January Detox

[Brendan]

This December was a veritable rollercoaster of excess for yours truly. Each night of food, booze and celebrations was like chugging to an apex and then careering down again, all flappy hands and silly faces, only to hit the bottom feeling slightly nauseous before being swept up all over again. There was even the odd loop-de-loop where the partying would carry right on through to the next morning.

It reached its zenith on Christmas when, in what I am sure was a last ditch attempt to stop me marrying their daughter, my in-laws tried to kill me with various roast foodstuffs. Death by exploding may not be the most conventional method of bumping someone off but I am pretty sure its incidence increases dramatically over the holiday season.

With the help of a bottle of bourbon and lots of champagne I just about made it through a New Year?s Eve involving a spread of copious different fondues and desserts. It was all a bit like the Roman parties in the Asterix comics with everyone lolling about too stuffed to move and shoveling cheese and cake into their gobs.

On the evening of the 1st my vision cleared enough for me to properly look at my reflection for the first time since November. I found myself staring at a bloated, red-faced buffoon with a crooked grin and rings around his eyes and I decided something must be done. So I have resolved not to drink and to only eat fruit and veg for the whole of Jan.

So far it is going pretty well and I feel great. I had a treat today though ? a cup of black coffee! It wasn?t all I imagined it to be.

Anyone else in a similar boat and if so how are you getting on?

[mockney piers]

I eat pretty sensibly for the most part, but am off the booze for January.

Found it hard at a dinner followed by pub on saturday with everyone quaffing quality saffa wines brought back from various honemoons and christmas family trips, but have stayed strong and am feeling better for it.

Apart from a bout of glandular fever at uni, I'm reckoning 7 days is the longest i've gone without so much as a sip since about 1991!!

Am loving not having the hangover, but the detoxing is leaving me irritable and tired. Right, another green tea....

[Jah Lush]

Brendan Wrote:

I found myself staring

> at a bloated, red-faced buffoon with a crooked

> grin and rings around his eyes and I decided

> something must be done.

For the very same reason...this is why I avoid mirrors.

[Annasfield]

You girls, get yourselves down the pub ;-)

Actually, I'm quite jealous. It is always my intention not to booze in January, but t'is the ski season and all and it would be rude not to join in with the apres ski. :)-D

[Jah Lush]

You going on the piste Anna?

[Annasfield]

Yep! :))

[wee quinnie]

People, people, people..forget flaying yourselves alive during the month of January. Why not just eat normally - ie 3 meals a day, no eating between meals, apart from fruit. Oh yes - and drink if you want, but maybe just a couple of glasses on maybe..2 or 3 days a week.

You have kidneys dont you? They'll do all the detoxing for you themselves.

[Brendan]

Nah sod that. I don?t do things by halves. Which is probably why I got into this position in the first place.

I have also not smoked since boxing day but I was never a very heavy smoker anyway so it is not really bothering me.

[benjaminty]

I jump on the wagon every January .... and it hurts for a few days. The sleepless nights where you're so used to the inebriation sending you off like a baby. But I've done my first saturday night without alcohol and this is the freshest Monday I've had in a long long time!

Not looking forward to the birthday party next Saturday but by the time I get to the end of the month - my first beer will taste like never before... well not since last Feb 1st that is.

Do it just to show you can! :)-D hmmmmm is that the right smilie?

[Michael Palaeologus]

Its not so much the detox as losing the pounds. I am having a dry January and had cut back to drinking on 3 nights of the week in moderate amounts anyway. Tree meals a day, sensible snacks if needed (dried fruits and nuts, Snakajaks, etc). Also going to the gym.

There are no miracles, ou just have to eat less, drink less and move around a bit more.

[mockney piers]

likewise benjaminty, i was inhumanly human for a monday. likewise i have a wedding on saturday which is going to be a loooong old ride without the magic booze.

[Jah Lush]

You poor bastards. This self flagellation whilst in denial of the simple pleasures in life because of the guilt you are feeling over your over indulgences during the Xmas period is giving me quite a few laughs. Let's see if you go the distance. I know it's hard not to drink during social occasions because I've been there and done it. Never again.

[Brendan]

It?s not self-flagellation. I don?t feel in the least bit guilty for over indulging. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It just made me fell physically bad and my trousers don?t fit so well anymore.

I had a headache for the first few days but I now feel great. I think the memories of the indigestion and hangovers are still fresh enough for me not to get tempted into the pub.

We?ll see where I am in 2 weeks time.

[Keef]

I openly admit that I probably couldn't stay dry for a week, 2 days is rare and not enjoyable. I am trying to eat lots of fruit as a kind of clenser, and I plan to try and be reasonably sensible during the week, but met Fear N' Boozin in the CPT after work yesterday, so that went straight to sh!t ;-)

[mockney piers]

On a monday, dear god you two are hardcore!! How's F'n'B' today, 2 parts self-loathing to one part fear?

[suzilucy]

Nah sod that. I don?t do things by halves. Which is probably why I got into this position in the first place.

I have also not smoked since boxing day but I was never a very heavy smoker anyway so it is not really bothering me.

Similar experience with a mirror...hate them. Just when you think the can't day get any worse there the little fecker is - I looked like you've been attacked in the face by a beetroot and grown love handles that I most certainly do not love whislst cringing over the YMCA moves of the entire last month of yester year!

Still ...

I don?t feel in the least bit guilty for over indulging. I thoroughly enjoyed it

>:D<

[embellina]

I think you're doing a great thing for your body Brendan and if you view it that way, it's much better. I once managed 6 weeks (out of 12) of no wheat, dairy, sugar, nicotine, alcohol, meat or caffeine. It was an interesting experiment. At first I felt really annoyed at all I was missing out on but after a week or two the benefits I felt were so huge they really took over. Clear skin, bright eys, weight loss, I slept brilliantly, everywhere I went people complimented me on how great I looked (ego massage can never be a bad thing!) and I had so much energy. Although this is an unsustainable lifestyle, i do think it teaches you to be kinder to your body on an everyday basis.

It helped me cut down on eating sugar, caffeine and drinking (for a while at least) and more to the point I began to notice what happened to me if I ate or drank a certain thing. That has helped me make better choices from now on. That's not to say I don't eat all those things again now. I just have a balanced diet and don't feel bad for anything I eat. If I eat badly, i eat extra well afterwards to make up for it.

I did a mini detox last jan too, and it saved me so much money. It is a bit of miserable time of year to do it though. i think having had so much over-indulgence at Christmas can make it harder to give it up in Jan.

Lots of luck - it'll go quickly once you're into it x

[KalamityKel]

Last year I stayed off the booze for 3 whole months! yes I can hear you all gasping at the thought. I must stress it didn't stop me visiting many a pub during this time... saved me a great many a penny (I escaped buying rounds as those around me thought it unfair for me to pay for anything if I was only on soft drinks), totally detoxed and found certain parts of me body less "big". So for you guys trying all this out YOU CAN DO IT!!!

[Jah Lush]

That's nothing. I went a whole year once (354 days to be honest) and did a nine month stint too previous to that. Put on two stone by the way on the nine month stint.

[KalamityKel]

It aint a competition :p I was just trying to give the guys some encouragement! *sighs* :p

[Jah Lush]

I never said it was.

[KalamityKel]

lol Jah the thought of giving it up for as long as u might make others want to give up giving up hehe!

[Jah Lush]

Well, a month's nothing. If it makes 'em feel better good luck to 'em if that's what they want to do.

[Brendan]

Someone in the office just told me that giving up booze for a specific period of time is a sign of alcoholism. I can?t quite see the reasoning behind that. :-S

Anyway I jumped off the wagon on Saturday night. (thereby proving that I am not an alcoholic) Not very spectacularly however. I went to a party and had 2 glasses of port. In fact I don?t think that even counts as jumping off the wagon. Proper jumping off the wagon would involve dancing on the bar at the CPT.. at the very least.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Cobblers! Your colleague is clearly retentive, demented or in the Salvation Army.

I am on day 19 of my no alcohol regime. Hope to fall off the wagon big stylee on Friday!