30 days without booze, am I crazy?

This, my friends, is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. An entire 30 days and nights, booze-free. Teetotal. Partly, just to see if I can (because I drink a fair amount) and partly for some health and sanity related reasons too.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m in my late 20s. Maybe I’m having some sort of crisis? Probably not, because I feel perfectly fine. I dunno. I just want to switch things up a bit. I want to challenge myself, but also give my body and brain a good rest. Do you think I can do it?! Am I crazy?!

I thought I’d document how the hell it goes here on my blog. Sorry to those who are here for the foodstuff. I’ve left some links for you at the end of the article, just scroll down. But if you’re at all interested in why I’m doing a 30-day booze detox, read on…

But If you wanna see how I got on skip to my halfway update, or read my 30 Thoughts for 30 Days Sober.

Day 1 no booze: Monday 9th October

What a weekend I just had. My best friend Jodie was back from Sydney for 10 days only. And this was her final weekend at home until May. So we partied. A lot. Friday night I went to a Secret Supper at Cottonopolis in Manchester (more on that in a later post), then straight back to Sandbach on the train to meet the gang for booze, beats and well, more booze. This ended up in a very, very late night because apparently, I have zero self-control.

Then Saturday morning it was up and out. Despite the grim hangover, we needed to be back in Manchester for 2.30pm for lunch and drinks at The Refuge (again, review to follow). We made it. Just. And there was no other way… I simply had to get back on the booze to get me through how horrendously hungover I felt. So a large prosecco, followed by another, and a glass of sherry to finish. Not gonna lie, it was tough.

Back on the booze…

Saturday night, back on the booze again for the grand finale.

A big night out in the Northern Quarter. I couldn’t face rum at pre-drinks, so I quietly sipped on red wine. Once we got out, the dark rum and cokes got me through the ‘tiki as fuck’ antics at Cane and Grain… and we called it a night around 3.00am. Exxxxxhausted.

Sunday, I felt surprisingly energetic until around 2.00pm. Off to Chorton for a roast dinner at The Laundrette, and I had two Czech beers to wash it down. And to be honest, I’m not even sure why I opted for beer, but I did. Those were my last alcoholic drinks.

Time to slow down?

So yep, that was a pretty exceptional weekend. Squeezing four events into three days. Sometimes I feel like I need a drink just to get me through it all!

And even though this was a special occasion, and I had the best time ever, I find myself with action-packed weekends like this all too often.

Since getting back from six months travelling, I’ve been a whirlwind of events, holidays, catch ups, more events and to be honest, I think I just need to slow down a little bit.

I’ve realised, on reflection, that the issue isn’t directly with my dear friend booze (well, at least I hope it’s not because if it is then I really am in trouble). I enjoy alcohol and am perfectly capable of drinking responsibly.

The issue is more so that I say an enthusiastic ‘YES’ to too many things. I’m helplessly optimistic that I can fit everything in, see everyone, do everything. But then I end up exhausted. Until the next weekend when I’m back at it all over again.

So, this detox isn’t just about booze. It’s about slowing down. Taking stock. Searching for a bit of clarity… Yep, that sounds hippy as fuck, but I mean it. I need to chill out and take back a little bit self-control. And this is how I’m doing it. So am I crazy? Probably. Are people gonna support me? I’m not sure.

I’ll keep you updated as I battle my way through! I’m @sophiesscran on Twitter if you wanna say hi. Also, let me know what you think in the comments below!

Lots of love, Sophie -x-