The start of 100 days alcohol-free

Today starts the new year. Today my IkPas period started. My Dry January! Unlike other years, I'm really looking forward to it this year. Probably because I have the unwavering confidence that I will continue and also because I have experienced the positive effects before. I also think it's high time for a break in my alcohol consumption…especially after the past holidays.

On Christmas Day we were invited by my parents to go out for dinner. There were eight of us. My parents, my sister and her husband and our family of four. My wife was on duty, so she delivered us to the restaurant and joined us an hour later. Luckily she wasn't called away that night. Because the restaurant was very busy, the waiter had advised in advance to bring something for the children so that they could enjoy themselves at the table. By way of exception, both were allowed to bring their iPad with headphones and it didn't take long before I was asked if they could 'on' their iPad. I had actually thought of postponing that until after dinner, but since we had to wait quite long for the starter due to the enormous crowds and the children were getting bored, I was soon done. And then you experience the magic of your children enjoying themselves, so that you 'do not have a child with it' and you can also enjoy the food and the adult conversation. Delicious! This was only the first time that we have tackled this in this way, until now we usually went to a restaurant with a play area for the children, but for me it is certainly worth repeating. The children thought it was fantastic and luckily they also took the time for their children's menu. That evening I feasted on the good food, the pleasant conversation and a few nice drinks. 

On Boxing Day I had my in-laws over. Since my wife was on duty over Christmas, the Christmas dinner for my in-laws, ten of us, came down to me. My brother-in-law had offered to bake something sweet for dessert, so all I had to do was take care of the starter and main course. I could have outsourced the starter, but since I like to cook and like a challenge, I decided to go for it myself. It all worked out fine. The organization of the Christmas dinner with my in-laws is done on a rotating basis. So this year it was our turn again. I still remember well that three years ago, when we also organized it shortly after our move, the stress level was a lot higher than at this edition. I actually felt quite relaxed and that is quite special for me at this time of year. So also on Boxing Day good food and drink. And then it's not over with the partying, because on December 27 it was my father's birthday. You can almost guess it, but my alcohol use is generally significantly higher in the last week of the year than in the rest of the year. In order to keep a little more control over the 'party week' this year and to make the start of IkPas a little easier for myself, I decided to stop drinking a few days earlier. On December 28, I drank my last drink for the time being and the aim is to last not 30, but 100 days. If I have calculated correctly, this means until April 6. In previous years I also drank a few drinks on New Year's Eve, but then it felt very forced to stop at twelve o'clock. That is why I started earlier this year with my wife. For New Years Eve we had non-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic wine, because of course we were going to make it a pleasant evening. At the end of the afternoon we had a nice gourmet with the children and in the evening enjoyed the end-of-year programming on TV while enjoying a tasty snack. The need for alcohol has disappeared for me at the moment, but that is also because, as has often been the case in recent years, I have caught a virus. I always get sick after Christmas. I hate that, because these are the days to do fun things with your wife and children. Apparently I just have to protect myself better around Christmas, because this is the umpteenth year that this has happened. Anyway, every disadvantage has its advantage… I now have plenty of time to blog. Since a few months I have my own website and I blog about my efforts to live happy, healthy, smart and sustainable. Curious? Feel free to take a look www.bambobeertje.nl But as much fun as blogging is, I would prefer to go outside for a run now. However, I fear that in my current condition I better postpone that for a while. Working on my health feels great, but let's not overdo it….HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!