The Life and Soul of the Party?

Well what a week for a party animal to live through. I attended two party's this week and I will start with the first - a house party. J and I went to a colleagues house party to celebrate her birthday. Two obvious things meant that this would not be a good night even before we went. The first is that everyone from work was there and the second everyone from work was there and drunk and I was sober. In all honesty I don't think that I would have even enjoyed the party if I was blind drunk. It is not that I don't like the people from work because I do - during working hours in my place of work. However its not only that they were drunk it is also that they were all taking drugs. Now I am not anti drugs, in fact I have been known in my time to participate in such activities. It is how anti social the drugs made the party. Everyone went away in SECRET to their rooms, and bathrooms to take the drugs leaving the non participants in the living room feeling well awkward. I couldn't stop looking at my watch wandering when it would be a suitable time to leave without appearing rude. Anyway I don't think it was being sober that made the party un-enjoyable as J did not enjoy it either. On to the next social event, tonight. I had a really good night tonight with some friends on a big pub crawl. We went to a few bars that I have never been to, we saw a stripper and I sung karaoke all sober. Tonight it was not easy to abstain but the company made a difference and made the night enjoyable. I did at one point really feel like grabbing a tequila shot to make me happy...but I have come so far now that I can't ruin it. Tonight was the hardest though and I really believe that mentally its good for you to let loose in the right company, and if drinking is how people (by people I mean me) want to let loose then I don't think its a bad thing. It was frustrating because normally I am the live and soul with boundless energy for the dance floor and chat - but here I am at 12.30am sitting in my pj's watching Dragons Den with a cup of tea. This week has shown that it is really the company that makes the night - but a really good night with good company should include a few drinks (but it doesn't have to). E x Emotional health - good slightly frustrated Financial - surprise, surprise I have saved lots of money by not drinking which I have managed to invest in lots of other things namely shoes Fitness - good lots of running happening and I think I am looking a bit slimmer

Day Ten - and not one glass of wine

Well looks like this not drinking is not as hard as I imagined. I have not had one drop of alcohol in the past nine days and I am not missing it too much. I have still managed to spend quite a bit of money but the difference is I actually have items to show for that money. This weekend J and I went for a really nice meal in a restaurant over looking the forth road and rail bridges (which I treated him to), and I had a really tasty dish of langoustines and salad. I have to be honest and admit that a nice Sauvignon Blanc would have made it taste even better. All the menus and promotional material featured good looking couples on the balcony (great view in the back ground) sharing a bottle of wine, or glasses of champagne. Since when was alcohol related to romance? In my experience alcohol kills romance dead, well from what I can remember and what Justin fills me in on the next day. Still I could not help thinking that a glass of wine would have enhanced the experience. I do think that when I start drinking again I will have much more respect for the amount that I drink, I really think that one may be enough now. Anyway I have a new goal insight which is completing a 10km run in under one hour and the training is going really well. Exercise is also motivating me to keep up the no drinking resume. With the lack of alcohol and abundance of exercise I should be down to a size 0 in no time. That was a joke (maybe a size 8 :-) More good news - Scotland hammered Portugal at rugby, I am off to Ireland on holiday in a few weeks, then to Champagne with work, then to Maastricht in November and most exciting of all........Paris in January. Oh and one more thing, it is actually HOT!! In case you were wondering not drinking alcohol improves your hmmm..romance side of things. E x

Day three and much better

So day three which just so happens to be the first Monday I have arrived at work having not touched a drop all weekend. I had a brilliant weekend. Saturday night you can already ready about in the last post. Sunday, slept till late, had a nice dinner cooked by J then went to watch the end of festival fireworks. After the 45 minute display (apparently 4 tonnes of explosives), we took ourselves up to spiegal tent (a big beer garden) to meet some friends. Spiegal tent is all about the drinking and dancing and basically anything goes, which is why I felt completely comfortable to order a peppermint tea at 11pm, followed by an orange juice. We watched a fantastic live jazz band, the saxophone does something strange to me, its sounds soooo sexy. Anyway our friends where slightly tipsy and had no inhibitions when it came to taking the dance floor on. I stood at the side and watched everyone doing strange jazz type dancing that my dad and probably everyone's dad favours. Anyway once I got over myself and realised that no one cares how you dance, I actually danced and had a really good time. Funny that the thought would have never occurred me to be self conscious if I had a drink. So perhaps not drinking will actually improve my confidence instead of relying on the false confidence that alcohol gives. Oh also I went to gym for the first time in ages, yes I am very smug right now, and I am aiming for a 10km race in October. So emotional health is fantastic, and J is soo impressed with my will power Money, total spent this weekend £15 Calories from alcohol, 0 E x

First night alcohol free

Well hello day one. I picked a challenging day to start my experiment by having a staff night out on the same day. I can honestly hand on heart say that tonight was the first night I can remember (certainly in Edinburgh) when I have gone on a night out and not had an alcoholic drink. Is that really so shocking? I don't think so having asked my colleagues when their last alcohol free night out was.

Anyway the night started off great, we went for dinner and to accompany it I drank sparking water, while they enjoyed a particularly nice bottle of white wine (my own personal weakness). I stayed strong and kept reminding myself how much better I would feel in the morning and what a let down it would be to fall at the first hurdle.

To cut a boring story short: did I have fun? No. I can say without a shadow of a doubt I would have had much more fun if I had a drink. Maybe its because it is the first night and its a new experience. Maybe its just not fun. However on a positive note I did only spend £10, consumed 0 calories through alcohol, and will have a much better day tomorrow. Logically I guess that means that the positives far outweigh the negative.

I will write more tomorrow when I have had more time to reflect and when I am enjoying not having a hang over.

E
x

2.5 days to go

Last night reminded me why I am doing this and that alcohol and tiredness do not mix. I went to the pub for a staff meeting which turned into a glass of wine too many. I didn't drink as much as normal but when you have had one day off in seventeen I guess it is not surprising. I came home, tidy ed the house (strangely enough) and fell asleep on the couch. Not wrong with that I guess until I mention that J did not have his house keys and could not wake me up to get in. He had to climb in the back window and needless to say was not impressed.

I think he is looking forward to next month too although I don't think he really believes that I will do it. I can't really blame him for that.

I have a big challenge ahead but there is no reason whatsoever that I can't do this. The first big challenge is on my first day as my work have a staff night out on Saturday. I have already been thinking of how to handle it, and thought about saying that I was on antibiotics. Then I thought no, why should I feel that I need that excuse not to have a drink.

This is something that I need to do and last night has only reinforced that in my mind. I think I am determined enough to do it (J would say stubborn). I am only thinking now that maybe I could try to stop smoking as well........

E
x

Emotional health - low
Alcohol units - can't remember
Calories consumed - oh probably thousands

5 days to go and I actually can't wait!!

No...really I can't. Although at the moment I am sooo tired the very thought of alcohol sends me to sleep. I am tired because last week I worked 70 hours, which admittedly was my choice but these decisions are always easy to make until you actually have to do it. Anyway it was an entering time working at the weekend, I can cope with the tiredness because all weekend I did not go out and I did not spend any money, so I am getting a little practice for next week.

Some people who come into work really show me the down side to alcohol. Take one guy, he comes in almost daily and drinks about 10 - 15 JD and Cokes, before leaving for the next pub. He mentioned that he thinks he drinks between one and two bottles of JD a day. There must be a sad story behind that. Almost all the older guys who come in, come in alone. It seems to be this point that makes alcohol their friend or if not friend...at least their company. That is depressing, obviously it is an extreme side but it shows the need for moderation.

I am also feeling very unfit at the moment, but want to wait till September to start exercise again properly so I can feel the benefits of not drinking fully. I really want to tone and loose a bit of weight too, and alcohol is not only putting the pounds on but also killing any motivation.

I am almost sure that my conclusion after the month will be that people should be able to enjoy themselves with alcohol every now and then, but that is the thoughts of a drinker.

We'll see
E x

Oh almost forgot:
Calories consumed this weekend (fri - sun) in alcohol alone: 648

For Info: - (very interesting article from the bbc on the health benefits of white wine)



White wine good for lungs
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1998633.stm

Alcohol free night and concerned about calories

Hi, have been a bit slack at the weekend with writing the blog. I worked Saturday night and had a family meal on Sunday. I wish I could say I had been good but on Sunday alcohol units must have been at least 8.

Anyway last night I had my first girly meal and night in - minus the wine. A brief insight into what next month might bring and it actually wasn't that bad - in fact it was great. OK at first to offer someone a cup of tea felt a bit 1950's housewifish, but I had a really good night, with the added bonus of NO HANG OVER!!

Last night I was talking to Julie about body shape and being toned, which got me thinking...I really need to get back in shape and get myself to the gym. So much of feeling confident is related to body image - for right or wrong. Next month I am hoping that the lack of alcohol will not only incentivise me to the gym but also help me to drop a few pounds. Here is the proof that alcohol = weight, from an article I found on the internet

Alcohol calories
Alcohol contains seven calories per gram, so if you're trying to keep in shape it might be an idea to cut down the amount you drink. It contains little in the way of other nutrients, so replacing a meal with alcohol isn’t a good idea.
The following values give an approximate idea as to how many calories are contained in a selection of alcoholic drinks. Remember, on average you need approximately 2000 - 2500 calories a day.
Drink
Calorie content (approximate)
Beers, lager and cider

Pint of lager = 200
Pint of bitter =100
Pint of sweet cider = 250
Pint of dry cider = 200
Pale ale = 91
Stout, bottled = 105
Lager (ordinary strength) = 85
Wines, small glass (125ml) =
Red wine =85
Rose wine, medium =89
Sweet white wine =118
Dry white wine =83
Medium white wine =94
Champagne =80
Spirits, one shot (25ml)
Gin = 50 / Vodka = 50 / Whiskey= 50 / Southern comfort = 70 / Baileys = 80
Fruit juice mixer = 50 / Fizzy drink mixer = 50

So Sunday night = 8 x 90 (small glass of wine)
720 calories !!!!!!

At the moment I am trying to decided whether to add up last weeks total - reasons to - it is true and a shocking discovery - reasons not to - I might actually cry.
Ok I'll do it -
36 x 90 = 3240

hmmmmm thats a day and a halfs food allowance. It would take running (burning 500k per hour) for 6.5 hours!!

If that is not enough incentive to drink less if not nothing, then I don't know what is.

x

Yes I am Drunk...but what is happiness?

Well been at the pub....a quiet night in with J and Shee (my best friend), J went to work the night shift at 11pm and Shee and I hit a bottle of wine, which on conclusion (of the bottle) we went to the pub.

I was discussing alcohol with Shee this evening and she thinks that we do drink more than average but that we always have fun so weighing up the negatives Vs the positives that alcohol wins. I was agreeing until she reminded me of the time when living in Amsterdam that I spent a months rent on a pair on boots - albeit beautiful boots (yes I was drunk at the time).

Anyway what is happiness...I think at the moment (bearing in mind I have consumed at least 10 units) that happiness is being around people who care about you and listen to you and most importantly that you can laugh with. Does alcohol aid the laughter........I'll find out next month! But at this moment I would be much happier if J was not working till 7am :-(

6 units or maybe 8?

Just to clarify for myself as much as anyone else, exactly how much is a unit of alcohol? I found this on the Internet....

What's a unit?
A UK unit is 10ml or 8 grams of pure alcohol. The number of units in a drink depends on what you're drinking - how strong it is and how much there is. You may have seen examples of drinks that contain one unit, but these examples are often out of date, for instance:

Half a pint of 3.5% beer/lager/cider is one unit, BUT many continental lagers are closer to 5% while extra strong lagers can be as strong as 9%!

One small (125 ml) glass of wine at 9% is one unit, BUT who uses small glasses? Certainly not pubs and probably not at home either. Plus most wines are now about 11-13%.

A 25ml pub measure of spirit at 40% is one unitBUT some pubs now serve 35ml as standard. Plus other pubs will serve you a double unless you specify otherwise.

So now that's cleared up, last night I fully intended to go home and chill on the couch and watch my new cable TV (there are some weird and wonderful shows, I particularly enjoyed "Dogs with Jobs"), however.............

Just as I was finishing up, I walked to the front door of the hotel when one of the other managers was also finishing and we decided to go for ONE. Anyway one rum and ginger ale, 2.5 pints of Kronenburg Blanc later I left. On the way home I bumped into another friend and had 2 bottles of magners.

I did make it home before J though, and for the first Wednesday morning in ages I did not feel hungover. Unfortunately tonight a girl from work is leaving so its a champagne reception at 4.30. J is off tonight though so I want to get away asap. So lets hope tonight can only be ONE.

E x

PS I have decided to keep this focused on the task and not go into too much personal details, I read on blogging tips that unless you are really fascinating then this is what you should do. Anyone who read yesterdays post the good news is my aunts lumps proved to be malignant :-)

Monday night = Family night

My dad and his wife arrived from Maastricht last night so I took myself round to my aunt and uncles for dinner. When I arrived my aunt was not there and I was informed that she is in Hospital having a lump removed from her breast. The lump she is in for is having removed is malignant but they found another lump behind it, which the results have not come back for yet. However there is a family history of breast cancer and they have mentioned a mastectomy. So you can image that the general mood for monday night was not good.

Then my cousin arrived completly wasted, chemically. He looked a real mess, sweating and constantly touching his head like he was in pain. Then he just left without saying good bye. Not really what my uncle needed. I should also mention that my cousin is in his late 30's. However we had a good catch up and a few wines, and I left to meet J form work.

I had forgotten how expensive drinking can be! At J's work I paid £4.50 for a small glass of wine. I am looking forward to the experiement to see how much money I will save. J suggested stopping for a quiet drink on the way home......

A quiet drink, in my experience that is a complete paradox, and my experience proved right. Quite a few of our friends were there and had been for many hours. Two wines and a sambuca shot (becoming a habit) later we were home.

A Quiet Night

Money spent: £14.00
Alcohol units: 9

Sunday night quiz - alcohol units 6

After spending all day yesterday tidying and organising my house, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I went shopping, bought J a pressie, practiced my guitar....and then decided to go the pub for a drink. I started out quite well by ordering a small glass of wine ( I think I have only ordered a small glass about 5 times in my life). So anyway I took part in the pub quiz - came last - had a few more wines.

I was conscious of the time while I was there cause I knew J would be home from work at 11ish so I wanted to be home first. Before I left someone suggested sambucas, normally I don't do sambuca due to an unfortunate incident when I worked in a bar in Amsterdam, which involved me cleaning the toilets after some sambuca drinker had pucked in them ! However I am open to new suggestions and decided a sambuca was a good idea. Once tipsy shots always seem like the best suggestion in the world, although I think it is the ritual of drinking them as appose to actually needing the taste or effect.

So I did arrive home before J did, and the house looked tidy, the washing was done, he was coming home to a nice clean house and a tipsy (again) wife. Not quite sure what happened next but something like this, I asked a question, J didn't want to answer, I was accused of having a different attitude, I shouted, J shouted and....I cried and went to bed. Welcome Home.

Everything was good again this morning, it always is but now I have a new point to investigate during my time as a teetotaler - will J be happier?

18 days till tee total time.

Here goes....

So entry one on the tee total experiment. This idea came to me after years of drinking socially - not to an alcoholic level - and working in a bar environment. Occasionally I would meet someone who was tee total and I always thoughts about whether I should feel sorry for them, if they could have fun around drunk people, and how much money they saved. Anyway I got talking to a friend over a few bottles of wine and we decided that the best way to answer all these questions was to try it for ourselves.

The experiment will take place over a one month period starting on the 1st September. Until this date we will be continuing as normal with socialising and yes.....drinking. This way we will have a good comparison.

We will be looking at weight loss, health benefits, money and emotional health. I fully plan to enjoy the next few weeks of hedonism ahead and hope to produce some interesting reports.

E x