Hope Mrs moot is ok, in my recent experience trips to a&e are a precaution so hopefully they just send her home with some non-children medicine and she's fine and dandy in a day or so.

They've gone to town with the tests and given her a drip for hydration/pain relief. ECG clear. No infection. Signs point to coming home today apparently, just got rid of Tilly so I'm off down there shortly. She didn't enjoy explaining why she was taking Calpol to the doctor (spoiler: because it tastes nice).

Huzzah. Now claim she actually said £50 while sedated.

Slip the doctor your £20 to tell her this was man flu.

How many indie fancies will that buy? Loads, that’s how many.

Just watched the big fat quiz of the year and it seems I've been out of touch for 95% of the past year

Just been told I'm getting an award in work for Being Awesome to patients or something. Photo getting taken with some higher ups for some work newsletter thing. Hmph to that but nice to get some small recognition. Now to find a barber.

You the man Gav!

splendid.

It'll be coming before payday meaning I'll likely need to hit up the local Turkish joint that'll butcher me. It'll be a laugh.

I'm spending my whole day by the lake fishing. Just me. No other fucker around.

It's gorgeous

Day 3 and sticking with my resolutions. It’s not much, but it’s a win.

There’s still 3 bottles in the fridge though, and their presence is simultaneously irritating me (temptation) and making me feel guilty (Xmas present).

Nice one Kris.

Honestly from my experience I would say keep them.

There is no running from alcohol in our society. Life is far, far easier when you learn to not want it.

There are a couple of techniques I used.

The first I'm a bit wary of suggesting as I know you've had some troubles but I'll outline it anyway.

1. Get a beer out, open it, pour it into a glass, smell it.
Examine it. Look at the colour, the bubbles, hear the sound it makes when being poured.

However the whole time be in the mindset you were in when you decide to knock it on the head. Think of the headaches, sickness, anxiety, the shitty feelings.

Smell the ethanol over the other scents. It's not a nice smell, like a shit petrol station forecourt.

Spend some time over this. 30 minutes minimum, uninterrupted.

Rewire your brain to associate it with the negative experiences our brains are seemingly quick to forget.

At the end pour that one away.

2. Go to where you would previously buy alcohol. Pick up whatever else you want to get then head to the booze aisle and linger for a bit, just as long as you can manage. Then walk away.
Do this multiple times lingering a bit longer each time to normalise not buying anything.

None of this is easy to begin with but it's infinitely easier than a lifetime of temptation.

There was a time I would drink until it was gone. Now I've got beers in my fridge for guests that have been there since November 2022 and I'm pretty sure are past their best before date. Don't even think about them. I've as much interest in them as I do the dog food in the opposite cupboard.

Fair play.

What I'd say about the party is most people won't care, and I say that in the nicest way.
Some might say something but fuck them it's not their life it's yours and you aren't stopping them doing what they want to do.

Generally though I'd say that you will be making a bigger thing of it your head now than it will inevitably be. I did the same.

Not drinking is cool now anyway, it's what all the youth are doing. Go hang with the youngsters and talk about Taylor Sheeran and what Marvels on at the Megaplex.

LivDiv wrote:

At least as guys people don't just assume we are pregnant.

Haha, I’d already got this lined up as my first joke when people ask me why I’m not drinking.  *pats belly*