OK, here is the challenge. I do it every year. Please don't think I'm virtue signaling, cause I'm not. Just something we can do. New Year's Eve ends when you hit the rack. Then, no drinking for the whole month of January. I've done this for years, a great way to help lose those Christmas lbs., clean out the system and be happy you don't have a problem, like 2 of my friends do. I do miss my red wine with dinner, but I can do it. A couple times I've called it good on the 28th. But that is still good. So, anybody who wants to do it let us know here how you are doing.
THE CHALLENGE
- Thread starter Rudi
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Since I don't drink alcohol I'd have to give up Diet Coke. Don't know if I can do that. I'm seriously addicted to it.
PPS1980
Member
To each their own. Giving up the Water of Life for a month isn't something I'm going to do. Good luck with your effort though. Perhaps giving up something like cauliflower or asparagus would be a good substitute?
I'm with TX-Dennis on this one. Raised in a home where alcohol was never considered an option as a beverage, I'm glad I never acquired the taste. Mainly because the way I am with food, if I had ever started smoking or drinking, I no doubt would have been a chain-smoking alcoholic.
I never did smoke or drink, but I sure didn't do myself any favors with a fork! Additionally, I have had numerous family members for whom a few drinks were never enough and have had problems.
A new year is an excellent opportunity to freshly examine some personal habits and my personal list of character flaws gives me plenty of choices.
I never did smoke or drink, but I sure didn't do myself any favors with a fork! Additionally, I have had numerous family members for whom a few drinks were never enough and have had problems.
A new year is an excellent opportunity to freshly examine some personal habits and my personal list of character flaws gives me plenty of choices.
When folks wish me a Happy New Year I take it to mean all 12 months not 11.
Good luck Rudi! From the great WC Fields:
—Now don't say you can't swear off drinking; it's easy. I've done it a thousand times.
—How well I remember my first encounter with The Devil's Brew. I happened to stumble across a case of bourbon--and went right on stumbling for several days thereafter.
—Back in my rummy days, I would tremble and shake for hours upon arising. It was the only exercise I got.
—Thou shalt not kill anything less than a fifth.
—Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.
—Somebody's been putting pineapple juice in my pineapple juice!
—Charlie McCarthy: "Say, Mr. Fields, I read in the paper where you consumed two quarts of liquor a day. What would your father think about that?" WC: "He'd think I was a sissy."
—I exercise extreme self control. I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.
—I don't believe in dining on an empty stomach.
—Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll have another drink.
—Say anything that you like about me except that I drink water.
—Of course, now I touch nothing stronger than buttermilk: 90-proof buttermilk.
—Some weasel took the cork out of my lunch.
—I never drank anything stronger than beer before I was twelve.
—I seldom took a drink on the set before 9 a.m.
—(Fields' retort from his dressing room after a director had shouted, "Camera reloading!" - "Fields reloading!"
—(After a Universal executive wondered aloud if Fields drank all the time, the enraged comedian retorted
"I certainly do not drink all the time. I have to sleep you know."
—Twas a woman who drove me to drink. I never had the courtesy to thank her.
—I was in love with a beautiful blonde once. She drove me to drink; that's the one thing I'm indebted to her for.
—"I take inordinate pride in my nose. Indeed, I have treatment done on it every day" (At this point, Fields lifts a glass.) "My daily treatment."
—My illness is due to my doctor's insistence that I drink milk, a whitish fluid they force down helpless babies.
—I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy.
—It's a wonderful thing, the D.T.'s. You can travel the world in a couple of hours. You see some mighty funny and curious things that come in assorted colors.
—Sleep...the most beautiful experience in life--except drink.
—During one of my treks through Afghanistan, we lost our corkscrew. We were compelled to live on food and water for several days. (My Little Chickadee)
—(Fields with a hangover "The two-headed boy in the circus never had such a headache..."
—Christmas at my house is always at least six or seven times more pleasant than anywhere else. We start drinking early. While everyone else is seeing only one Santa Claus, we'll be seeing six or seven."
—Water rusts pipes.
—Now don't say you can't swear off drinking; it's easy. I've done it a thousand times.
—How well I remember my first encounter with The Devil's Brew. I happened to stumble across a case of bourbon--and went right on stumbling for several days thereafter.
—Back in my rummy days, I would tremble and shake for hours upon arising. It was the only exercise I got.
—Thou shalt not kill anything less than a fifth.
—Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.
—Somebody's been putting pineapple juice in my pineapple juice!
—Charlie McCarthy: "Say, Mr. Fields, I read in the paper where you consumed two quarts of liquor a day. What would your father think about that?" WC: "He'd think I was a sissy."
—I exercise extreme self control. I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.
—I don't believe in dining on an empty stomach.
—Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll have another drink.
—Say anything that you like about me except that I drink water.
—Of course, now I touch nothing stronger than buttermilk: 90-proof buttermilk.
—Some weasel took the cork out of my lunch.
—I never drank anything stronger than beer before I was twelve.
—I seldom took a drink on the set before 9 a.m.
—(Fields' retort from his dressing room after a director had shouted, "Camera reloading!" - "Fields reloading!"
—(After a Universal executive wondered aloud if Fields drank all the time, the enraged comedian retorted
"I certainly do not drink all the time. I have to sleep you know."—Twas a woman who drove me to drink. I never had the courtesy to thank her.
—I was in love with a beautiful blonde once. She drove me to drink; that's the one thing I'm indebted to her for.
—"I take inordinate pride in my nose. Indeed, I have treatment done on it every day" (At this point, Fields lifts a glass.) "My daily treatment."
—My illness is due to my doctor's insistence that I drink milk, a whitish fluid they force down helpless babies.
—I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy.
—It's a wonderful thing, the D.T.'s. You can travel the world in a couple of hours. You see some mighty funny and curious things that come in assorted colors.
—Sleep...the most beautiful experience in life--except drink.
—During one of my treks through Afghanistan, we lost our corkscrew. We were compelled to live on food and water for several days. (My Little Chickadee)
—(Fields with a hangover
"The two-headed boy in the circus never had such a headache..."—Christmas at my house is always at least six or seven times more pleasant than anywhere else. We start drinking early. While everyone else is seeing only one Santa Claus, we'll be seeing six or seven."
—Water rusts pipes.
Spajohn
Member
As posted on another thread, 'I've given up drinking for 30 days, but not in a row, that's crazy talk!"
Give up alcohol for 30 days? I live in New Orleans... I'd have to move to accomplish that task.
PPS1980
Member
Funflyer
Member
Moderation 365 and the new year is just another year.
I currently belong to an online whisk(e)y group that observes quarterly dry weeks.. I will stick to that schedule.. enjoy your month long holiday... use the money you save on ammo.. no point wasting a good opportunity
sigp220.45
US Veteran
Not this year! I’m gonna need a drink bad in about three weeks!
Rastoff
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I gave up alcohol in Jan of 1988 so, no problem there.
I will try to give up soda. That will be a challenge for me.
I will try to give up soda. That will be a challenge for me.
An alleged Fieldsism:
Don't drink water, my boy, fish [frolic] in it.
Don't drink water, my boy, fish [frolic] in it.
I think that's a wonderful idea for anyone who wants to do it. Seriously. But I like to drink too much to try that.
I remarked in a different thread that I was in rehab for a couple of weeks but not for drinking, for rehabilitation of my legs with two new chromium-molybdenum-whoknowswhat bionic knees. I did have a couple of airline bottles of booze slipped in but, basically, I was without alcohol - and I never noticed, really. So not drinking for a month doesn't move me much, I just did it for a half month, and I have other ways to lose weight. I hope.
But good luck with that challenge!
I remarked in a different thread that I was in rehab for a couple of weeks but not for drinking, for rehabilitation of my legs with two new chromium-molybdenum-whoknowswhat bionic knees. I did have a couple of airline bottles of booze slipped in but, basically, I was without alcohol - and I never noticed, really. So not drinking for a month doesn't move me much, I just did it for a half month, and I have other ways to lose weight. I hope.
But good luck with that challenge!
Robspeire
US Veteran
Sept 8 2001
I will give up Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream ... Double-Stuff Vanilla Oreo's ... candy ... snack food ... O.K. For one month. After that month ... we'll see. Sincerely. bruce.
Never been much of a drinker, sweets are my weakness. Trying to stop is a set up for failure, so I found apple critters and jelly donuts to be a good compromise. 95% greasy dough and 5% fruit-like substance.
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I don't drink anymore but I don't drink any less either. At 83 I eat and drink whatever and whenever I want, but usually it's just one before dinner time. My weight has been the same for the last 20 years or so. I don't make New Years resolutions any longer but for 2021 it is that I will continue to do what is necessary to stay virus safe. Something is going to kill me eventually but I'll be damned if it's going to be this virus.
vigil617
US Veteran
I applaud anything anyone does in an effort to lose weight, and if not drinking alcohol for a month (is that a calendar month, or a lunar month? ) helps you out, then go for it.
I'll respectfully decline to join you in the Challenge, even though like many of us, I've added the Quarantine Fifteen to my already a tad overweight frame. I attribute that to things other than drinking, though, like the late-night snacking that accompanies the drinking.
I guess the best way for me to lose weight right now would be to start going to bed about 8 p.m. If anybody wants to join me in that Challenge, let me know and we'll see if there's enough interest to make it a thing.
Happy New Year in the meantime, and enjoy those last imbibes tonight!
) helps you out, then go for it.I'll respectfully decline to join you in the Challenge, even though like many of us, I've added the Quarantine Fifteen to my already a tad overweight frame. I attribute that to things other than drinking, though, like the late-night snacking that accompanies the drinking.
I guess the best way for me to lose weight right now would be to start going to bed about 8 p.m. If anybody wants to join me in that Challenge, let me know and we'll see if there's enough interest to make it a thing.
Happy New Year in the meantime, and enjoy those last imbibes tonight!
Old Arkansawyer
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I haven't had a drop of C2H5OH in 11 years come Feb. 28. The day I
found out I was type 2 diabetic. Before that I had a couple drinks/day
and was caught up through the year 2035. Can't say I miss it but I
would like a cold beer on a hot summer's day.
I will just have to give up some other of my bad habits for a month.
BTW the diabetes is controlled by diet and exercise only and no meds.
A side benefit is I weigh the same as when I was 15, of course my
body composition has changed.
found out I was type 2 diabetic. Before that I had a couple drinks/day
and was caught up through the year 2035. Can't say I miss it but I
would like a cold beer on a hot summer's day.
I will just have to give up some other of my bad habits for a month.
BTW the diabetes is controlled by diet and exercise only and no meds.
A side benefit is I weigh the same as when I was 15, of course my
body composition has changed.
Fields to a bartender:
My good man...
Was I perchance in here last night consuming alcohol and in the company of wild women?
Bartender: Yes you were, sir, and you paid me with a $50 bill.
Fields: Thank the Lord. I thought I'd lost it...
John
My good man...
Was I perchance in here last night consuming alcohol and in the company of wild women?
Bartender: Yes you were, sir, and you paid me with a $50 bill.
Fields: Thank the Lord. I thought I'd lost it...
John
Not unusual at all. One of my dad's friends, a heavy and regular drinker at a neighborhood bar/restaurant (we used to had a lot of those in New Orleans back when, the closest thing one got to the old English Pubs-actually short for public houses) used to disappear the month of January. He'd stay at home, not eat out and just "de tox" or as we called it back then dry out. Come February 1st he was back at his stool as if nothing had happened-15 pounds lighter and ready to go.
Old batchelor. The guy was a pro
Old batchelor. The guy was a pro
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billwill
Member
NOOOOOO not Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla!!! Give up anything else but you really have to be desperate to give up ice cream. Hang tough my friend.
Well, I've been thinking on this, and I may take your cue. I have some half-size highball glasses. I think instead of my normal signature Manhattans, I'll cut back to mini-Manhattans.
...for at least one whole evening...
John
...for at least one whole evening...
John
Skeet 028
Member
I pretty much gave up drinking in March of '68...although I have fallen from that wagon a time or two for a night..but really don't miss alcohol. I had a 1/2 of a beer three summers ago...It WAS hot. Still have a couple of bottles of whiskey in the closet that were my Father in Law's. He passed in May of 2001. A drink is poured from them ocassionally for guests. I think I can accept the challenge
I'm at a point in my life where I see absolutely no reason to or point in denying myself any of the things that bring me pleasure and or comfort to my life.
The relentless onslaught of physical limitations is already forcing me to suffer some of these limits against my will. I mean to focus on enjoying absolutely everything I can to the extent that I can for as long as I can. I have nothing to prove by adding voluntary denial to any list of things to deny myself.
I have always thought of January as my bourbon month. I enjoy the warmth and afterglow of a glass of good bourbon on a chilly evening.
I also like other "dark" drinks in cold weather. Crown royal, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, etc.
Now in hot weather I line the clear drinks, Vodka, Gin, and Tequila....Tequila is my favorite taste in an alcoholic beverage.
I'm not including beer in this discussion because it not a luxury but a staple and in a totally different category.
So, then, I suppose the bottom line for me on all this is that even if I was predisposed to give up something for some reason (which I most certainly am not) It would not be alcohol.
The relentless onslaught of physical limitations is already forcing me to suffer some of these limits against my will. I mean to focus on enjoying absolutely everything I can to the extent that I can for as long as I can. I have nothing to prove by adding voluntary denial to any list of things to deny myself.
I have always thought of January as my bourbon month. I enjoy the warmth and afterglow of a glass of good bourbon on a chilly evening.
I also like other "dark" drinks in cold weather. Crown royal, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, etc.
Now in hot weather I line the clear drinks, Vodka, Gin, and Tequila....Tequila is my favorite taste in an alcoholic beverage.
I'm not including beer in this discussion because it not a luxury but a staple and in a totally different category.
So, then, I suppose the bottom line for me on all this is that even if I was predisposed to give up something for some reason (which I most certainly am not) It would not be alcohol.
