Thursday, March 22, 2012

Sober Wedding No. 3

There is no way I could be doing this thesis well if I was still boozing.  To meet my deadline this week I have been staying up writing until about 10.30pm every night.  It's been fine actually, fun even(!), and certainly has helped relieve the stress, just getting on and doing it.  I've got my draft of the Literature Review to a really good point I think and now I'm just really looking forward to sending it off and getting feedback from my supervisor next week.

But how could I have managed this if I was busy drinking red wine like I used to?  I'd have far fewer opportunities to work, I would have done deals with myself (I'll drink Mon night but will work Tues & Wed and then drink again Thurs).  In the past with even just one or two wines in me I wouldn't achieve anything much in the evening, like doing bills or looking at recipes/making a shopping list, or talking on the phone.  I never talked on the phone in the evenings.  And I'd never stop at one wine anyway, it was usually at least 3, sometimes 4 or 5.

By the way have I ever mentioned how I used to have toast binges late in the evening?  After Mr D had gone to bed I would stay up drinking and watching Reality TV programmes and then I'd cook myself toast that I would wait to go cold so I could layer on the butter and it wouldn't melt.  I love butter.  Sometimes I'd have 4 pieces.  On top of all that wine.  Then I'd crash out into bed.  No wonder I've lost weight.

Anyway I wanted to write about the wedding we went to on the weekend, my 3rd since I gave up drinking. I really think I've got it sussed now, how to do these events.  At this one after the ceremony when the bubbles were being poured on the church lawn I grabbed myself a mini bottle of lemonade and poured it into a champagne flute.  It looked different obviously as it was a cloudy lemon color but I didn't care, I just wanted a stem glass!  And nobody seems to care that I'm not drinking - it totally irrelevant to them.

At the reception I took myself off to the kitchen and grabbed a Red Bull from the fridge (my friend the bride had told me she'd got some in) and poured it into a tumbler to have with the meal.

I have learned from my past mistakes (my 40th birthday party) not to over-caffeinate myself with Red Bull!  One is plenty, just enough to give me a bit of a buzz heading into the evening.  I've become ridiculously sensitive to caffeine, hardly drink coffee now but when I do have one I can really feel it.

So yeah, that one Red Bull was just enough and I ended up dancing the night away very happily before driving home.  Oh, get me.

There were some cliched drunk people there, one very sad fellow who was very sloppy very early but he had nice people looking after him.  It was a super, low-key wedding and from my perspective another chance to prove to myself that I'm a much better version of myself now that I'm living sober.

And now I'm off to Sydney for the weekend with a girlfriend, child free! Husband free! Can't believe it.  Better get the passport dusted off....

Love, Mrs D xxx

11 comments:

  1. Life is good when we get to make choices. Good for you, and have fun in Sydney!

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  2. Well done you!! Well done indeed! And yeah that's the key is to get your drinks sussed...then nobody even notices WHAT you're drinking and doesn't hassle you about it! And yay you dancing queen!! woohoo! Have a great fun time in Sydney!

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  3. Yes well done you. I can't imagine doing this if every one around me was openly doing H (!?). That must make it harder with drink being legal/socially acceptable (expected). Good for you . . . enjoy sydney :-)

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  4. I do soda water with lemon or lime and that seems to work for me. No caffeine necessary! But then, I find that instead of being able to keep drinking until 4 in the morning, I'm usually ready to go home about midnight (which seems to be what non-alcoholics do anyway, with rare exceptions).

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  5. Thanks for sharing about the toast. I had a similar habit. I thought I was the only one till I read your post!

    Trouble is I haven't entirely given the late night munchy binges up. They still attack every so often. I have started to realise that this is part of the whole addiction thing. The triggers, emotions and thought processes that accompany it are the same. I almost feel drunk when I start even though I am not.

    No alcohol though and that is the main thing.

    Glad you enjoyed the wedding and hope the weekend goes well.

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  6. Oh how lovely, have an absolutely wonderful weekend in Sidney!

    Thanks for sharing this great post, take care mrs D! *hugs*

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  7. congrats! I have a wedding to go to this summer and will definitely have a fluted glass in hand, sans the alcohol! Have a great time in Sydney :)

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  8. All the hard work is paying off - drinking is such a time suck, see how much more productive we all are!

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  9. Oh goody, I get to say, "I told you so" in reference in sitting down and getting your thesis done. You have fun in Sidney, I'm going in to Merida and spending the night at a swanky hotel to celebrate my b-day. Let's raise a toast to each other at 7:00 pm our time on Sat. night.

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  10. I swear we were separated at birth! I can so relate. When I would have all that sugary wine I had to balance it with salty snacks!!! Too much wine and too many snacks! And I LOVE butter too! I started Weight Watchers several yrs ago and had to basically give up my beloved butter. When I got to my goal weight people would ask what I missed most...butter! No kidding! LOL! I am only on day 18 so I haven't been to any weddings or big events but I feel like you are helping me to be ready!!! You are the best

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  11. Well done am seriously impressed! I am only into my 2nd week - drove all my friends home on sat night (I think they are thinking I'm pregnant!) the weekend is looming - loads of things going on and I am seriously missing my friend wine and feel very sad that we won't be joining each other! X

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