I took your advice this weekend and decided to try being tee total for the weekend. I had a long lunch with friends on Friday and found a restaurant which did amazing mocktails. They had all the theatre that normal cocktails can have so I didn't feel I was missing out on a bit of fun. I've attached a pic of my smoking skull💀, which was blueberry and lychee, yum. Last night I was at an Octoberfest event and it was fun and silly even sober as a judge. It woke up this morning bright and breezy and made the hungover lot bacon sandwiches 😀. So the verdict...I didn't miss the alcohol and I certainly didn't miss the hangover. I'll definitely be trying it again.👍
Spatz76 x
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Spatz76
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Your smoking skull looks so awesome! I'm trying to be sober for October and I'm liking time off from booze too. I felt in need of that weekend feeling this weekend, so I had a few non-alcoholic beers over Friday and Saturday and was totally satisfied by them. My hubby is frightened I'm going to keep it up - he doesn't want to be married to a tee-totaller, he says! Ha! I will not succumb to peer pressure though, or not before November 1st anyway... 😂
Brilliant news Spatz.... I LOVE the mocktails.. with drinks like that who needs cocktails.
But seriously I am so glad you went for it... enjoyed the evening.. had fun.. woke up without the hangover. It's all about not feeling different than anyone else .... good for you... sounds like you had a great time. And shows you that you don't need the alcohol to have a fab time. Really pleased for you.... go you girl xxx
Ladies it's not even about being tee total.. . It's about us not feeling deprived and going out having a fab time and looking after our lovely hearts. ❤. Well done Laura too ... I too went out last night and had a lovely meal with friends..... had my lovely lime and soda ( I did have a guy I know buy me a drink .... he was surprised when I asked for lime and soda ... I told him it was a lifestyle choice) he then complimented me as he noticed I had lost weight. I have lost nearly a stone since feb.... more healthy diet and no alcohol has made me look better 😁
And today I felt great and went out collecting leaves and then made autumn pics 😀 I will post them on here if I can work out how to upload a pic 😁😁 xxx
You're right, it's about making changes to my new normal so I don't feel different or deprived because of my health issue. To be honest I have been feeling a bit resentful about whats happened to my heart and and it changing so many things. However I decided to get over myself and get on with it this weekend. Actually trying something different, despite it only being a small thing has been quite empowering and opened my eyes to thinking a bit differently going forward.
I love that a guy bought you a drink, what a lovely compliment noticing your lifestyle choice is paying off on the waistline. How did the lack of alcohol affect your blushes? I'd be beetroot red sober lol!
Ha ha.... well I was holding onto a helium happy birthday balloon at the time.... And my friends had not arrived....so was blushing already lol. But yeh not bad for a 55 year old 😁 and I haven't been on a date for a long time.... was not the time with everything going on. However I have got myself a date on Friday with a guy who sounds lovely. And he doesn't know about my heart.... but love that he eats chicken and fish.. . No red meat... And he is not much of a drinker either. Oh and he laughs at my jokes 😂😂.
I know what you mean about feeling it's unfair when you have to make lots of changes due to the issues with our hearts. Delighted you have embraced it and feeling that with the changes you are still having fun.
I have found that I am doing more things since stopping drinking... from feeling frustrated about this... I have now found I have a much more active social life going on.
I was at wembley watching Micky Flannagan on Thursday.. out with friends for a 50th birthday last night...have a Whitney theatre night next Saturday ( not forgetting the date on Friday 😉) have booked myself and girlfriend a weekend away in the Cotswolds next Month. And have booked a cruise next year!!!
Phew.... it's a busy life now I am post op and tee total 😁 x
Oh wow your social life sounds brilliant. Good luck on your date, how exciting!
I've started to plan a lot more things this year too. My mantra has been, what are you waiting for?!
For years I've always said ooh I'd love to go to Wimbledon. The week before this year's tournament I was at it again but then I asked myself what are you waiting for? And a week later I was on the front row of court one watching the gorgeous Rafa Nadal. 😀
I'm really excited about your date! Do let us know how it goes, though I can't imagine you'll fail to have fun
I was compiling a collection of things I stumbled across (in books and magazines) about illness as a positive thing, will see if I can dig some out and share them here. I don't know if I would be going to the gym and cutting down on drinking if I didn't have heart failure and who knows what damage I could be doing to my body then? Could my heart failure SAVE my life? I guess I'll never know, but it's nice to be able to imagine it could.
I think there's a balance for everyone, where they are happy they're living in a way that is good for their heart/health without feeling like they can't enjoy life fully. Not sure my balance is tee total/gym bunny, but it definitely involves less booze and more exercise than I was doing previously. Spells off the booze are an interesting experiment to make me reassess.
I so agree Laura... I too have thought that actually since my heart issues it has led me to a more healthy lifestyle...that I know I would otherwise not have taken... And I do firmly believe will help me stave off other potential health issues as I get older. And I am enjoying my healthy food options.. .So much more tastier... And having more fun doing other pursuits rather than drinking.
My so is eating the same foods as me.... so he is healthier too 😀
Following on from the mention of Wimbledon, not sure if our lovely members are aware there is a free ticket ballot. Open to all, will cost you the price of two stamps (plus ticket price if you should be lucky) details here
I have been tetotal since 1974, apart from the usual stupid comments about being a recovering alcoholic which i am definitely not! I have not missed alcohol for one minute, I wake up with a clear head I enjoy a meal out more. You do not need alcohol to enjoy life, take this as the start of a new period of your life.
Hi Skid... yes I too apply for the Wimbledon tickets pre Xmas and have been picked twice. I love wimbledon... it is so quintessential English. Although never been to centre court like Spatz has done. That's so wow. I didn't apply last year as I was awaiting my op... but I will definitely be applying this year again. 😁.
Well done to you Geoff and yes it's lovely not having the hangovers. For me I do get frustrated when people... including friends and my boss keeping asking when I will be drinking again...and saying "oh you will be drinking soon now you are feeling better" I now say not drinking is a lifestyle choice. And I have moved away from some " friends" who I feel are not supportive but also seem to get annoyed that I am not drinking. I have lots of lovely friends who are fully supportive which is lovely.
Wow Skid, ladies final! Fantastic. I'm going to use your link and try my luck at the ballot. Thanks for posting it.
I actually camped out this year! Not my usual thing I must admit but it was the only way to get a ticket. "The queue" is legendary so my friends and I thought we'd give it a whirl. It was so much fun the camaraderie was top notch. We got there early and got really lucky with our tickets.
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