Author: strawnp

Alcohol interferes with our brains, for better and worse. Actually, current research seems to be indicating that at least as to brain health, it’s mostly for the worse. A recent report from the World Health Organization concluded that, “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.” Further,… Continue reading The good, the bad and the ugly

Day 10 checking in on how I’m feeling about this, and the question arises, what is the point of doing this? Yes I know what I’ve read about why everyone else does dry January – to lose weight, to give their bodies a break after holiday indulgence, perhaps to explore “sober curious.” But what is… Continue reading What’s the Point?

I am one week into the dry January experiment. It’s Sunday morning and I’m making note of the fact that we navigated the first weekend just fine. Weekends are tricky, with a lot of triggers and pulls to drink. I feel a sense of accomplishment. There’s a sense of “I said I’m going to do… Continue reading January 8

It’s Friday! End of the week. A day when many (most?) weeks I would thoroughly enjoy an end-of-the week drink to celebrate, unwind and give myself a treat. Who could argue with those motivations? And, what a habit the Friday night drink has become over time for me, I am realizing. Just thinking about it… Continue reading January 6

This morning when I woke up I was aware of this being day 5, and of a wondering, how long has it been since I went 5 whole days not drinking? Also aware that this evening we are joining friends from out of town at a restaurant. I’m noticing that setting the intention now, not… Continue reading January 5

I missed posting yesterday, Day 3 of my dry January experience, and in the spirit of being honest about this whole thing, I am not going to go back and “make it up.” What I noticed yesterday was that, still sick with a sinus infection (or whatever this thing is), I had little inclination to… Continue reading January 4

Day 2 of my Dry January experiment. I am not alone in doing this Dry January and am seeing *a lot* being published right now on the topic, for example this article where a doctor explains what can happen to heavy drinkers if they stop drinking suddenly. I don’t think this applies to me but… Continue reading January 2

Today is the first day of my dry January experiment. My aim is to write something every day about how it’s going — in part to hold myself accountable, and in case my experience can support others. I know from talking with others that motivations for an alcohol hiatus vary, as do the challenges people… Continue reading January 1