Dry January

 

I like a glass of wine (or better yet, prosecco) when I'm making supper.  I am also very susceptible to the power of suggestion:  when I'm watching a show where the characters are drinking wine (or in the case of Mythbusters, burning an entire truck full of it), I want some too.  Those are two insights that I've had this month while I've been doing dry January.  

(I should probably add the disclaimer that I had wine more often than that during December, and prosecco more often still.  That was why I decided that this was the year to go cold turkey for a month).

It hasn't been as hard as I expected.  There are tons of advice on managing cravings and finding alternatives to alcohol online, and I only looked at them today when I was prepping for this blog.  That means I've had several weeks without my favourite tipple, and I've been okay.

The funny thing is, though, that a lot of the 'benefits' of going alcohol-free advertised on the net have not happened.  Reduction in acid reflux?  Nope.  Improvement in short term memory?  Not really.  A less-red nose?  Guys, I could be Rudolph.  But that's okay.  There are other benefits - the biggest one being to my budget.   

That makes it totally worth it.