On Saturday night we had friends over for a BBQ. There were 17 of us and everyone was drinking alcohol apart from me! I was fully prepared to take myself off to bed early and get out of the way of the party if I wasn’t in the mood but I ended up being the last one standing! I had so much fun! It was lovely catching up with friends and entertaining without getting so drunk that I fall asleep in a corner or forget what people have said to me. We got the fire pit going and I did most of the clearing up before I went to bed so we didn’t have the usual dreaded mess to face with a hangover in the morning. I’m beginning to realise that I can be fun and have fun without the crutch of alcohol!

I’m 10 days into dry June now and I can honestly say that I have not had more than a quick twinge of wanting a drink. That twinge soon passes though and I’m just feeling amazing. It’s not just the lack of alcohol that is making me feel good – it’s a combination of exercise, healthy food, mindfulness/meditation, drinking water and weight loss.

Last night I went to the pub to meet a bunch of local women who I hadn’t met before – it was a social organised by some of the “Real Housewives of Meersbrook” Facebook group members. I went with Fee who is my partner in crime when it comes to drinking (and running!!) Ordinarily I would have been well up for several drinks to relax and feel confident meeting new people. However, it’s dry June for me so I drank 3 pints of soda water. I had the best time chatting and getting to know some local folk. I met a neighbour who I’ve never really spoken to before and we had a great time. She and Fe came back to ours and stayed for a whiskey whilst I had an alcohol free G&T. I stayed up late and had a great time. This morning I woke up feeling fresh as a daisy (well, I didn’t get the best night’s sleep ’cause of all the soda water but I didn’t have a hang over!) The morale of this story is I don’t need alcohol to enjoy myself!

I am 6 days into dry June. So far I’m loving it but I haven’t had any challenging social situations to navigate yet. I’m off to a local pub this evening with a friend to meet some people on a local Facebook Group. My plan is to drink a few pints of soda water.

But why am I doing dry June?

10 weeks ago I signed up for a health and fitness coaching programme. My coach advocates for 5 dry nights a week which I have found mostly easy. However, over the past 4 or 5 weeks I have realised that those 2 nights a week when I am drinking alcohol are slowing my progress down. I lose a bit of weight and feel great during the week then the weekend comes and I blow it (I turn into a bit of a truffle hunting labrador when I’ve had a drink and my guard is down!) I’ve got 7 weeks left and I want to make the most of having a coach who is holding me accountable daily so the alcohol has got to go.

I’ve been listening to podcasts to help educate myself (and remind myself) about the effects of alcohol. This one is pretty inspiring. Who knows, after a month off in June, maybe I’ll sign up for One Year No Beer!