Dry February?

That's right! You'd thought you'd escaped the Dry January 'chat' but no!

I absolutely would have done Dry January were it not for travelling. Beer is cheap in Asia-it would have been rude not to. As my penance for having spent the first half of January galavanting around Vietnam, drinking all the cheap beer I could ever need, I decided that my crimes warranted a 'Dry Second Half of January and All of February'

Not exactly a catchy title for the project...

Anyway, I have been dry since 19th January 2014 and will be going all the way until the end of Feb. Here are my thoughts so far:

1. Going out for dinner/to the pub is much easier than I thought it would be. I think enjoying the company of the people you're with helps here! If I'm with people that make me giggle, then I don't need those glasses of wine to help.

2. I have so much more energy. I never really was one for those heavy nights of drinking. I always prefered a few glasses of wine and a nice meal with friends (reading this, I'm astounded by how old I sound). Even passing on this kind of drinking can make a huge difference to your energy levels. I always wake up feeling fresh and rested and don't tend to get that mid-afternoon slump.

3. If I decide to do something, I will do it. Probably the most important lesson of the whole exercise. The knowledge that you are the boss of you is invaluable. I have decided not to fill my body with processed food - I will do it. I have decided to run a 10K in September - I will do it. I have decided that I will jump up out of bed when the alarm goes off tomorrow morning - well, lets not get carried away now. 

4. I actually quite like a fizzy water. I had decided to try not to replace the odd glass of wine with the odd Diet Coke and so far so good. Sparkling water takes a bit longer to finish so you can take your time over it a bit more.

All in all things seem to be going pretty well and I'm finding this much easier than I thought I would. I do like a glass of wine so I don't see it becoming a long-term ban but I will definitely think about adding a few more dry months to the year and just limiting my alcohol intake a bit more - I really don't need it all that much.

SJ xxx