In the swing

This sober thing is really working out well for me this time.

Last week's event went very well, with me serving the glasses of bubbly instead of drinking them. Even with the stuff directly under my nose, I felt no craving.

I did notice, however, that hardly anyone came back for seconds. Most people held on to their (slightly overfilled) flute for the duration of the event, which included speeches, live music and some nibbles.

Having just one glass is not something that I ever enjoyed. I did try it a few times and gritted my teeth through a whole evening. To help stick to the challenge I had designated myself as the driver and it only worked out because I had to stay under the limit.

Last week's crowd was not too hard on me for another reason: that particular group of people has hardly ever seen me in social occasions so nobody really took notice of whether I drank or not. They were not used to seeing me with a glass of wine, so nobody knew whether it was unusual for me to pass up on free bubbly.  Nobody urged me to "Come on, have one" and nobody raised an eyebrow.

Nobody cared what I drank. Or didn't drink.

This afternoon we had our monthly work do. Last Friday of the month, beer o' clock, we have drinks and nibbles. Now THAT crowd is used to seeing me re-fill my wine glass. I was a bit anxious about getting through this, but - again - it was not hard at all. My work day has been very busy and I did not have much time to think about 4 pm coming up and what I would do or say.

Then all of a sudden people were wolfing down pizza and cluttering around with bottles and glasses. I had a few conversations, then went to the fridge to find something alcohol free that does not involve sugar or artificial sweeteners, and - lo and behold - there were a few small bottles of sparkling water.  Yay!! I sailed right past the array of open wine bottles and felt no pull. Again, nobody noticed or cared what I was drinking.

So, there you go. Two sober "first" events in one week and it all went down without a glitch.

I don't miss anything.

Quite contrary, I'm really enjoying my days these days. I fall asleep easily, well before midnight, and sleep without interruption. Start my day well rested and full of energy. Looking forward to evenings and weekends and doing things I like to do instead of dulling my senses with wine and getting nothing done.

My counter at www.livingsober.org.nz says I'm on day 19 and I have saved $285.

This rocks!!

Next post on day 22, another fools' number.