Red or white?

On December 31 – just before midnight – I drank my last alcoholic drink of 2020. It was a delicious cocktail of Pink Gin and Fentimans rose lemonade. A real treat on the last day of the year. Now my 30-day alcohol-free period starts and I'm all set!

Until two years ago I was a real casual drinker. During a birthday, dinner with girlfriend or another holiday I found more than enough. I regularly emptied a bottle into the sink because it wouldn't hold up anyway. I am now just as much of a sociable drinker as my parents. When I visit them, it's not "what do you want to drink?" but: “red or white?”. My husband doesn't even have to ask for them anymore, that's standard a beer. That actually made me realize that not only do I have to break this pattern, but also that of my parents.

Just like last year, all three of us registered for IkPas.nl. My mother had the tastiest replacement non-alcoholic drinks. She forwarded every recipe. I must confess that I made very few, because I didn't necessarily want to replace one for the other. It became a simple cup of rooibos tea or coke zero. But this year I secretly hope that she will share her recipes with me again, so that I can drink something different.

My brother is also attending. Once every two months we order sushi and share a bottle of red wine. Have a nice evening together. Yeah, it won't be for a while. But, that doesn't matter.

How do I get through these 30 days? I don't think it's that heavy lifting! As I stand in it now, I even want to extend my dry period by 10 days, but we'll see. I find it incredibly motivating that I do this together with my parents and brother. In addition to giving up the alcohol, I also want to pay attention to my diet. Make conscious and healthy choices. It would be nice if I lost a few pounds at the same time.

Finally… People quickly think, without good food or an alcoholic drink it is not fun. But that's not the point. You will find sociability in the people you are with.

Until next week!

Love, Mary