I have the day off work today to be incredibly cultural. I am intending on visiting four art galleries. I am hoping to get to the new Anish Kapoor exhibition at Nottingham Castle; then over to the Lowry at the Lakeside, and finally for the daytime pop up to One Thoresby Street to see what is going on in the photographer's gallery there.
Then in the evening I am off to see one of my favourite new local bands Swimming at Nottingham Contemporary. That should be amazing.
But, most importantly, I shall be drinking.
This was always the end date I had in mind from the start of NOvember. As well as the band playing, it is the last Friday of the month. So this was the target day.
And I am pleased to say I have been successful! Despite the idea that the guidelines where not stringent rules I have still stuck by them and not drunk a drop of alcohol since 31 October 2011. And it isn't for lack of booze: I currently have 204 cans of lager; 12 bottles of white wine; 9 bottles of beer and 3 litres of Baileys at home, along with a couple of festering bottles of home-made pear cider. That's around 600 units of alcohol kicking around just waiting for me.
Nor is it through lack of pursuasion. I have be pestered by friends to go out drinking. And when I have explained my reasoning behind it, rather than accept my decision they have stepped-up their berrating to try the harder to encourage me to break my bar. Thanks guys!
Nor is it through lack of opportunity - I have continued to go out. Not much at weekends in all fairness, though there has been a bit of a drop off in the run up to Christmas there anyway (something which identified NOvember as a sensible candidate in the original post). But during the week I have been out on a couple of occasions on almost every week to the pub or a restaurant and still resisted the urge to have a tipple.
And nor was it through ease. I did find it difficult. Most of all I found it plain boring. There were a number of occasions where I had to talk myself round. For example this Saturday I was walking home from my brother's and it would have been lovely to have gotten in and had a beer rather than the cherryade which I ended up with. I kept saying to myself "they are only guidelines"; "you've done well already" and even "no-one else need know". But I convinced myself otherwise on two grounds - firstly I was so close to completing my challenge I would have been so disappointed in myself to have failed; and secondly if I was to have started drinking I should have done so with the takeaway at 6pm rather than on getting home at 9:30pm.I was even successful on the difficult days (not just the Fridays) when the train ran late and I had nothing to do but kick around the station. Previously I would have popped to the local shop and bought a couple of beers, but I persevered. And even last night. Again, I kept telling myself "You've already done so well, it's just one day shorter" but I still didn't drink.
So, presumably I feel fantastic? The break has done me the world of good? I have so much energy I am bouncing of the walls and my healthy glowing skin means that I don't even leave a mark?
No. When I saw my mother at the weekend she said I looked healthy. But then she would say that. She's been encouraging me to at least cut down on drink for months. It didn't stop her offering me drinks at the start though.
I had hoped to feel a difference I have to say. It sounds perverse, I know - that I should want to feel better and therefore confirm that my previous alcohol intake had been excessive. But I didn't see it as that. I wanted to find an answer. You see I sleep appallingly at the best of times, so I had hoped that cutting out alcohol for a sustained period of time would allow me to establish a 'normal' sleep routine, and actually sleep through the night. But no. And I didn't feel any more energetic either. In fact I caught a bug, despite my immune not being hampered by booze.
Nor has it done anything for my skin. I don't suffer hugely from bad skin, and (ignoring the booze) usually have a healthy diet so don't suffer with spots or outbreaks too badly. But they haven't stopped whilst I've been off the booze - the skin has been the same, in fact my usual winter deterioration has started. The skin on my knuckels decides to shed itself around now, unfortunately before the underlying skin has established itself making it look as though I have gone nine rounds with a brick wall. Not good for a professional. And the ruddiness I get to my cheeks occasionally has persisted. It's not a permanent red-face, but it seems to suggest I am over-heating. And not as a result of the booze, apparently.
My gut doesn't suddenly feel full of good health either, but then again I don't think there was anything wrong with that aside from normal digestive actions. And they have continued producing wind a-gusto so that hasn't settled either.
And my memory is no better. I had thought that my brain deterioration may have been linked to the booze consumed. It still may in all fairness, and cutting the booze out may reduce the amount of damage occurring, but may not necessarily repair any past damage. So I will continue to forget vitally important words and even the most simple of spellings. I have since put at least two different items in 'safe places' and forgotten where those safe places are; and I am constantly checking the door to see if I have locked it.. I actually think my memory is better when I am drinking
But am I glad I did it? Yes. Definitely. Firstly it did give me a much needed break. But mostly it showed my that I could do it.
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