Alcohol

A slightly different post from me today and it is alcohol induced. Last night we went to a gig (which by the way was amazing!) and it got me thinking.

To drink or not to drink.

In the past I used to drink alot, it was almost a way of life when I was a student (2001-2005) Back then I'd probably drink most days of the week. During this time it would not be uncommon for me to be able to knock back 3+ bottles of wine in an evening and goodness knows how many pints of beer (not in the same night though as they totally don't mix). I never used to suffer from hangovers either, I'm not sure whether this was because I slept in later or my body was just better at coping.

When I finished University in 2005, drinking was really just limited to social events and maybe a glass of wine with dinner a few times a week.

Around 2006 we stopped drinking at home on a regular basis. I think this was partly due to the pugs coming into our lives and our evenings being taken up with dog walks.

In 2007 we moved over 50 miles away to a new area. This significantly reduced social drinking as we were so far away from anyone to go out with and there was always a lengthy journey to get home.

2008 was when I started my weight loss journey and alcohol was an easy cut for me to make. I wasn't drinking that regularly, but I'm sure it helped me reach my goal.

I don't really remember when I started to experience hangovers, but I'm sure it was around 2006/2007. I do not like being hungover... at all.

For the past year or so I've drank even less frequently than ever and have even managed to go on nights out and not drink at all. It's hard because my friends don't really understand the reasons why I don't drink that much anymore, but the fact is I'm not sure I enjoy it anymore.

That brings me nicely full circle back to this mornings musings. I drank last night. I had 1 pint of Red Stripe and 2 pints of Peroni. For me, this is now considered quite a lot. I know that my speech was a little slurry after this and I can assure you that I feel totally rotten this morning. I should also point out the bag of crisps I stuffed my face with before bed last night too - that can't have been a pretty sight.

I was trying to think why I even drank at all last night. Mr H wasn't drinking because he drove and we weren't out with anyone else, I didn't need to drink to enjoy myself because The Bronx are one of my favourite bands. So why? I've come to the conclusion that in my head it's habitual. It's something I just *think* I should do. To a certain extent, it's a bit like being a social smoker. I'm a social drinker. I quit smoking years ago. I very very rarely get cravings for cigarettes and to be honest it's never an actual craving its more of a 'this is one of those moments I'd enjoy having a cigarette in the past' type things. It's more the memories I can dredge up from when I smoked than the actual smoking that I crave. So why do I still drink socially when I don't seem to enjoy it?

Would I have had a bad night if I'd been drinking soft drinks - no.
Would I have eaten crisps if I'd been drinking soft drinks - no.
Would I have a hangover this morning if I'd drunk soft drinks - no.

I thought I'd try and write a list of reasons I enjoy drinking, and you know what? I couldn't think of a single thing. At a push I guess I could list that I appreciate a decent glass of wine, but I'm not sure if I would enjoy it as such. Again, I think its the habitual element and the 'memories of the good ol' days' that seem to be the drivers for me drinking at all. If I go right back to when I first started drinking, I was underage and of course it was clearly a form of rebellion. The fact that I looked older than I was in an age where you could get into a pub with a fake photocopy of a passport was great. It meant from an early age I somewhat believed that alcohol = a good night out. Of course because good nights out usually involved some sort of alcohol that perhaps became a contributing factor to there being a desire to drink when I went out. Even more so because I only passed my driving test this year, theres not really ever been an occasion where I couldn't drink - so I never really knew what it was like to go out with my friends and not drink.

Having done this a few times in the last 2 years I have realised that no alcohol = good night out. Sure there are the barriers to communication with a group of sh*tfaced people, but in some cases that can be the best bit of an evening!

When I thought about making a list of reasons to not drink, I came up with the following:
* I do not like hangovers
* I do not like the fact that alcohol = bad food choices (immediately after drinking and in the 24-36 hours afterwards)
* I do not like feeling out of control
* I do not like slurring my words
* I do not like memory black holes (which I suffer from even with the smallest amount of alcohol)
* I don't like what it does to my body (yes the TMI part of being hungover)
* I don't like how it makes my skin look
* I don't like it's pocket emptying capability
* I don't like drunken paranoia

So given that the list of negatives far outweighs my empty list of positives, I think it's time to seriously address drinking.

For a bit of research, I checked out a list of famous teetotallers. It made for rather interesting reading to be honest, given how the media often portrays these celebrity types I'd been lead to believe they were living lavish champagned fuelled lifestyles. Looking at that list there are so many people that I admire for their contributions to the world and perhaps it might even be a little bit inspiring.

I'm not sure I could ever go completely teetotal but then again I guess a celebration would still be a special event without the Champagne, a nice dinner would still be tasty without a glass of Wine, a gig would still be awesome without a pint of Beer, summer would still be summer without a pitcher of Pimms....

But would Christmas still be Christmas without a glass of Sherry?

Just as a side note, its now 11:04, this post has taken me ages to write. At time of posting, the room still spins when I look down.