Why Vicki Notaro is not going on the dry this January
Yes, taking a break from drinking is good for the body... but what’s the point of swinging from one extreme to another, just to go back to normal once February hits?
AS a teenager, I never had much interest in alcohol. My parents had a laid-back attitude to drinking, so I never got blotto in a field with the rest of the the gang, and begging outside an off-licence was never my style.
But when I went to college, I really got into boozing. Cheap plonk helped with the confusion of the entire experience. It was only then that I began acting up with drink — falling out of taxis, having hangovers of doom, and experimenting with every alcopop known to man.
I’d like to say that, as I got older, I got wiser, but that’s not the case. At the tender age of 22, I started working in the media, an industry that encourages boozing. Suddenly, I was going to events, in the name of work, on a Tuesday evening, and being plied with free alcohol. And as I’m the kind of person who lives fast, eats fast, walks fast, I naturally drink fast. I learned a few hard lessons in those early years — never drink on antibiotics, always eat before accepting a glass of Prosecco, and don’t persuade the boss to do shots.
I’ve wondered if I might have a problem with alcohol — the blank spaces in my memories, the feelings of fear and mortification the morning after the night before, and the tuts of family members.
Thankfully, those excesses can be chalked up to the folly of youth — now that I know that whiskey suits me, vodka is to be avoided and red wine is to be savoured, not downed, I’m much better at boozing. But even at my wildest I was normal when compared to everyone else. I’ve never needed to drink, never used alcohol as a crutch, and it’s never interfered with my daily life, besides the odd sore head of a Thursday morning.
However, that’s a very Irish interpretation of the matter — if I was in America, I’d be in rehab before you could say ‘sláinte!’.
We Irish don’t do things by halves, and January is when we pay for the excesses of the festive season. We’ve eaten and drunk ourselves silly in December, so we must atone for the sins of gluttony by lashing into the gym and drinking only water and green juices. Every year, people jump on the ‘dry January’ bandwagon, swearing off the demon booze for a month. Some do it for charity, which is a lovely gesture, but why all the drama?
Yes, taking a break from drinking is good for the body and soul, especially if you’ve been going overboard — that can’t be denied. But why swear off anything for a calendar period just to prove that you can? What’s the point of swinging wildly from one extreme to another, just to go back to normal again once February hits? Yes, you might feel physically better for a few weeks, but, if it’s temporary, why bother?
I am adopting moderation for January, as I have been for the past few months — especially in regards to alcohol. I’m not swearing off it, but I am being ‘mindful’ about it. Yes, the buzzword of the year has come into play here, but bear with me.
I have resolved to think about every unhealthy scenario I’m presented with, from booze to takeaways, chocolates to sweets. I will pause and think — ‘do I really want this’? ‘Should I have it’?
And if the answer is a resounding ‘yes’, I will have it without a second thought. I am not such a maniac that the answer will be ‘yes’ every time, and I find that this approach simply eliminates the ‘sure, why not? It’ll be grand’ mentality that has pervaded my life thus far.
So, yes, I will still have a glass of Prosecco, if I want one, regardless of the date on the calendar. I may even have four — and some chocolate. Because the thoughts of going out to dinner, something I love to do, and feeling like I’m not allowed to have a glass of wine or dessert make me not want to go at all — or to go hell for leather, depending on my mood. If the pub is off-limits, I’ll feel hard done by sitting on my couch.
But if I just approach things with balance, get enough fresh air and sleep and eat as many vegetables as I can stomach, I think I’ll get through January without being dry at all, thank you very much.
