The Sobriety Wall

"You know me, I love a bit of charity. Sponsoring you to NOT get rat arsed for a month though? Here's an idea, don't drink for a month and donate all the money you save to charity. Or, use that money to buy some trainers and RUN THE BLAAAAAADY MARATHON."

Radio 1 DJ Greg James there. I'm a big fan of his and I listen to his drive time show pretty much every day as I long for 5:30pm in what is becoming the most mediocre of jobs. As most people know, I am one of these people. Being sponsored to not drink for a month. There is both a positive and a negative to it.

The positives are obvious. "Feeling healthier", a brighter bank balance and the day after hangover-free, and there you have it. The trio of reasons why people don't drink in the first place. But as we enter the 18th day of the 1st month of the year, the negatives are coming to the fore. And I'm afraid there are a few.

1) It's just boring. I've always gone out on a weekend. More recently, on both Friday and Saturday nights, as the alternative is staying in, and that's just crap. Socialising is much better than a night in with your remote. Socialising is much better with a bit of alcohol flowing around the system. This is a fact. Without alcohol, its merely a show of watching people sink into their drinking trousers, and after a few weeks of watching this, it just gets boring. Have I mentioned its boring?

2) I've got to a stage, ironically as I type this post, that I feel like I can't really complain about it. As Mr. James says above, being sponsored NOT to do something? How easy is that? People run marathons, complete triathlons, climb mountains and trek through the Arctic for sponsors. THAT'S tough. Not drinking for a month? "Come off it..." people say. Anyone can do that. But for someone who almost lives for the weekends, it just feels like I've got no inspiration for the working week, or something to look forward to on a Monday morning. And that's also very crap.

3) My friends are carrying on. I just feel a bit ... Left out. Almost like the feeling of being picked last for the playground game of football. Although that was never me... Former Luton Town School of Excellence don't you know .... Okay, now I'm just boasting. Sorry.

4) I can't just cheat. People have donated near enough £200 of their own money in total towards Cancer Research UK. People have just said, "Well I won't tell anyone, go on!", and it has been tempting. It really has. But I don't really want to dupe people out of their money. There have been times where I've been with a whole group of people who don't know I'm doing the Dryathlon. Who would have known if I had had a JD and coke? No one. But then that would defeat the object.

Apparently, if I did cave in, I'd have to donate the total of my sponsors myself. I can't really afford to pay nearly £200 for a JD and Coke... We're not in bloody Soho...

5-ish) February the 1st. Yes, I think this is a negative, and now I shall tell you why. I am looking forward to that day. Yes, its a Saturday, and yes, I will be drinking, but already, people have said, "I'll buy you a drink". Probably about 5 or 6 people have said it. And therein lies the problem. I think February the 2nd isn't going to be very nice. I know its within my control, but I just KNOW that I won't be able to control the excitement of it, and I'll get carried away. What's more, after a whole month of sobriety, I will have the liver of an 18-year old again. It's not going to end well is it?

But most of all, the weekends have just become boring. And with the working week becoming more and more boring by the day, and a week where a job I was asked to apply for just backfired, it hasn't really been one of the best weeks. But hey, look at the positives. Its January, and mentally I'm fine. I've no idea how, or why, but my mind is clear of troubles, and I'm coasting along pretty damn nicely. Every cloud hey...

Onwards!