On The Wagon For January

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  • Welldone everyone.

    I have to say I wouldnt worry about the chocolates or the cooking!!!

    I ended up staying in last night. Was finding it surprisingly easy until I started watching Momento on Film 4. Then it started playing on my mind so I went for orange juice as a substitute. Job Done - no alcohol consumed!

    I feel noticably fresher for it this morning to.

    This thread definately really helps as I can come into work, and read how others are tackling it.
  • Its quite strange that so many runners, which many in society consider to be fit and healthy have quite a high dependency on alcohol. To be honest I was feeling quite ashamed of myself, as I seemed to have the odd drink mid week (evening only). I never realized that so many people actually drunk mid week also.

    Its day three on the wagon and have to admit I don’t feel any different. My real test will be this weekend.
  • The trouble is that there is conflicting advice about whether some amount of alcohol is good or bad for you. For example, it's advocated that a couple of glasses of red wine is beneficial to your heart. So does that mean that one or two glasses every night is okay? Against that, we're advised to have two or three alcohol-free days every week. The two don't stack up.

    I think that on this thread there is a mix of people, some of whom may well be more dependent on alcohol than others. Some people may view this as a start of a major life-change in terms of weaning themselves off an alcohol dependency. Others see it as the chance to address some of the excesses of the festive season.

    Room for everyone and support for all.
  • Deffo ST. I don't drink much or often at all so it's just a festive calmdown for me.

    Take my chocolate away for a month and I'd try and kill everyone.
  • X-KKDX-KKD ✭✭✭
    This is just an observation; I'm not being judgemental, so don't shoot me down.

    I've noticed that we say "I've got a works do / meeting friends in pub etc so I'll have to drink then." Do we go to these social events to drink alcohol or to meet/talk to people. My experience of the Spanish/French/Portuguese etc is that they sit for hours with friends eating and drinking in moderation whereas we Brits seem to meet to drink alcohol.

    How would forumites honestly feel going out for a night out with friends without drinking alcohol? Embarassed? Not enjoy themselves as much?

    As I said its just an observation/thought so please don;t anyone take it personally.
  • KKD, I don't usually find it a problem going out for an evening and not drinking alcohol. I did find it odd at a London Social when I made a decision not to drink and by 9 o'clock, I felt I was missing out on the things that were making everyone else fall about laughing :-)

    But no, I don't need alcohol to enjoy myself at an evening out. But sometimes it's just nice, isn't it?
  • Your right of course its a cultural thing. We are almost raised to drink heavy.

    I personally think it greatly enhances socialising and whilst it has many bad points it also has its good points. Yes the Europeans might have a nice relaxed attitude to drinking but one thing that is clear to me whenever I am drinking in Europe is that generally the Brits have more fun, are more talkative and more likely to mix and be friendly to people they dont know.

    The flip side of that is that as everyone knows we are more likely to let excess take hold and end up disgracing ourselves.

    all of the friends I socialise with are fairly heavy drinkers, going out on a sat night pub crawl with them and not drinking would be an enormous waste of time - As everyone knows being stone cold sober around lots of drunk people is at best mildly irritating.
  • It’s a strange one, I can go to the pub and not drink if am driving. But give me a Friday night out and that’s a different story. I find that my mates soon go onto a different wave length. I know plenty wouldn’t even turn up for a night out if they couldn’t drink. I think we do just meet up to drink. I also know loads of people who cant wait to get the kids to bed and then crack open that bottle of wine. I do think we are a nation of heavy drinkers.
  • I have no problem going out to a pub and not drinkin - my only problem is usually friends who keep trying to push a 'real' drink on me

    They are getting used to it now and for anyone else who suffers from that persevere - they will leave you alone eventually, and probably the harder people try to push alcohol on you the more guilty they are feeling themselves
  • I sometimes choose to drive rather than foot an expensive taxi bill home, and generally it doesn`t affect how much I enjoy a night out, whether I have had a drink or not. I drove everyone home on Christmas day this year, and while it was strange at first not to have a glass of wine with my meal, I still had a great day.

    However, in party situations ( especially over the holidays ) I do find it very easy to drink too much. There`s always another bottle of wine open somewhere.

    This thread has also got me thinking about other people I know ( non runners ) who may well be drinking more than is good for them. Particularly one friend who didn`t want to come Christmas shopping unless we stopped for a drink.
  • One thing I noticed after i'd been off the drink for a few months, was how strongly it smells on people who drink regularly...it seems to just leak out of some folk's pores (eurgh!)
  • i dunno - i find being sober round lots of drunk people really quite amusing - especially afterwards when you tell them what they did last night *evil grin*.

    i do think that people use alcohol as an excuse to act disinhibitedly. If you can decide that chasing friends round the back alleys at 3AM shouting 'EXTERMINATE' is perfecly acceptable behaviour even when you are sober, not being drunk isn't so bad :)
  • Good point DG. One party I went to over the holidays (I had been driving )was full of the most outrageously drunk people. Several of whom behaved very badly, then just blamed the alcohol rather then take responsibility for their actions and the subsequent problems.

    Made me really think about the consequences of too much alcohol. And I certainly doubt any of them would have exhibited that type of behaviour sober.
  • Plus we are part of a small community, so EVERYONE will know what happened...
  • still, i cant say that i could ever ever get that drunk so that I chase friends round the back alleys at 3AM shouting 'EXTERMINATE'.

    Anyway am on the wagon now, its set off and am not falling off **holding on tight**

    I think if this goes well it could be a whole new me!!
  • i suppose i just do silly things enough that i don't need to get drunk first (haven't drunk for 4+ yrs - and i'm at uni).
    worst bit is non-alcoholic drinks in pubs - luminous-coloured J20 flavoured sugar syrup gets really quite icky, and one of the best local live music pubs charges £1 for a glass of really weak orange squash :¬( not even proper juice. Can't cost them much more than 5p <sulk>
    I'd be really pleased if more places sold nice smoothies or proper ginger beer or just something a bit more interesting than reconstituted orange juice & gloop.
  • IDG - I always ask for J2O in a pint glass topped up with soda water - less bleurg and sugary
  • DG, i agree, if the soft drinks were better then i would be more likley to drink them. As it is they are either sickly or full of colours. and rip off prices.

    Maybe we should invent a range of heathy drinks, that could be sold in pubs at low prices with goverment sponsership and anti drink drive backing.

    or not?

    we could be millionaires be next jan?

    In the meantime can you lend us a fiver
  • That's an excellent idea IWDI but I think you may have to go it alone without the aid of government backing given the amount of duty they receive from the sales of alcohol!
  • I always thought that going to a pub and not having a pint or five is kind of like going to a gym and not using gym equipment. :-)


    The drink driving solution is an easy one, get a taxi. Taxi drivers need your business; picking people up from pubs is the cornerstone of their livelihood.

  • oh, i dunno - selling healthy fruit smoothies & juice, thereby reducing alcohol consumption and feeding people more fruit & veg, would save the NHS lots I think. But IWDI, just think how much you will have saved by next Jan if you don't drink alcohol 'till then - maybe we could set up our own chain of late-night juice bars with decent live bands & stuff, but no alcohol or smoking? I think there's a definite gap in the market there...
  • jason - lots of people seem to go to gyms mostly to for a hard jacuzzi session, followed by a sauna, and a choc bar on the way out!
  • Hi all just back after the holdays and been dry for 3 days

    hows everyone else going...
  • Hey SH - I'm doing ok. Haven't touched a drop for 3 day either, altho i have felt like it..ALOT!
  • DG, i know what you mean, but if you look at a typical friday night then you will notice that most are on the pull, and they arent too fussy about the state of partners let alone drinks.

    Jason x, i think your missig the point a little. The idea is to stop to be healthy!!
  • KF - good to hear you have stayed away from the evil drink. It has been hard for me as well but the longer you stay off the easier it gets...

    :-)


  • SH- i hear you...loud and clear
  • Have had a really good run tonight, only short but it excelled the pace/speed expectations of my sub 3:45 programme, which means I'm in the frame of mind where I'm thinking I deserve a drink!!! .... And what with lots of christmas wine and cider still about (and the anticipation of seeing and celebrating The Hoff on celebrity Big Brother ;-))...... I suspect tonight could be breaking point :-/

    I shall try to be strong :-)
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