, and quite honestly i could have done with a very large gin (yes G-I-N!) and tonic afterward. But i stuck to the tonic . We are now back at home, DH nursing a large scotch and me staring balefully at a bottle of Oxford Landing! Think it'll be an early night!

Hang on in there Greyduster you can it. Repeat after me 'I will not b dictated to by a bottle!'

Thank you NanKate

And well done all those still surviving

Greyduster, you're not alone and I know exactly what you mean about the gin after the funeral - sorry about that. DH had a nice glass of red (I had a sniff) with his meal tonight while I had water. I did have a non-alcoholic beer before the meal (bought by mistake a while ago!) It was actually ok if you like beer but very fizzy.

Heard that woman ranting on the Today programme this morning - not how to communicate to adults I would have thought.

Anya is right Greyduster - you can do it - just stick with us - we'll see you alright That was a tough day and you did well

NanKate - I did reduce after my dry September and I was happy to be just enjoying a nice glass of wine with dinner. Then a few very stressful events hit and I found one glass became two ..... still within the 'old' safe limits though!

Now who knows...

Tonight's tipple was lime juice with elderflower cordial topped up with fever tree tonic - finished with a lime slice and a titanic ice cube - all served up in the new gin cocktail glasses I bought DH for Christmas ?

Day 8 done

Did the ice cube come out like that by chance Jg or do you have some clever device ?

I have bought a bottle of the Fever Tree low cal ginger beer for tonight. It's good that non alcoholic drinks companies now exist. If we had gone back to my childhood it would have been a bottle of Tizer .

Er ...is a white wine stock cube allowed? I've just made soup with one.

However, I have stayed away from the bottles, a thin layer of dust may need removing from them sometime soon.

I watched the news last night, on the lowering of the 'safe' limits, especially for men. A pint of beer a day?? Yeah, right.

However I was somewhat cheered that 'women over 55' may benefit from a glass of red.

The alcohol burns off when heated, so providing it wasn't gazpacho you're ok.

Yes, but did you see the size of the glass allowed?

Yes, not big, was it?

The soup was definately heated through
(polishes crown)

I have read these posts with interests, some of you sound like you have a real drink problem, how hard can it be simply to not drink alcohol for a month. If someone cannot bear to be without even a small one then they have a real alcohol dependency. Even someone who only has one glass a week can become dependant upon that one glass. I know this as I trained as an alcohol/drug rehab worker which I do along with my main job. I worry when I read some of these posts

What a sweet, non-judgemental little person you are ethelbags ...now you trundle back home and have a nice to refresh you after combining the pressure of work (in a call centre if I remember correctly - so stressful) with alcohol counselling. Please don't worry your pretty little head about us, you lovely, caring person

Etheltbags That sounds very insensitive of you. There but for the grace of God go us all. Your don't know what other people's experiences have been and there is a genetic element towards alcohol addiction.

I know I can't take too much alcohol without getting sick which is a big incentive not to drink too much but I consider myself lucky.

I'm sure I read somewhere that one of ethel's NY resolutions was to come on here and wind people up.

What took you so long, ethel?

Recovering from a NYE hangover?

Wow - can you imagine turning up for your alcohol counselling session and coming across Ms Judgy pants? Would you ever return? Nope, thought not.

I think for many people on this thread the difficulty is not cutting out the alcohol as cutting out the HABIT of alcohol; relaxing in the evening with a glass of wine, always having a glass of wine with your lunch etc.

It is like always starting the day with a cup of coffee, or in my case that cup of coffee after lunch. It is decaf anyway, so I am not going for the caffeine fix but I am just in the habit of sitting down with the newspapers and cup of coffee after lunch and I would find it hard to break from that habit if I had to stop.

He he thanks merlot Id forgotten. However I genuinely don't know how people can 'need; alcohol regularly, its ok as a very occasional treat but for me I cant give up chocolate so Im trying to have a January free of chocolate........ that's different

anya don't wind me up please-that's my job.
No I don't work in a call centre , I have done but never again.
Yes Im having a cuppa right now, why do you think Im called Ethel t bags.

It sounds like you have a real chocolate problem, how hard can it be simply to not eat chocolate for a month?

If someone cannot bear to be without even a small piece then they have a real dependency problem...

btw I am a therapist not a counsellor. I do massage and reflexology. I have to be extremely non judgemental. You lot just don't know me. My clients love me. (even if I wind them up a bit in fun).

joggingirl why do you have little fish in your drink ,Im looking at your pic you posted yesterday (frid). Are they real

time to go , Ana and her A team are on my back.