Let Month Five Begin!

Day 121 with no alcohol! May 1st tomorrow, that's 4 months with no beer :)

Refreshing Alcohol-free Tipples

So with no alcohol being consumed this year - what have I been rehydrating myself with instead? 

Well first of all there is sparkling water and ice. I love this and drink it by the pint. It is so refreshing, especially with dinner.

I sometimes opt for a "posh" sparkling bottle, but I usually go with Tesco's Value sparkling water, which can't go wrong at 17p for a 2 litre bottle. Served straight from the fridge over ice its fantastic. 

I've also been rediscovered a favourite from my childhood days - Ribena. It tastes great, especially with the afore mentioned fizzy water. Its just like a soda and blackcurrant.

Then there is my other favourite, Rose's Lime Juice. Again I have vague memories of this stuff as a kid, and as far as I can remember it hasn't changed a bit. Again mixed with sparkling water and stacks of ice it is about as refreshing as it gets.

I've also been juicing (although not as often as I should), and when I go for the super healthy home-made fresh juice option I go for apples, spinach and lemon, again over ice. Incredibly nutritious and hydrating.

So I've been enjoying these refreshing, hydrating fun and nutritious drinks, cheap and cheerful and with no nasty side-effects the next morning!

Paddy's Day without Beer

It's day 76 of my year without any alcohol. March 17th - St. Patrick's Day.

Paddy's day is associated with the country of Ireland of course, where I spend a wonderful year working back in 2001.

The day is also very much associated with partying and lots of drinking!

Unfortunately, the whole occasion seems to have been hijacked by Guinness, who seem to have adopted the day as a huge marketing opportunity. I expect as the day wears on St. Patrick will be all but forgotten by revellers drinking in the pubs around the world.

As for me, I've been a "quiet man" today and have marked the day by reading about St. Patrick on Wikipedia with a cup of tea!

OY-NB! Still Going Strong...

A short post to say that my one year/no beer project is still going well, with absolutely zero alcohol consumed by me since 1st January.

Not a huge amount to report! The drink not featuring in my life means that I'm not really thinking about it very often.

But on waking up at the weekends I still appreciate a hangover free clear head!

One Year - No Beer: 10% Complete

So today is a mini-milestone in my year without alcohol. As it's February 6th (day 37) my year of sobriety is 10% complete.

So there's 90% of the year to go. Yikes!

It already seems like a long time since that evening back on 31st December when I made my decision to give up alcohol for the year.

I'm feeling clear headed, pretty healthy, and I don't miss the booze one bit. Alcohol is not featuring in my life at the moment, and if it wasn't for this blog I probably wouldn't even be giving it a second thought!

I'm also amazed what interest my year without beer has received out there on the Web. My twitter feed has nearly 250 followers, and this blog nearly 700 hits. I'm really honoured that so many of you have taken an interested in my tee-total journey/experiment!

I've also been looking at some similar online blogs where people have recorded going for a year without alcohol. 

They're all different and inspiring in their own way. A quick search for "one year no beer" on Google brings up dozens of them (mine is 4th - yay!). Two that I found particularly interesting where http://givingupdrinkingforayear.blogspot.co.uk/ and also http://suspect.me.uk/

So perhaps sometime in the future someone will look at this blog and decide too to give up the booze for a year! If that's you - go for it - I'd recommend it!

One Month without Alchohol

Stand Firm

So January has come and gone!

My main observations on my year without alcohol so far are that:

• The thirty-one days have passed quickly
• Not drinking is easier than expected
• I've enjoyed interacting with like minded people on Twitter
• I have saved by not spending money on alcohol
• I've had dreams about drinking...
• ...and then felt relieved that it was only a dream
• I don't have any particular cravings for alcohol
• I enjoy waking up at weekends with a clear head
• People that I know have accepted that I don't drink (well mostly)
• I've been thinking that after this year is over, I might just not drink for good (still undecided)

So overall I feel that the positive effects of not drinking far outweigh the perceived benefits of booze.

Not drinking alcohol annoys other drinkers...

"If you stop smoking you are a hero; if you stop drinking you are seen as a freak" (Jason Vale, Kick the Drink Easily).

I'm trying to stop using the phrase "given up" in relation to not drinking alcohol. The words "given up" implies that you are missing out on something good. Sacrificing something.

In reality I'm feeling that I haven't "given up" anything by not drinking alcohol. In fact I'm gaining much more than I've ever given up!

Some drinkers really don't like it when they hear you're not drinking. Some will laugh and doubt that you'll manage to stay off the booze, perhaps secretly hoping that you'll eventually give into temptation and prove them right!

Not drinking is almost socially unacceptable in our booze oriented culture. Alcohol is everywhere and there must be something wrong it you're not drinking the stuff. As Jason Vale says in his book, alcohol seems to be the only drug you have to justify not taking.

Does any of the following sound familiar?

Drinker: So why don't you drink (you must have been a problem drinker)?
Non-drinker: I don't like the taste, the damage alcohol does, and I can do without the hangovers.
Drinker: How are you finding it (it must be really difficult)?
Non-drinker: Easy. It is easy not to pour a liquid into your body that is poisonous.
Drinker: How long have you given up (how likely is it you're going to start drinking again soon)?
Non-drinker: Four weeks and I'm still going strong. I'm free from an addictive substance. Anyway, how is the alcohol drinking going? 

So if you've decided not to drink whether it be for a month, a year, or for the rest of your life, remember that there is nothing wrong or unusual with not wanting to fill your body with an addictive and damaging substance.

Me, I'm quite happy to be free of it for the year!