What now?

We are already two thirds of the way through IkPas! It's getting better. I feel good and am even a kilo lighter. I think less and less about my wines, it amazes me how well that actually goes. There are still some difficult moments. I am following the interesting series 'Langs de Rijn' with Martin Hendriksma and Huub Stapel. Yesterday it was about viticulture in the Rheingau and about the delicious Rieslings they make there. I feel weak in the knees, but luckily I have nothing in the house. I immediately think back to the beautiful wine-press trips I was allowed to make as a journalist. That was something for me: we started at eleven o'clock with an extensive wine tasting, then went on to lunch with wine, on to the next tasting and the wine flowed again at dinner. Laughter we have! We never thought for a moment that this could be bad for our health. Crazy actually…. In the meantime I have become quite a lover of good wines.

The next tricky moment is the supermarket. When I look at my 'Appie', I notice that the wine is actually all over the store. It already starts on top of the display cases of the meat. Wine is placed near the cheese. If you want to go to the spa red, if you follow the logical route, you must first go through the bulging wine shelf. The wines on offer are on the top of some shelves. It is difficult to avoid wine, but I notice that the sight of the bottles gradually makes me less interested.

This week a battle is taking place within me: what now after my first IkPa period? Am I going to give up the alcohol completely – gosh that's a bit unsociable and a shame because it's so tasty – or am I looking for the golden mean? And does it actually exist? Do I extend IkPas all the way to Easter or do I take a 'rest' in February and start on 26 February with the next 40-day IkPas? I'll do the latter anyway, I've already decided that. In the meantime I have also started reading about alcohol, such as the book 'Op je health?' by René Kahn on the health risks of alcohol, and I watch all programs that deal with the subject. I learned that you need at least 60 days for a behavior change like not drinking anymore. I learned from neuropsychologist Erik Scherder that your body needs one to one and a half years to recover after frequent alcohol use. An experience expert tells that after a year of drying, something magical is about to happen…..I am really curious about that.

Other than that I had a very nice week! Had a nice relaxing yoga class, did a nice interview, took two long walks, taught Dutch to sweet motivated newcomers, started strength training, played the piano, cooked nicely, visited a beautiful exhibition with a friend about the jewels of the Romanovs in Amsterdam: I feel happy and will decide in a relaxed way how to proceed.

I'll let you know next week!