Dry November
Posted: October 27th, 2018, 10:18 am
I have a guilty secret which I haven't even told the wife about yet. So stumm, eh?
For the last two weeks, I've been surreptitiously off the sauce, swapping my usual two evening glasses of red for Eisberg zero alcohol Sauvignon that looks exactly similar. Plus the occasional can of Bavaria 0% beer, which is better than its reputation. (Thanks, Snorvey.) I'm a bit late for Sober October now, but I reckon I'll run it now till mid-November and then we'll see about whether I extend the abstinent month any further, or whether I switch to weekends-only, as some other Fools have done.
Why haven't I declared all this to the wife yet? Whereas the usual advice is to tell everybody so that they can collectively hold you to your commitment and cheer your achievement? I'm not really sure. I don't think I have a problem with alcohol (I drink 22-24 units a week), but I had definitely fallen into the "7 pm is wine o'clock" habit, seven days a week, and I could see that that wasn't a great way to be. I suppose I was also a tiny bit worried about it?
Maybe I thought it would be difficult after 30 years of dropping into the habit? If I did, I was wrong, it's been a doddle. I survived my first pub situation yesterday (drinking lemonade and lime in pints). A piece of p1ss compared with packing up the ciggies forty years ago. That time round, the first two weeks were the worst. This time around, just having a glass of something (anything) in my hand has been enough to keep the habit happy. So that seems to be the baseline established - I don't have a physical dependency.
I haven't lost any weight yet, or not more than a couple of pounds, anyway, but who knows? I'm not sleeping better, or worse, but slightly longer in the mornings, which is the opposite of what most people say I should expect. Not feeling any more or less energetic. Nothing! Weird. Will check the blood pressure (which is normally 130, so not terrible anyway).
And then I'll come out to the wife (who doesn't ever drink at all). Yes, darling, I've been deceiving you these last few weeks. Can you ever forgive me?
BJ
For the last two weeks, I've been surreptitiously off the sauce, swapping my usual two evening glasses of red for Eisberg zero alcohol Sauvignon that looks exactly similar. Plus the occasional can of Bavaria 0% beer, which is better than its reputation. (Thanks, Snorvey.) I'm a bit late for Sober October now, but I reckon I'll run it now till mid-November and then we'll see about whether I extend the abstinent month any further, or whether I switch to weekends-only, as some other Fools have done.
Why haven't I declared all this to the wife yet? Whereas the usual advice is to tell everybody so that they can collectively hold you to your commitment and cheer your achievement? I'm not really sure. I don't think I have a problem with alcohol (I drink 22-24 units a week), but I had definitely fallen into the "7 pm is wine o'clock" habit, seven days a week, and I could see that that wasn't a great way to be. I suppose I was also a tiny bit worried about it?
Maybe I thought it would be difficult after 30 years of dropping into the habit? If I did, I was wrong, it's been a doddle. I survived my first pub situation yesterday (drinking lemonade and lime in pints). A piece of p1ss compared with packing up the ciggies forty years ago. That time round, the first two weeks were the worst. This time around, just having a glass of something (anything) in my hand has been enough to keep the habit happy. So that seems to be the baseline established - I don't have a physical dependency.
I haven't lost any weight yet, or not more than a couple of pounds, anyway, but who knows? I'm not sleeping better, or worse, but slightly longer in the mornings, which is the opposite of what most people say I should expect. Not feeling any more or less energetic. Nothing! Weird. Will check the blood pressure (which is normally 130, so not terrible anyway).
And then I'll come out to the wife (who doesn't ever drink at all). Yes, darling, I've been deceiving you these last few weeks. Can you ever forgive me?
BJ