Credits: Social Media
How I resisted temptation (twice) as week 2 of Dry January comes to a close
With Week 2 in the bag, I’m now halfway through Dry January and feeling brilliant – but this week was full of temptations.
I have decided to abstain from alcohol for the entire month to feel more productive and achieve my fitness goals, and it’s certainly working.
The ‘fog lifts’ after week 2
Alcohol Change UK explains that you usually experience “the fog lifting” after the second week without alcohol.
This means you have “clearer thinking and more energy,” and some may also notice a reduction in acid reflux.
The two-week mark also makes you more in tune with how much water your body needs, so you’re much better hydrated.
Plus, you should start seeing gym gains as regular drinking can reduce muscle development and set you back.
No negative side effects
I didn’t drink that much to begin with, so I’m not feeling any negative side effects that sometimes come when you go alcohol-free. As outlined by Harvard, some of them include anxiety, shaky hands, headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and insomnia.
After the second week, it’s all positive for me. I’m feeling healthier than ever and my body is certainly starting to show it. My skin is getting clearer and brighter by the day, I’m drinking loads of water and I’m sleeping incredibly well.
I wake up every morning feeling rested and ready for the day, and I no longer snooze my alarm when I wake up. In fact, I’ve actually been getting up earlier than ever, and I don’t feel fatigued as it gets later in the day either.
I went to the gym four times again and went for a walk every day, and another bonus is that I feel far less bloated too.
How I resisted temptation twice
The benefits are great, but this week was certainly tough as the weekend was full of temptations which were hard to resist.
I have one beer and a bottle of prosecco left over from Christmas in the fridge, which were staring at me on Friday night. Thankfully, my boyfriend is doing the challenge too and he managed to talk me out of it, but a drink to welcome the weekend certainly seemed appetizing.
On Saturday, I then had to navigate my first Dry Jan social occasion – a meal with a friend at an Italian restaurant. As we walked to dinner, I pondered giving up on Dry January completely.
“It doesn’t matter if I have one drink,” I thought.
However, my friend told me I’d regret it, so I opted for the homemade lemonade instead of a glass of wine. There were a variety of non-alcoholic cocktails on offer, but at �8 for a bit of mint and soda water which they called a Mojito, I gave it a hard pass.
After the meal, I had a coffee and was tucked up in bed by 10pm, with no hangover in sight on Sunday morning.
I managed to resist temptation by surrounding myself with great people who didn’t peer pressure me to drink and actually encouraged me not to. The immense pride I felt in myself afterwards then made ditching the alcohol for another week so worth it.
I can already see the habit going on beyond January 31!
