31 days of being completely alcohol-free aka ‘Dry Jan’

Intro

The clock hit midnight and I took my last sup of cheap wine that I cannot remember for the life of me the colour, name or thankfully the taste and traditionally gave the girls (see right) a peck on the lips whilst dancing to some throwback tunes.

I hadn’t drunk so much for the best part of a year, living abroad and away from my friends and family, this year had its downfall. The friends I had made from the past year and a half of living in Italy had moved on to other countries and I remained in limbo stuck in different parts of Lombardy trying to find the dream.

The truth is, I don’t even know if I had anything else to drink after the first hour of  2018 rolled by, I was caught out by the inebriated me, free and careless and a terrifying flirt. I'm disappointed by the fact I almost forgot the promise I had made to myself – Dry Jan.

Week 1 – Water vs Wine

It’s amazing how many social events include eating or alcohol. If you have ever been on a particularly strict diet or tried excluding alcohol from your life for more than a week or two, you realise how hard it can be for ex-alcoholics, dieters and even Vegans…

Think of how many social events you've been slightly nervous to attend, for example going out for a meal with a group of work colleagues for the first time or attending a party/wedding where you only know one or two people. In these cases most of us are likely to say hello to a good few units of alcohol to increase our confidence and make us seem more interesting.

This week I have had three social occasions, one in which I was the ‘none drinker’ eyeing every sip of Prosecco my friend drank and two in which my friends don’t actually drink (one being the designated driver and the other chooses not to – his will being stronger than mine) which made my abstinence easier.

This week I also tried to increase the amount of water I drank instead of fizzy drinks or sugary fruit juice. I think I found this more difficult than abstaining from alcohol. How boring ordering, a litre of ‘Aqua Naturale’ when you can order a Coke Zero or a beer for the same price!

Determined I drank probably a litre more of water a day than normal. I must admit I had to urinate around 2 to 3 times per night (I think my body was in shock) and amazingly I've lost a couple of pounds too!



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