Alcohol Free Zone Ahead

Most people enjoy a tipple or two, you may enjoy catching up with colleagues in the pub after work on Thursday; your Friday night curry just wouldn't be the same without a couple of beers.  The pub lunch with the girls on Saturday is crying out for a glass or two of Chardonnay and no Sunday roast would be complete without a nice Rioja!

It is far too easy to include alcohol into our lives and before we know it we are drinking above the Government recommendations.

I do enjoy a drink or three and not wanting to come across as a raving alcoholic I decided to do a spot of research for my Alcohol Free resolution.  The results were shocking......


So what are the Government guidelines?

The Government advises that we do not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines, for men this would be 3-4 units a day.  This is the equivalent of a pint and a half of 4% beer a day.  For women it's less, 2-3 units which is the equivalent of a 175ml glass of wine.

If, like me, you have fabricated the number of units you consume when asked by your doctor - go on, admit it - then you need to log on to the Drinkaware website.  This site is a wonderful resource for all your alcohol related questions.

They have a simple calculator where you can work out your units per day or week.  It calculates the total number of units, total number of calories and shows you just how much damage you are doing to your health.  I was shocked to discover that after a 'jolly' Easter Sunday spent with my family, I was classified as a 'Binge Level Drinker'.

Okay, I admit we did consume a fair amount over our Easter buffet and I was a peculiar shade of green on Bank Holiday Monday but Binge Level!  Maybe this no-alcohol resolution wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

My April resolution is therefore under way, 30 days alcohol free, no alcohol, ou est le vin? This is going to be a tough one.  I could have chosen February to tackle this resolution as it would have been a shorter month but I'm here now, the challenge has been set and I am ready and raring to go. 

Luckily for me I am a bit of a tea-face so when I look at my wine free fridge at least I know I can put the kettle on and have a nice cup of Teltey instead. 

Please stick with me throughout April, I have a week away with my children, my Dad's birthday party and a girl's night out, all without so much as a sip of alcohol, so moral support would be gratefully received.

If you have any top tips for alcohol free survival tactics then I would love to hear them, maybe you have a 'mocktail' recipe I could try out.

I look forward to hearing your ideas, until next week - let's get the kettle on! @tetley_teafolk