Getting to know me

It's interesting to read Badgerdaddy's post below, because of the couple of weeks I spent recently not drinking alcohol.  In total, I had a week on half rations, a fortnight off the sauce altogether and then another spare week on a glass of wine (a small one) per night.

I take his point entirely about "wanting a drink" meaning you're thirsty.  I found some time ago that, particularly in the summer when I come in of an evening wanting a glass of chilled white wine, it's best to start with a glass of water and, once the edge has been taken of my thirst, I'll enjoy the wine just as much but the first glassful will last more than a few minutes.  Indeed, I do try to remember to consider whether I want something to drink because I'm thirsty before I automatically reach for the wine bottle.

By the way, last summer, scouting around for something non-sweet to add to gin, I hit upon pink grapefruit  juice.  Excellently refreshing, much more so than sweet tonic water or similar fizzy mixers.

Anyway, about laying off booze.  I don't generally like sweet drinks - I like fruit juices all right, but they don't hit the spot with dinner in the evening when you're used to wine.  I don't care for squashes and, although lemonade or Coke once in a while is something I fancy, it's rare and always on a hot summer's day, usually when I'm suddenly tired and need a quick boost.  When thirsty, I usually drink water.  Or tea.

I drink tea without milk, so builder's tea isn't for me.  I drink a whole range of teas - at present in the kitchen there are about 8 black teas, a couple of green teas and several fruit and herb 'teas'.  They include Badgerdaddy's redbush tea.  Well, not his personal supply.  His need is greater than mine.  I buy my own.

In that month, I drank whole lots of tea.  To start with, as my pre-dinner drink, I was having tomato juice, which worked for a while but I couldn't face it any more when I came home from hospital.  But after a while, I couldn't face yet another cup of tea and I was fed up, if that's the word, with water.   I was very pleased to get back to lovely wine.

I'm still being fairly moderate - I am pleased, at any rate, to note that I didn't have a problem with limiting what I had or even with stopping altogether - but I'm enjoying a couple of bottles a week.  I'd crept up to about three - I think I was probably a bit sorry for myself and having an extra glassful because of it.  And a pint of beer would be enough.  But for me, tea is no substitute.  Not even redbush.