Image: strassenstriche
So in the spirit of new year I’ve set myself a challenge: no beer for 12 months.
I’m not giving up booze entirely. Goodness no, I’m not INSANE. Just beer.
This won’t be as easy for me as you might think.
There’s nothing I enjoy more than going out to the pub with my mate Cha and playing some pool in Airdrie’s West End Bar, losing a few quid on the Imperial Bar’s quiz machine (we sometimes win), knocking back some Stella and gabbing about Warhammer 40k books or where we are in Oblivion (laterally Skyrim). Yeah…we’re a couple of big kids and proud – 32 years old and still playing games.
Similarly, once the kids are in bed I love sitting with a nice cold Innis & Gunn and watching Frasier or Star Trek repeats. It’s a simple pleasure, I guess.
So the challenge is to go from January 1st to December 31st 2012 without a beer. It’ll be Morgan’s & diet coke, brandy, whiskey or even just a soft drink for me.
But I guess I should explain why, eh? Well it’s a mix of reasons. Primarily, I want to shift some weight next year and I’m one of those guys who gets beer-gut. Beer makes me a Fatty McFatterson. While I had that kidney stone I could hardly move for 3 months, and I put on over a stone in weight. It’s still on me, and its lease is up.
Secondly, I think I should discover more of what the world of alcohol has to offer.
My friend Alaster took a rare moment out from making mum jokes the other night and made a comment about me broadening my horizons because I had a brandy and a liqueur one evening. Both of which I’d had before – no conscious horizon broadening was intended – but it got me thinking that maybe I should. So I am.
Third, and finally, I just want to see if I can do it. Not in an “I want to make sure I’m not an alcoholic” kind of way, I wouldn’t presume to offend alcoholics like that. I just want to see if I can beat the challenge.
The temptation to have a Stella with the boys will be huge. Frasier without I&G will be weird, although it seems appropriate to develop a taste for sherry for that. I have a few 30th birthdays to attend in 2012, so that might be tough. It WILL be tough. I’ve always been a beer drinker, since I was sixt… eighteen (honest, officer). I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Okay. Tonight I’m going to see out 2011 with a couple of Innis & Gunns; my last for a whole year. As of 9am on January 1st I’m aff the beer. Cheers!
