No Alcohol January 2025

Triathlon Forum
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Well, Hello there Everyone!

Greetings from Jersey!

Welp, we’re at that time of year (some of you arrived here before others, including me haha), where I come back to the forum to put on my coaching hat for the next month and change. As always, I’m here to offer up my personal anecdotes to help those of you on the fence to participate to opt in, and to also air my grievances up front before we take ourselves out of the violent spin cycle of the last year and get on a low, comfortable tumble dry to start 2025.

This will be Dry January #11 for me! I’m relieved to say that I’ve been able to do it with enthusiasm for so long, and the years definitely got easier as time went by. Some of that was muscle memory, some of that was easy January goings-on and recently a LOT of that had to do with all of YOU who helped keep me accountable. So, thank you!

2024 presented a lot of challenges. New state, new roles in my job as a coach (camp director, regional race series partner, USAT youth/junior development person, etc), and new relationships with people who may or may not have been looking out for me with the best of intentions. I’m also officially legally single, and that presented a LOT of fun opportunities. Solo travel? Yes please! Travel with best friends to Bucket List places/events? Sign me up! Work trip to IM 70.3 Worlds in New Zealand? I will happily flex on that, yes. I’ve lived life raw this year, and Life has done the same to me. I’m finishing my year exhausted, slightly anxious about the New Year, and frustrated with a lack of solid community around me in my new surroundings.

Today, while grocery shopping, my trip around the store was met with a metric ton of roadblocks- clueless people shuffling behind carts, empty shelves, an audacious price for unsalted butter…all leaving me pretty spun up while trying to get home to my next meeting. Someone bumped into me, knocking the last tub of greek yogurt in the store from my hand to the floor, and I could feel the meltdown reaching eye level- almost like the reverse of exhaling at the end of a lane at the pool to sink down, feeling the pressure building on your eardrums and cheeks. I could have yelled, I really wanted to cry, and that little voice popped up in the back of my head: “there is not enough bourbon to deal with this”. Well, the bourbon can stay on the shelf right now. Because it’s almost time for my favorite month of the year- connecting with all of you, finding our glassy-smooth waters to swim in together, and a way to reset our relationships with alcohol in mindful, healthy ways. Remember- it doesn’t get easier, you just get better.

So, who’s in?
Let’s start the year off on the right foot, in control of one of our controllables and investing in ourselves early on.

One of the main success points that we have every year is the teamwork and camaraderie. We all cheer each other on, either publicly in this thread or privately through our DMs. And this year, thanks to modern marvels of technology, we can start a group chat to take better care in real time- instead of holding our breath through the witching hours and trigger moments while our DMs are sent by electronic carrier pigeons, we can talk in real time to celebrate the highs and support through the lows. Pretty neat, huh?

If you’re playing along for the first time, or are just now coming out of your post-holiday fog and need a refresher, here’s how this goes:

  1. I’ll be posting a check-in here every day throughout January. Feel free to read along, nod silently in agreement, or check in yourself for accountability. If you don’t feel comfortable checking in publicly, I offer you my personal pompoms and DMs every day you need it.

  2. Take this extra time to tune into your body. We all love data- keep track of your resting HR and HRV, hours slept, quality of sleep, how many chocolate chips you snarfed because you’re missing your after dinner ritual, and how well you’re otherwise staying hydrated. There are lots more metrics too, so share with the class what you’re experiencing!

  3. The goal of this month is to evaluate your relationship with alcohol. Some people will come into this thread to tell us that drinking is wrong and gross and we’re awful humans for enjoying a nice single barrel bourbon every so often (come on, this IS the ST forum after all), but many others will share inspiring stories about their sobriety and encourage us to fulfill our promise to ourselves this month and potentially beyond. And, several of us will also discuss our favorite beverage of choice- the one that gets us through this month, and the one we’re looking forward to after this period ends. Quality over quantity is a common theme here.

  4. If you manage to succeed in staying dry for 31 days, that’s 8.5% of your year spent sober. Woohoo!

Are you ready? Let’s goooooo!

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I’m in. Probably going to do 90+ days to start the year. I imagine the first drink will be for my wife’s birthday in early April.

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I’m in. I have been in recovery for 20+ years, is that cheating lol?

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I’m in!

I actually started on December 26th as I head to Europe at the end of January, and that way, I will complete 31 days.

I’ve also had a (relatively) challenging couple of months since getting covid (2nd time) in late October. The illness was less impactful than the first time, (just really one day in bed and 3 more resting before I started to feel better). The weird part was that my RHR bumped up about 20% post-sickness, which translated to my workout HR being significantly higher, turning most training sessions into a slog.

I also donated red blood cells about 3 weeks ago and have felt like I’ve been working out with a 20lb weight vest since then. In hindsight, this may not have been the best idea…

So, I’m ready for the body reset that taking a break from alcohol will bring. This is my 4th dry January in 6 years and the first few days have been super easy. The restful sleep and RHR starting to return to normal is a great sign that things might be moving in the right direction.

Thanks for all your guidance and help in the past, Dr C!

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I know, and I’m SO sorry - I fucking suck as a friend and “just up the Pike” neighbor

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Holy shit do NOT be sorry. You’ve tried harder than anyone else here. Plus you have the advantage of, well, knowing me before I rolled into the pines. Jersey people are just bred differently. They’re like the younger cousins of New Englanders- all of the blunt ugliness but almost none of the ball-busting neighborly love.

(I know that’s harsh but prove me wrong lol)

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Little known fact - I lived in CT until we moved to Jersey when I was 11

between 7th & 8th Grade - I took a trip back to visit my Grandparents for a couple weeks. Cruising around that sleepy town on my skateboard, they regarded me as some sort of alien, even though I’d only been away for a year*. It was then that I embraced my Jersey-ness and I realized I was where I was meant to be

.* I returned yet again 3 years later; after I had learned to surf, started listening to Punk, and dyed my hair orange … all that REALLY fucked them up

I have a shitload of cousins who live up there, all within two towns adjacent of each other. It’s kinda like South Philly where people move only a couple blocks away from each other, but without the panache - in South Philly, they stay close to maintain a family dynamic, a legacy, traditions, stories

In Connecticut (my cousins, anyway), they’re too cowardly to challenge themselves & the status quo; working for Travelers is “what our family does”

I won’t comment on my work friends at Sikorsky; they seem kind of OK

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Ha! I grew up in Rhode Island, but like you I escaped orbit. Families won’t visit each other in RI if they’re more than 10 minutes away…it’s wicked fah to drive halfway across an entire state! But leaving the border confines of the Ocean State? You’re worse than chopped liver lol

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I’m in. I’ve done a better job the past year than before, and I’m feeling much better in almost every aspect of my life. It’s very easy when it’s just my SO and I, who enjoy a casual drink.

The hardest part is still being around family and friends who are heavy drinkers. This year really taught me that I really only drink more than one drink when I’m around certain family and good friends. It’s a bummer.

I’ve got a really good friend in town until Jan 11, so it’s going to be a real struggle to stay dry.

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How old are you now if I may ask? :rofl:

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In. I have nothing to add about living in the Eastern Time Zone but I appreciate the conversation!

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Interestingly, I meant to post “11”

11cubed = 121

Vampire math? Who knows, but thanks

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I’m in. I reserve the right to start on January 3rd, as the 2nd is my birthday.

I’ve found myself not binge drinking, but having that “one glass of wine to get over the day” more often than I’m comfortable with this last year. I’d honestly rather I were drinking like I were 18 again; it scared me less than the persistent creep of more alcohol into my life and for really no good reason.

I also have goals to complete my first full at MiTi and to not embarrass myself on the international stage in Pontevedra in 2025, so I can imagine less alcohol would be detrimental to performance either.

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In!

Pretty sure I’ll make it. 7 yrs sober so another should be easy.

That said, anyone on here who is considering going dry for good, just wants the encouragement or some one to chat with, feel free to shoot me a message!

Happy new year!

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I’m in for the third year in a row, 2024 I waited until September until my first drink of the year. This year I’m unsure but I’m definitely happy with abstaining throughout this year. Cheers to everyone and happy to follow along for 2025!

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I’m in!

Newbie here – long time lurker, first time poster – and will also doing my very first dry January. I’ve actually done a Whole 30 diet reset a few times which also forbids alcohol, so I’ve kinda sorta done a dry January (or dry whatever month) in the past.

This is the first time I’m specifically excluding just alcohol though, and also the first time I’m participating with a community of folks and holding myself accountable to others. I’m curious to see how I’ll feel about opting for the NA option at the various social events on my January calendar. I’m also keen to see if I’ll just decide to keep it going post-January. I like the added challenge of tuning in to my body: prioritizing sleep and monitoring my RHR while doing this – thanks for that. Happy to be here, and happy new year to all!

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I rarely drink anymore. I have had too many concussions over the years and the last two have left me with ongoing issues one of which is functional blackouts where, to everyone else, I seem normal but I can lose my memory for days after as little as three drinks. It just isn’t worth it anymore. I did have half a glass of champagne with my workmates just before midnight tonight though. Next drink will be March 10th.

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Starting January 3rd and will bleed over February 3rd. My oldest daughter turns 39 on January 2nd and has given me grief for not having a drink with her on her birthday since this will be the 4 or 5th year participating in No alcohol January. I also have done dry July the past few years. I will enjoy that one mescal margarita with her on her birthday. I always quite after a few and that is sometimes once every week or two.

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I started a few days early and I’m at the “waterfall” stage of proceedings. IYKYK.

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I’ll never understand the need or desire to go completely without booze unless one was an alcoholic or binge drinker. I enjoy a couple of beers per week, almost never more than one at a time, so I don’t drink all that much anyways.

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