The Adventures of ”Superdryman”experiencing his first Dry January.

THE ADVENTURES OF “SUPERDRYMAN” EXPERIENCING HIS FIRST DRY JANUARY

Should it be concerning that when I mention to Friends and Family that I am doing Dry January for the first time their response is either one of shock and awe, or one of hysterical laughter ? Is my reputation and relationship with alcohol such that there is disbelief that I can go 31 days sans alcohol ?

Well it is day 15 – and mid day – which my reckoning is exactly half way to my goal. So far so good. But why did I decide to undertake this daunting task ?

There was no plan involved, it all started as a practical economical response to what I was faced with on my New Years holiday in Mauritius. Like most people ( or so I believe) I like a drink on holiday, but then again I like a drink on any day ending with a “y”. But first day, first beachside lunch, I am reading the resort menu and doing my utmost to translate Mauritian Rupees into good old dependable Pre – Brexit UK sterling. I must be pressing the wrong buttons on my phone as the cheapest wine I can find on the wine list works out to £65. That’s for an uninspiring South African White something or other. Maybe as it’s lunch and very humid let’s try a local beer. Gaseous Gnats Piss ( not even a pint) works out to £6.25 ! I don’t even like Lager. Ok they produce Rum here, that should be cheaper. Nope, £6 a shot for the cheapest. So, methinks – quickly – and work out that over 9 days I can save about £500-600 by not having wine/beer for our party of 4. Indeed I have excelled in my alcoholic intake during December to the extent that on an aggregate basis I have probably imbibed enough to cover at least the first quarter of 2019 during a crazy few weeks in December. Decision taken. This is going to be a healthy/detox (cheaper) vacation.

There we have it. The genesis of a Dry January. 9 days bumming around on the Beach was not difficult, the challenge would commence upon my return. I had scoured my calendar to look at potential dates that could possibly bring me down, and the first few days back already contained 2 precarious events.

Returning on a Wednesday evening I had scheduled a Friday night dinner with Friends – albeit hosted at the home of a non drinking Wannabee Chef- (Auggie) – Saturday night – Bowie Celebration Gig – Shephards Bush Empire. Hmmmm! Usually both of these evenings would involve a fair share of alcoholic beverages. I texted my friend Auggie to determine the timing of dinner and announced to all on our WhatsApp group that I was undertaking the Dry Jan challenge. What an encouraging response I received ! Auggie’s partner was also partaking in an alcohol free month, and another friend immediately announced the same. 4 out of 5 at the Dinner would not be partaking in alcohol- that would make the evening run smoothly. Or ? Smoothly, is that the right phrase !? I cannot recall the last time I attended a dinner party and did not drink. This will be an experience. And what do you take to the hosts house when you understand almost everybody is alcohol free ? Certainly not a Keg of Double Diamond. Not even Egg Nog.

I could not really foresee hours of conversation with only water at hand, so there must be something else that non drinkers luxuriate in ?( Barring Coke/Sprite etc ) I had tried my favourite Brewers Brewdog’s Alcohol Free offering – the cleverly named Nanny State – so this could be one option. Then I thought about alcohol free wine – not low alcohol but free from alcohol. As luck would have it there was an article in The Times about wine to drink during Dry January and they recommended a Riesling that Waitrose was selling at £6.99 by the wonderful name of Ein, Zwei Zero. Apparently it is made and fermented in the traditional way but then has all of alcohol vacuumed out. Ordinarily a preposterous idea, but apt for my current predicament.

Nanny State – my least Favourite Brewdog Beer !

So I attended the dinner party with a box of Nanny State ( later realising it is 0.5% ABV and feeling guilty about it) and a bottle of alcohol free wine, and it all went very well. The wine Was very popular, very citrusy, fresh and not unpleasant. In fact so not unpleasant I was asked why I had not brought along more bottles ! Maybe it’s psychological, but seeing a wine bottle and drinking from it using a wine glass helped me feel a little at home, even though clearly the taste was more of a fruity grape juice than of alcohol itself.

Home at midnight, totally conscious, and waking up in the morning with a clear recollection of everything said and everything I ate – quite liberating ! Of course there are times when both the food and conversation are more wisely and thankfully forgotten, and other times when all is a blur whereas you actually would prefer to remember the night. But at least this morning I could lay in bed upon waking and not have to worry if I had a) lost my phone, b) lost my wallet c) lost coat/scarf, d) scroll through phone upon locating it to check what time you called an Uber and where from, e) check how many phone calls made/received. Oh, my god 8 missed calls from the wife, a call I returned at 11.52 for 14 minutes and I do not even remember making the call…….will need to tread carefully about that , and Wow , all of that behind me ( for one night at least). I lie in bed with a smug grin.

Next challenge – Saturdays gig. But wonder upon wonders, another friend attending said concert is also doing Dry Jan ( yes of course we will support each other ) , and other 2 friends say that they will also abstain. This is getting easy ! Enjoyed the gig with just one pint of Pepsi Zero in hand. Probably a glass of red wine would have been healthier, but I am still on course.

Monday back to the office. Tell all that I am not visiting the pub at lunch or after work. Most colleagues fall of chairs, but now I am on a roll and feeling like Superman !

I have agreed to one exception. I am going to Paris for 2 nights to meet my daughter, and it will be the first time we have spent time together one on one without her son/my grandchild around since he was born 15 months ago. As she lives in a France we rarely see each other and we are catching up using a Snow Patrol concert in a Paris as our meeting point. My daughter has begged me to join her in a few drinks as she will not be able to relax and will feel guilty drinking alone. So I am doing Dry January in what I call “ Alex Style”. My French friend Alex did Dry January last year but he said it only applied whilst he was in the UK. When he travelled back to France at weekends etc he was drinking. I love that plan ! So my Dry January is Alex style, and I will have 2 nights off to ease the pain. Maybe I will need to go a few days into February Dry to make up for it, but in my own mind I think that’s acceptable. So 15 days with a small break to go.

I am Superman ! Or maybe more accurately Superdryman !