Hello, happy new year to you all, and welcome to January- all 732 days of January. Yes, yes I know I exaggerate a bit but it’s a month that seems to go on forever. So why the heck am I doing Dry January??
Well firstly, those of you that know me really well, will concur that I’m fond of a drink or two… I mean let’s face it, if it looks and tastes like champagne or gin then I’ll happily sip away. I’m also very stubborn, and when it was mentioned to I ” would never in a million years be able to complete Dry January ” I had a literal hold my drink moment, al long with right I’ll show you lot. And how some friends have laughed at the mere suggestion but never the less it’s now day 4 and I’ve not faltered…. I will say today I could have caved…. but see further down ( I had a g&t substitute to help). Today I’ve felt groggy, my skin isn’t brilliant and I’ve not been firing on all cylinders…. I partially put this down to going back on the healthy eating plan after the Christmas binge as well but it’s still not helped.
Secondly not every week, but some weeks I do drink over the recommended 14 units. See more info from the NHS Here. With that in mind I figured it would do me some goo in stopping for a month, and then changing my drinking habits. I also see the reduction in calories from not drinking wine an added bonus. I started a weight loss charge last year, ( 3 stone lost so far in case you were wondering) and would like to continue with that.
Lastly I did think I might struggle sometimes during the next month so to help me not cave I signed up to cancer research’s Dryathlon. I’ve pledged to raise £150 by not drinking alcohol…. I’ve got sponsors… I will not be letting them down. I also think it’s for a good cause, I lost both my grandparents to cancer, my friend has recovered from breast cancer and my cousin is currently on chemotherapy…. it affects everyone in their lives in one way or another… I’m just trying to do my bit. The link to my fundraising page can be found Here
So how am I going to manage I hear you all ask? Well I’ve got some cunning plans to help me. There’s more and more options in the shops of alcohol free drinks ( and I’m not just talking squash and water).
My current favourite is this 
It’s not sweet, and tastes like weak G&T, which if you have in a gin glass, with ice and imagination almost tastes like the real thing…. it’s great. M&S also have a version, which I’ll get and update the post when I’ve tested it.
The very exciting new kid on the block is Free Damm which is both gluten free ( yes you read that right) and alcohol free. I’ve not been much of a larger drinker….. but some fell in my trolley and I’m giving it a go. You can buy this from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose ( that I’ve seen them in so far anyway)
I’ve also tried this de-alcoholised red wine…. it’s by Torres Natureo, and I really liked it. Not as full-bodied as a Pinot Noir, or the like, but not a bad substitute if you’re struggling without that glass of vino in the evening.
I’ll be adding more finds to this post as the month goes on…… stay along for the ride, I’d love it if you did.
Jump forward to 2021, amazingly pandemic lockdowns have not got me reaching for alcohol again ( good right?) this does not mean I’ll be missing out on a decent tipple. Oh no I can assure you there’s some crackers I’ve found that I’m adding here.
The first is this fabulous gin from Sea Arch Drinks it really is a flavoursome gin ( you and really taste the botanicals ) which works perfectly with a good quality tonic. This is my advice for all alcohol free gins actually- don’t skimp on the quality of tonic / mixer and it really brings out the flavours of the gins. This can be purchased direct from Sea Arch or via Ocado as well. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post. I have purchased the drinks myself ( I’m supporting someone on their alcohol recovery but that’s for another day)
All opinions are my own and truthful as always.
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