Day 9 for me too sleeping worse feeling the same. But there is no way it’s performance enhancing so I’m sure it’s healthier. Recovery might be better. I’m in for the month then we’ll see. This thread has helped!!
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Way to go Joe. My sleep hasn’t really improved much either. I’m going to give it 90 days.
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You might have got off to sleep faster with a drink in you but studies show that alcohol stops you getting into the deep sleep you really need. Your brain chemistry has been thrown off over time, so depending on what you’ve been drinking and for how long it could take a bit of time to settle down, but you are doing great.
Don’t forget your liver is now dumping any fat it has accumulated and is getting better again at storing glycogen. Whether you believe it or not your performance has improved!
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Good for you re Alcohol.
Seems strange you’ve read up on the impact of alcohol and abstained, but still think Cannibis is ok. Might be worth some research here too!!
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Great job!! I had my last drink March 8 2015. I was a professional drinker and an amateur cyclist. I can tell you that while I was successful in my former life, since I quit drinking ( I am 58) my effectiveness and achievement in life has doubled at everything I do. Good luck with your journey. As my grandma used to tell me “It’s a good life if you don’t weaken.” Ride on!
Bill
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There’s a really good thread going here; Your personal best way to lose some fat - anecdotes / experiences / examples of what kicked your *** - #204 by Turtle_Express
With a ton of good info exactly on CICO and some other varients, with some amazing linked articles within it. Worth a scan through.
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Agreed. I’ve been monitoring from time to time. As I say often “I’ve made every mistake in the book. Twice!” I’ve been successful with cico and unsuccessful. Unsuccessful because of my fault for overlooking certain aspects while applying the technique.
I’m a light drinker (weekend shared bottle of nice red with my wife) but, inspired by this thread I’m now on a booze free January.
Interesting that I’ve never really drunk much though, as I have a real obsessive, addictive personality especially towards processed sugar (and Trainerroad of course).
It’s much harder currently not eating candy, cakes and sweet treats than not drinking alcohol, for me, but I’m off both poisons at present, one month at a time.
I quite like being the only non-drinker, like at a forthcoming Burns Supper here in Scotland, where alcohol is not only integral but almost obligatory.
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I definitely am getting more out of my evenings. Instead of sitting around sipping away…I’m doing stuff!
I’m 50 and am getting more and more concerned about hormonal balance…that’s another thing that my 6-8 oz of booze 4-5X/wk was probably not helping LOL.
There is probably a selection for certain personality types here and the whole “anything doing is worth overdoing” attitude. I know for me it’s pretty hard to “just have one” because once the party starts I want to keep it rolling! Support for a dry January (and maybe more?) on this thread is really great 
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You got! One is too many and 20 ain’t enough!!!
One day at a time is the only way to get there!!!
It is sooo worth it!!
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I used to get three bottles a week (500ml each) with the weekly shop.
I would usually have just a half bottle towards the end of a night if at all or perhaps a full bottle with a movie at the weekend with the wife etc.
Even this small amount would be distracting a little and make me less productive in the evenings.
I hadn’t had any alcohol for about 10 days until tonight. I drank a whole beer. Not much, but I didn’t really enjoy it.
I think your body gets used to alcohol in both directions:
It gets used to drinking it regulalry.
And
It gets used to not drinking it if you don’t drink it.
Basically, it boils down to you and your own choices. Anyone can cut down if they want to badly enough. It is unlikely to be easy, but it can be done.
Perhaps not amongst cyclists or athletes as much, but in many countries there are far more alcoholics than people realise, even if they aren’t labelled as such.
In my opinion if you often feel like you need a beer(s) then you have an addiction somewhere along the mild to severe scale.
I am doing the dry January thing mainly as a break and reset of my drinking habits. I do plan on going into Febuary too, Maybe 1 glass of wine a week. Hopefully I’ll notice some performance gains from it. If there really is a big performance difference I will consider not drinking for a much longer period. But I am not making a living at this and I do enjoy beer.
11 days in and no noticeable difference except my resting heart rate is higher 
An interesting article supporting your notion. I have effectively quit drinking about nine months ago…
I am sure alcohol hurts your performance but to me this article sounds like someone with a personal vendetta against alcohol. I scroll up to see who the author is and it turns out he is an " *AAMA Board Certified Alternative Medicine Practitioner" 
. He also earned a mention on Quackwatch
When I lost about 15lbs during an injury (165lbs to 150lbs @182cm) it took a couple weeks to see a trend on the scale and maybe 6-8 weeks to see a noticeable change in the mirror. I’m guessing, but, I think depending on how much we all used to drink, a noticeable change in anything related to not drinking alcohol might take a little while. For example, and again depending on quantity one used to consume, alcohol can weaken the hearts ability to pump (cardiomyopathy). Reversing the damage could take some time beyond a few months/years. IDK just saying things on the cellular level are at work and trying to make a correlation after 2 weeks with resting HR is riddled with unknowns.
It’s been 2 weeks for me and I can positively say I’m losing weight. Sleep and performance on the bike seems unchanged to a little worse. I’m eating less so I think I’m in too large a calorie deficit. Never been in a position to have to eat more!
I do agree the Hammer article was a little over the top and it read a touch like an add but, it served it’s purpose and made me and hopefully others look into the negative affects of alcohol consumption.
There are plenty of elite endurance athletes who drink a good amount of alcohol, so I think we can safely say that drinking in moderation is not nearly as devastating as that article suggests. That isn’t to say that those athletes couldn’t be even faster without alcohol. But to them maybe the mental benefits of social drinking as a reward for hard efforts outweighs the negative performance/recovery aspects.
I am also doing the dry January thing. Did it last year and just exercising the muscle that allows you to say no in social situations is the biggest benefit I found. Prior to that, I don’t think I’d ever turned down an opportunity to drink (unless I needed to drive).
Interesting you note a higher resting HR…I know that alcohol consumption limits REM sleep and increases deep sleep cycles, so maybe that could be the cause.
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I have to say I’ve noticed the opposite, my resting heart rate was down to 52 last night. The average during the Christmas party week was over 70!
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Yeah, same…I actually just looked at my resting HR on nights when I’ve gotten hammered and it is much higher than usual
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So how bad of an effect would 2-3 beers a week have on training?
I’m attempting a dry January as I’d lapsed into an habitual regular drinker (1/2 bottle wine + a couple of whiskies a night). I’d also seen my weight remorselessly creep up over the last couple of years. It’s obviously early days but
1 - Coupled with really watching what I eat it appears the weight has started to come off (could be water I know, but the scales say fat)
2. Sleep is no better in fact not only do I not sleep to well I now have difficulty getting to sleep, something that was never a problem before.
3. Resting Heart Rate has plummeted. see attached image.
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Bear in mind that alcohol is no longer masking all the distractions that stop you going to sleep, so having a wind down process to prepare you for sleep, such as removing distractions from the bedroom and stopping your screen time early, become more important
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