Oooh, please share the recipe.

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/...thy-ish-january-bake

---

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Thank you! I will save that for next weekend - do you think the jam added a lot? I am often guilty of replacing alcohol with processed sugar so this seems like a better tactic than full on cake.

You're welcome!

For the cake, the jam component was just raspberries, chia seeds, and water. There's also no added sugar in the ganache (I also used DARK DARK chocolate which I love). But, the jam really does make this cake. I am going to make a batch of mixed berry chia jam to have with my greek yogurt instead of the other preserves I have that do have a bunch of added processed sugar. I may try making the cake again without as much brown sugar, probably halving the amount, just to see if it tastes as good without compromising the consistency. The beets add such a balanced natural sweetness and it's amazing.

---

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

I was just being lazy about the jam because I'm not sure I can get chia seeds here in town (#smalltownproblems) but today is my grocery shopping day so I will go scour the shelves. :-)

5 nights down and managed to enjoy my first “night out” without drinking. Boy did I drink a LOT of club soda though. Amazing how my brain feels like it needs a drink in hand during some situations. Good luck to all.

That is awesome! And yes. It's like smokers trying to quit and can't figure out what to do with their hands. Our brains get wired in such crazy directions. But it's a good thing to note for sure. And I love cranberry and club soda with lime at the bar :)

---

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Thank you for posting & hosting this. This is my third year of "Drynuary." I'm usually a 1-2 beer/wine a few times per week person and I've never struggled with booze, but I enjoy going dry as a feasible NY's resolution that helps me "reset" for the new year. I find it helps me lose a little weight during the cold winter, sleep a bit better, and probably save some $$ (by also discouraging me from eating at restaurants or bars). That's all – just another good thing on Slowtwitch. 6 days down.

Way to go. The use of club soda is also a great replacement for soft drinks and all that sugar (which is also a downside of alcoholic drinks....all those simple carbs).

But can I ask you how much club soda you had? All that water is kind of "hyponatremic" after a while as you're losing sodium diluting your blood with all that water. So if you have any major training the next day, you MAY feel off just by virtue of too much water intake.

In any case well done.

Dev

Six days gone, almost 20% of the way there.

Today was tough. Emotional pressure from many angles- family ish, rest day tomorrow, and playoff football, watching my Bears lose in the most soul-crushing manner possible. I drank a LOT of water today. I also just about chewed through my lip today too. Hoping tomorrow is easier.

---

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

I bet I drank 10 club sodas over ~4-5 hours! Don’t doubt what you say though and kind of thought of that also. Only had a recovery run scheduled today though and put extra salt in scrambled eggs this am anyway. 6 nights down!

Count me in.

It's pretty easy for me as a Head and Neck Cancer survivor. Alcohol use is a contributing factor for Head and Neck Cancer and increases the chance of recurrence in survivors.

I drank heavily in college, then socially for decades following. For several years prior to my diagnosis, I was regularly drinking a glass of wine each night to relieve stress and because I thought it was healthy. I wish I hadn't done that. I'm doing well now and have a good prognosis, but surgery followed by concurrent chemo and radiation was pretty barbaric.

https://www.headandneck.org/...cohol-get-the-facts/

Also, consider eliminating mouthwash with alcohol of which I was also a long-term user:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26275006

I should point out HPV was the primary cause of my cancer, but my drinking very likely contributed. Get your kids the HPV vaccine:
https://www.headandneck.org/hpv-head-neck-cancer/

Well, that didn't last long for me. I failed yesterday during the Bears game (Chicago native transplant to Indy). I made it through a get together with friends for the Colts game on Saturday and it wasn't tough. However, I smoked some wings on Sunday for the family and I just wanted a beer. I'm not going to go and say "well, I failed forget trying the rest of the month". I can still get a lot of the physical benefits from abstaining the rest of the month but I did fail at the mental aspect.

---

https://www.strava.com/athletes/23685202

That's hilarious....you added ~ 7 lbs of club soda into your body. Hopefully most of it was out by your run and you did not feel "heavy and sluggish" (because you would be heavy and with low sodium somewhat misfiring)!

Yep, when I quit smoking (13 years ago) I substituted the oral fixation of smoking with drinking. Took a few weeks to figure out why I was always getting so drunk out with friends... Whenever I would normally take a drag, I was taking a drink. Now this was back when you could smoke in bars, so it was a continuous habit.

The mind really is an amazing thing, we get so conditioned for behavior that it makes it very difficult to stop.

           I was curious after seeing that at the grocery store - what does la Croix water taste like?
………………………………………………………………………
They make some decent flavors! I love the pampelmousse (grapefruit).
We make our own flavored seltzers at home (we have a keezer setup for
homebrew and have extra taps, so why not?). My current favorite is blood orange
thyme.
…………………………………………………………………………………………

I recently discovered Kirkland Signature Sparkling Water (as well as La Croix).

I like it even more because it appears to have more carbonation.

CJ

Hey y’all, we’ve made it a whole week! That’s awesome! Over 22% of the way there!

Today was easy. Not sure how or why but I had a rested, productive day, took it easy tonight, and am going to bed with a clear mind. Now if this damn chest cold would just go away, I’d feel pretty close to invincible right now.

---

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Love this idea; accountability makes all the difference. My girlfriend is a professional runner, and I'm getting back into Tri's after some time away from the sport! We both will be partaking in this!

I'm in. I haven't actually had any alcohol in about six weeks. I find my sleep, training, and overall feeling are better when I abstain. Thus, I'll be sticking with it. :)

---

- John
"Have courage, and be kind."

Let’s kick week two in the teeth!

8 days and over a quarter of the way done. I peed out half my body weight again today. Possibly more related to medication or illness recovery than abstinence. Nonetheless I feel light and floaty, lol.

Today was also a social test, with going out to a dining establishment and ordering an unsweetened passionfruit iced tea instead of one of the 131 beers on tap. Didn’t miss it. Well, maybe. But not nearly enough to regret. I also picked out my February 1st beer to get nice and cold for the next 23 days.

---

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

What beer did you pick? We have a nice bottle of Californian Cab Sauv lurking in the wine rack that I have my eye on for Feb 1st.

It's -34C here today; I could do with a hot toddy but instead tried a new loose leaf tea that was in store when I went to stock up. If anybody wants a chai oolong, let me know because I didn't like it.

There's an interesting study of the military veterans from the Vietnam War who came back as heroin addicts (a lot of them). They had about an 85% success rate in getting clean long-term. Vs. a much, much lower rate for most addicts.

One of the primary reasons is suspected to be just the complete change in lifestyle when getting back to the States. None of the usual triggers for using exist anymore. Usual dealers are gone. The stresses of war are gone. The buddies to shoot up with are gone. Etc. While most addicts usually eventually return to the same patterns that trigger use.

The lesson is that the a key to beating a bad habit isn't necessarily brute force willpower. It's avoiding the need to even use willpower by just making it easy for yourself.

I agree with this.

Saturday i'm visting some friends which in most cases i have a beer. But not this time. They know i don't drink in january. Rest of the weekend i'll train my ass off as a substitute.

Best to change the habit in to something useful aka smartphone addiction(should be pink)

Mark

Do you happen to know of a link to the study? That is pretty interesting.

A locally-made Oat Villein. I know, I know ;)

What wine do you have picked out? I love me some Napa cabs (stares wistfully at the wine fridge...)

---

Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx