Going to do Dry January.
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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2024
- Lots of people take a minute to examine how they consume alcohol. I have never done it. It is probably time. Should be an interesting month. UPDATE: After I posted this and there were a couple comments I became aware that it could take even longer than 30 days to start to see the changes I was discussing. For now I will try to start with January, see what I notice, and then decide if I want to keep going or add some light drinking back.
IG: / donosborn
TikTok: / theoriginaldono
Did 8 months this year and 12 months dry in 2017. Sleep will change but the best sleep wont kick in until after 6-8 weeks of being beer free. I call it baby sleep and its one of the reasons i have long breaks. The better sleep becomes addictive and leads to greater productivity in every part of your life, i also realized i was frequently dehydrated from the beers and that affected me as well. Alcohol greatly affects your moods and you don't realize until your sober. I still brew but bottle long term brew's more, Congrats on challenging yourself Don.....good luck and remember its only short term and when your ready try for longer,
Several people have mentioned it might take longer than a month for better sleep to come. I guess I'll see. I've always been a bad sleeper so I think any small improvement at all will be noticed. Even just have less fluids in me before going to bed has got to help. But yeah it sounds like an even longer period would lead to even better overall health benefits. Like you say, this is a short term thing and who knows maybe one time I'd do it for longer. Cheers.
This was also my experience mentioned above. I drank almost every day or two for about 15 years. Find a small project or hobby you had been interested in before and pick it back up. Or a new hobby/home project and it will keep you from thinking about it as much. Give you a goal to achieve and you'll have no problems and not miss it! I also bought some flavored water enhancers to enjoy in the evenings to tickle the taste buds and scroll through the phone researching my project ideas.. good luck buddy! No worries!!
Thanks Austin. I have plenty of hobbies and stuff to do so luckily that is not a problem. And honestly not drinking is not even a hassle or challenge either. Would just love to get the sleep to get better so hopefully that will come along. Cheers. @@austincornett367
Great timing, I am following you since I discovered Brewing TV several years ago and I really enjoy home brewing. I found out that especially in 2023 I drank almost every night one or two beers, sometimes more. I gained a lot of weight during the second half of the year and in addition with some grumpiness I discovered in myself, paired with less resilience I also decided to go for dry January, but started already after Christmas. Will also carve out sugar to the extend possible. I'm interested how it will turn out for you and of course for me as well. I am also afraid of the social effect, but I won't step back. I'm also a bad sleeper since years (5-6 h) and if that helps, I will definitely think about significantly reducing my drinking. I have three kids, so I definitely need some mental health. :)
Good luck for you, I will keep following, all the best, Christian
Great comment. Alcohol can affect us in so many weights. Weight, sleep, health, etc. I'm super curios to see how this month goes and hopefully can see some improvements. Maybe others will try to make some changes too. Cheers and thanks for the nice words.
I've been subscribed to you for many years, learned how to homebrew beers from your channel. I got sober 5+ years ago after developing a problem with drinking. The biggest challenge for me long term was not having an outlet for when a day was crappy, or just unwinding after a long day. You will face your own mind instead of escaping.
Congratulations on being sober and making the right choice for yourself. Your comment about not escaping is one I am curious about. I don't think I use alc that way but that was part of what I addressed. Psychologically will I find that I miss it more than I anticipate? I will see. Cheers.
Good for you Don! Im prioritizing health and saving money for 2024 myself
Thanks man.
Hey Don, I did dry January for the "first" time last year and while that first week was hard, it payed off. I lost weight and had that mental clarity you spoke of after a couple of weeks. I think the biggest challenge i had was getting used to not having a drink while doing certain activities. Watching a game, grab a drink. Grilling, grab a drink and so on. I tried a couple NA beers during the time, while decent and fulfilling the social aspect, i would would of just rather not drank anything. I appreciate your videos and commitment to documentation. I haven't brewed in at least 6yrs and rarely drink much beer these days, but happy to see you branching out and trying more things. Best of luck this Jan!
Great comment. So after your dry January you went back to some limited drinking? It's just not much beer any more? I am wondering if I would feel the same about trying NA beer. I'll see how the month goes. If half way through I really just want some kind of beer experience maybe I'll get some. Our local brewery Summit is said to have a good one and Surly actually just released their first ever NA beer last week, so I'm kind of curious about that. But if I don't need that beer experience I'll just go w/o. It will be a change in habits as you mention, for sure. Thanks Wes. Cheers.
@@donosborn Pretty much. My birthday is end of Jan. so my wife took me on a little weekend downtown staycation without the kids. We ate and drank our way around the city. I binged that weekend then after that weekend went back to limited drinking. (6-9 drinks/weekend). I've mostly cut out beer because It's hard to find local access to good beer here (moved from OH to SC last year) and my body is just not happy when I drink it. I still drink beer when I can find good ones, but it's mostly wine and spirits these days. I would say when you're really craving a beer, try and NA beer. Cheers!
Good for you, Don! My buddies and I do dry January every year, and I also do not drink during lent. I often find that after the festivities of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s I’m looking for that break. Of course, after a week or so the temptation to hit the kegerator is real! 😂 I stick to carbonated seltzers and decaf coffee as a substitute. Tried several of the NA beers but never found one that really hit the mark. Enjoy your last few brewskis🍺 , have a Happy New Year and know that many of fellow your home brewers are right there beside you! Cheers!
Thanks Bob. I know a lot of people do it and that I'm not alone. I also feel like putting it out there can act as a form of accountability. That is I don't want to have to do an update and say "well I got back on the beer after all." Do you find you notice any changes in health during those periods you quit?
@@donosborn Absolutely. You are spot on about the difference you will feel after not consuming the additional hundreds of calories that you get from drinking a few beers a day. Overtime it really adds up and with your activity level, I suspect that you will definitely notice a healthy weight loss. Always a good thing as we get older! I do think that that takes several weeks to fully realize what you may have described as “gaining mental clarity”. That’s partly why I continue to forgo drinking during lent in addition to dry January. It’s a long haul, but reassuring when I meet my goal, knowing that I am the one in control ~ not that next delicious pint. 💪🏻😁🍺.
I did the same thing in 2023 Jan. It was supposed to be only 1 month off the juice, but during that month I realised I was a slave to alcohol. I also felt dramatic improvements physical and mental wellbeing, and realised that alcohol is basically just a poison that shaves off the top 15-20% of my physical and mental potential. Life is short, so basically I do not wish to pay alcohol taxes to further shorten it. I no longer drink alcohol. Good luck with your dry January. Stay honest to yourself. I might add that it was not hard to stop or stay quit but the social aspect is the hardest, although that can be over come (to an extent) with non-alc beers.
Great comment and insight. Yes the social aspect would be a huge change for me if I was to every completely quit. I think for this month I can manage but it is def a part of my social life. I respect all people who decide to fully quit and realize all the health benefits. Good for you.
The timing of this video is pretty wild to me. I watched your intro to all grain video probably 15 years ago and it helped me so much with simple AG brewing. My daughter was born 9 years ago and I haven't brewed since and, tbh, have drank less since. I just dusted off my old equipment I built with the help of your video yesterday and brewed a hefe for the first time in years. Don't plan on getting into the volume of drinking or brewing like I did in my 20s but enjoyed turning back the clock and the craft. Best of luck Don and thanks for many good brews because of your one simple video.
Awesome story. Time flies doesn't it? I think you can probably enjoy a reasonable brewing and drinking lifestyle. Many people do. Congrats for getting back into it. TBH it seems like once people stop it can be hard for them to get back into it, so that is a fun update. Cheers man. Oh, and I never get tired of hearing how that original old AG video inspired people. ha.
You were a big influence on my home brewing. I worked in a commercial brewery for three years before getting sober. My colleagues were family and the hardest part was losing them. Dono, you can't argue with how you feel! You're going to feel great and when you start drinking again you will feel like crap again. Good luck and thanks for the content over the years; you are a legend and a pioneer. I'm gonna go burn one lol😂
I don't feel all that bad on a daily basis. I think I credit that to all the exercise I do and the relatively healthy eating (tons of veggies, not a ton of meat). But I am definitely curious about the ways I could feel better, esp if I got better sleep. I will keep you all posted. Did you end up quitting that job? I have a friend who works at a brewery and he also got sober, but continues to work there. Everyone is cool and respectful about his life choice but man, it does seem like it would be a challenge for sure. I think he is like 99% sober and will occasionally have just a sample or so and then he is able to stop. You are welcome for the silly vids. Cheers.
@@donosborn My sleep definitely improved. I fall asleep easier and don't often wake up in the middle of the night. I stayed at the brewery for about a year after I stopped drinking. I was surprised at how much quality support I had from my coworkers. I'd argue that I got more support from a brewery than I would've at another type of work because the employees were generally more aware and educated about my situation. I would taste and spit if I had to. My best friend still works there and I talk to some people here and there. I really miss the work and people.
Very interesting. You might be right about even better support because they might be even more aware of the risks of drinking too much. Sounds like you are doing what you have to and that is to be respected. Cheers. @@SJoiseyKid
Go for it. I plan on doing it to and have done it in the past. I typically try to not drink in October as well. The sleep is amazing. Good luck.
Thanks Nick. Stay tuned.
Go Don O! I have tried dry January a few times and the 1st week is the most brutal but only because im so used to grabbing beers from October-December and its hard at first to break that habit. Im doing it avain this year, and at 41, im kind of looking fwd to it for the 1st time. Glad to see someone else is doing it too! Good luck and i look fwd to your updates. Happy new year, bro.
Great to hear Bob. I'll def try to post an update or so and you can let me know how it's going for you too. I'm 51 now and prob should have done this 10 years ago. But at least I'm trying it now. I'm looking forward to it too. Happy new year.
Let's do it 😊
Don, one thing you can do thats super easy and will help you to not drink alcohol is MAKE SELTZER! Its the easiest thing. Fill a keg with water, hook it up to CO2. Leave it on 30 PSI for a few days, then reduce to 20 once its carbonated enough for your taste.
Cheers, looking forward to seeing your progress on this.
I suppose that is an option. I plan on having a sparkling water now and then, which I do sometimes but not every day. I'm just going to live a lighter month, I think. Cheers and thanks.
Fair enough, I just like having something fizzy even if I'm not having beer. I have a tap on my keezer that's always plain seltzer.
@@donosborn
@@doxy5709making hop water or adding a little cranberry juice for the flavor/sugar to the carbonated water helps too.
I've been doing the same thing as you with the same starting point (drinking a few times per week and not going more than a week for decades), only I started in October. It feels pretty good, noticed a reduction in cortisol and anxiety, my mood is more stable, and I haven't really missed alcohol either. I'll have a small sip if anyone is really enjoying an alcoholic beverage just out of curiosity, but my craving for more has stayed unchanged. Will be going until I head to the US in February, but I'm still not sure how I will approach drinking after that, might only drink alcohol if it is paired with a delicious meal or something, time will tell. Enjoy!
Your story echoes what everyone says - a reduction in alcohol leads to better health. I've heard it a hundred times and am very curious to give it a go for myself. Thanks for the comment. Cheers.
Good Luck, Don.
Thanks Robert!
I did dry January pretty consistently for 10 years until 3 months before my daughter was born. I decided being present for my wife and kid were way more important than those drinks I was having almost daily. That was almost a year and a half ago. I agree with others that it takes a little more than a month to see all the benefits, although you should definitely see some pretty immediately.
I still enjoy watching brewing videos despite no longer drinking or brewing myself but I have also considered trying to brew my own NA beer. I know you said you don't plan to have any but I drank a lot of them during my early sobriety and still have them in social situations. Helps out a ton to not feel like you're missing out. Would love to see you do an experiment with brewing NA if and when you get around to it!
Congrats for making the decision that is best for you and yours. I'll have to see if I try to extend it beyond January or not. It probably depends on how the first 31 days go. As far as NA beer goes I think on the homebrew level it is not very practical. The closest you can do is to just make a super low gravity beer and maybe even not have it ferment much? It's not something I would probably try but instead would make hop water or something. Cheers.
@@donosborn For sure! Clawhammer supply did a video where they used second runnings (or maybe even 3rd runnings) to create a "hop water", with a bit of malt flavor to it.
Huh. I used their earlier video when I did my one hop water attempt several years ago. Had not heard of that idea. cheers. @@Samtallica
I did this in 2021 along with no coffee. It was good to sort of push the reset button on things so to speak. I may give it another go, thanks for the inspiration Don.
What was your experience with doing it? No coffee is yet another level. Interesting. I think I'll just stick with alcohol for this time, ha. You are welcome. Good luck.
@donosborn I'd say that I did indeed feel more refreshed in the morning, so quality of sleep seemed better, though I don't have a tracker to prove it. Coffee was harder, I had headaches from that for a couple days.
Good luck to you. I was never a heavy drinker, maybe 7/wk. Sometimes less, sometimes more. After watching your how to brew video (thank you so much for the education!), I brewed beer regularly for years. Which of course led to higher consumption. After my first child, I haven’t been brewing or drinking as much (about 4/wk). My sleep quality seems to have improved. I felt like my sleep after a few drinks was more fractured / not as deep. My overall mood has improved as well (probably due to better sleep, and less dehydration). I feel like cutting back has made me a better father. Of course there are many other “life factors” that have played a part in my personal experience like getting older lol. Again I wish you luck.
Thanks agmk135. We are all on our life journey. Being a brewer can def lead to higher consumption. But it can also be a life where you are more responsible about it. I know so many people have cut back and enjoyed the results that I thought I would start with a dry January and then go from there. Cheers and thanks.
I did it once in 2021. I remember it being hard the first week purely from a habit breaking perspective. After that it wasn't hard so much as boring. I'd been toying with doing it again, I'll take this as the sign from the universe that I should so I'll do it along with you.
Dude, how about that?! Maybe it is some sort of coincidence/sign. I like your comment about it just being boring. I can see that too. That's why I was already anticipating what I can put that time into in more productive ways than just sitting around drinking watching shows and sports. If you do it, wait for some updates from me and chime in how your month is going. Cheers.
@@donosborn Cheers Don.
Sounds like you got a good plan, only thing I'll toss out there is I remember having a bit of fun playing with carbonated water and soda syrups. It definitely wasn't a replacement for any booze but it scratched the itch early on.
Good luck getting started, I'll be checking back
Cut back big time when I started getting more serious about powerlifting back in April - no weeknight drinks and only moderate drinking one-two nights per weekend - suddenly my lifts all shot up, sleep improved, BF percentage dropped, and I started packing on muscle. (Funny how that works, lol!) I found seltzer/Spindrift is the best alternative if you're not going to go the NA beer route - I think I'm more hooked on carbonation than booze itself. Good luck - I'm sure that first beer back will taste great!
That makes sense that if you are really trying to improve your physical body and health that you would cut way back on alcohol. You lost weight and got better sleep and put on the muscle. Good stuff. I will be drinking some sparkling waters just for something fizzy to enjoy. Cheers.
I tried taking lent off one year with no problem. That was before I did home brewing - which swung things the other direction. In the last couple of years I've dramatically reduced my consumption, and I think my sleep has benefitted a LOT. I'm now a 1-3 drinks/week person, and glad of it. I still brew, but mostly 4% beers, and mostly 10 liter batches, and they last a while. If I'm at a social event I have 1 drink, and then switch to N/A - though as often as not a seltzer is usually better.
That is def a reduced amt of consumption. One to three drinks per week, I can't imagine that. Good for you. Sounds like you enjoy the level of health that affords. I'm curious to see if 30 days is long enough to see many changes or what. Cheers.
@@donosborn yes. But lots of people around me are sober, or have major health concerns, or are seriously watching their weight. I feel like I'm doing the relaxed version of what they are doing. Kind of depends on ones social context.
Have been doing Ramadan for the last several years which involves abstaining from All food and drink from sunrise to sunset for a moon cycle. That means I not only miss out on alcohol for 4 weeks but also another habituating substance- Coffee! I'm sure coffee is the reason that those fist couple of days are so hard. Head aches and general feeling of malaise.
After that the craving for coffee and sweets and alcohol and even the hunger is not an issue. Combining intermittent fasting with a coffee and alcohol holiday always improve my mood, mental sharpness, weight BP. If you were to maintain or increase your exercise regime you should find even better results. Remember the UA-cam brewer Immolateus? He did a year sans alcohol. One thing is sure the cumulative effects of alcohol over time becomes more and more apparent to me. Any break is for however long has to have some health benefit. Wishing you well Dono.
Thanks Porcello. I sometimes go w/o coffee and that is not a huge deal for me (luckily). I am aware of intermittent fasting but have never given it a full try. If I'm not drinking at night I will hopefully be able to not snack, and so that will sort of be a version of that. I am not familiar with Immolateus. I am aware that an even longer break can lead to more benefits, but I'll start with the month and see how it goes. Cheers.
I did this last year, everyday except the 23rd (my birthday) it was at the same time more and less difficult than I thought it would be. Like you it had probably been decades since I’ve went more than a week. After the first week it wasn’t too bad. I found out that there are actually quite a few craft breweries making some very good non alcoholic craft beer. This helped with the monotany of drinking nothing but coffee and water. Good luck!
Thanks much. After the month, did you go right back to your typical behavior or did you modify it somewhat? Did you notice many changes by the end of the month? cheers.
@@donosborn By the end of the month, I felt like I probably could have kept it going for a long time. Was easier and easier as the month went on. I think overall for at least 3-4 months after my drinking was reduced. Only real change I noticed was just getting a better nights sleep.
I'm as curious about the sleep as anything. I just don't know how long it's going to take. @@esetter86
Good luck and have fun. I'm doing dry January, dry February and dry March. Mainly because Uncle Sam sent me away till the middle of 2024 😂. I have found though with doing dry January in the past it does help shift and change patterns and it has helped me keep off the booze during the week. I discovered 1 beer after a long day at work always turns into 3 or 4 and that can really lead to problems so other than the monthly homebrew meeting and our club's book club I try to abstain during the week I try to abstain and it has helped but I also have noticed I end up giving alot more homebrew away to keep brewing on the regular
Are you in the military? Cutting back during the week is a common thing that a lot of people do. If I go back to frequent drinking I will almost certainly cut back on the amount I would have on a week day. The easiest thing to cut back/out would be the night time spirit pours that I enjoy. To your point, can I have just one beer, enjoy it, and call it a night? Not sure. Never really done that but... maybe? And yeah I might have to give away more beer too if I wanted to keep brewing as much, ha. Cheers.
I completely understand. I am not doing the entire month of January, but I am dry right now, LOL, for good reason.
Well good luck if you are on a dry spell and want to continue it at all.
Your sleep will improve, but don't expect that to happen immediately. Be patient! Good luck.
Thanks Paula.
Dry January sounds like my ex wife - cheers, Mike
Good on ya Don! You’ll breeze through my man. Any support you need I’m a text or call away. I think you’ll definitely see some body changes with all the exercise you do. With beer and spirits I bet you have 1000 Cals a day or more and don’t even realize. Curious to see if the habit side of things lends itself to more smoking or what not. Don’t think you mentioned that at all. I’ve never done it before but as you know, I may be forced into it. We will see. Today starts my journey so we will do this together brother! Cheers from out east.
Thanks as always. Yes I did not comment on the smoking but perhaps I will do a little more of that. I know one sober (alcohol wise) friend really enjoys his THC. If I do, I just gotta watch the snacks, ha. And the BEST of luck for you and the journey you are starting on today. Cheers.
I’ve done Dry January in the past. The one thing I noticed was that it reset my alcohol tolerance. Once January is over you will feel like a lightweight. My spouse did it once, not the year I did it, and when she drank again in February she was literally on the floor. The sleep thing is legit, especially if you drink during the week. I typically keep my alcohol consumption to one weekend night and maybe a Thursday. Those nights I’m usually up late.
I did not mention the tolerance but that is also on my mind. I have a pretty high tolerance now. I will have beer, a glass of wine, some spirits and not even really feel anything. I realize this is probably not a good thing! I know lots of people go through this so it's nice to hear the experiences of others. Thanks for the comment.
Never hurts for a check up from the neck up!
You know it. :)
this is actually called "my wife is pissed I keep pissing on the couch"
Oof. Maybe for some reason but at least here there is no wife and no piss on the couch. ha.
consider going all the way through valentines day. I bet it'll take your mind and body 3 weeks to adjust, and then that leaves only a week or so to observe any differences.
Hmm. Your comment prompted me to look this up and you might be right. I see things like quitting for 40-90 days. So perhaps 30 days isn't enough to see all the significant changes but I'm at least going to start there. Perhaps I would extend it. At the very least I would add it back in at a much reduced amt. Cheers.
I'll join you 😊
Excellent. Watch for any kind of update and chime back in on how it's going for you, if you like. Cheers.
I would do dry january but im not a quitter 😅
I used to make that joke too. ha.
Okay, alright. I don't give a rats(***) about being drunk. Being drunk is a pain, don't like the way it feels, don't like the hangover that comes from being drunkel. My all time beer of choice consist of hops sometimes, sour sometimes, but always LOW ABV. Dude, I wanna enjoy BEER, NOT beer enjoy me. #youenjoymyself
I also enjoy the taste of beer and spirits more than I do actually trying to be drunk. Nice Phish reference.
I did it last year, didn't quite make a month but it helped me mostly to drink less. I am doing it again this year and will try to make it! I did substitute with N/A beers which was kinda fun and I do drink N/A beers now during the week when I try not to drink. Best of luck and I think you'll be surprised at the mental health improvements esp anxiety.
Thanks NLB. Let's get it done this January. I could see adopting NA beers into a lesser-drinking lifestyle. I will see if I feel the urge to try them out this Jan or if I am ok just going with "no beer" experience for all those weeks. Cheers.