It's been a week and I am still SOBER 4 OCTOBER.

A week...... a whole week and a bit actually once I have got round to writing this blog.

A week has made me wonder if I have a problem, as most evenings on the drive home from work  (which is usually between 8.00pm and 9.00pm) I envisage popping the cork as soon as I walk through the door.  I haven't of course, but the thought is there - this is very obviously habitual.

Hubster is pretty good though, he knows when I am due in and can often be found hovering around an already nearly bubbling kettle as he says, "Good day at work?  Fancy a brew?"

To be fair, he does that every night, but up until a week ago I would mostly answer with "Yeah. No, wine", to which he would duly open the cupboard and pass me a wine glass.

Of course, this week, the answer has been "Yeah, yeah please" and I get quickly presented with a mug of peppermint tea.

Yes, you read that right... peppermint..... for I have also somehow managed to wean myself off Caffeine.  That hasn't been just this week though, it has been slowly, changing just one cup a day to peppermint until even my morning brew is Caffeine free.

Oh, and if that is not enough, I also joined a Fat Club last week. Well, in for a penny - in for a pound, I thought.

What? Why? You may ask.   Well, I am in my last year of my forties now and feeling the age.  Things ache, things crack, sometimes I walk like a crab after a long day on my feet, sometimes the walk upstairs at the end of the night is like tackling Mount Everest!
 Ok, I exaggerate slightly, but when you stand at the bottom of just thirteen steps, looking up and trying to draw up the energy to start the long climb to bed, you know it's time to take control and get a bit fitter.

So, in a nutshell this week has been caffeine free, alcohol free and naughty food free and I'm FEELING GOOD!

Still time to sponsor me if you wish to.......I am up to one hundred shiny pounds right now, thank you to everyone who has popped in the pot  :)

I nearly fell at the first hurdle...

My challenge to myself this year is Sober for October.

I have done challenges similar before in the past: 

H2only was a tough one, you had to replace all of your liquid, so tea, coffee, squash, WINE for plain old water for ten days.  It was hard going.  It sounds easy, I know, but the first three days found me in bed nursing a right sod of a caffeine come-down.  Who knew that you could get so ill from coming Cold Turkey off a builders brew?   I did vow never to go back on caffeine, but I failed - on the plus side I did drop from two bags in my brews to just one (left to stew for at least 20 mins before drinking).

Previously I did the Live Below The Line challenge, this is where you live for five days on £5.00. I have done this one twice and didn't find it difficult at all, hence why twice.  It was more enlightening and interesting seeing what culinary delight I could form from a tin of potatoes.

The Sober for October one came about when a friend announced she was doing Brave The Shave... now that is BRAVE, I really am not sure I could do that one, and I was so impressed that I logged on to her account to donate when I thought...... actually, I will do something myself, to stand by her, without the trauma of the clippers and the need for a warm woolly hat.

So sustaining from alcohol it was, as I signed up for Sober In October.

It's a whole month without alcohol - now I do realise that the tone of my typing might make me sound like an old lush, but I have to admit I do like a frequent tipple of the red grape.  Frequent enough to class it as daily (nightly) occurrence.

It began well enough..... until mid afternoon when we took a walk around the local garden centre.  It's one of those posh garden centres where they have a posh food hall with stuff to try - you can almost have a full lunch on a good day.

I started by dipping bread into balsamic vinegars and olive oils, then patiently waited to try the wine samples at the Laithwaite's stand - all very innocent and mindless.

Then I heard Hubster trying to get my attention..... PSSSTTTT, he went, then twitched his head in that weird way that people to do say "come on".  I just grimaced at him, mildly annoyed, as usually he is in the queue beside me getting himself a sample for me to drink too  (he's teetotal).  the second PSSSTTTTTTT was much louder, and the twitch so forceful he might have snapped his neck.  "Come on", he said.  He actually said it, he told me to "come on".

"What" I snapped at him, having no idea what the hurry might be.

One word was all it took to put me in a proper grump for the rest of the afternoon.  Just one word he uttered which brought it all down to earth.  He even whispered the word, thankfully as there was a good few folk about.

"Sober?"   He said. With a grin.

I won't type what one word I used, as it was not very ladylike at all.

But I was very disappointed that I almost fell at the very first hurdle.

I you appreciate how hard this is going to be, it would make me feel better to see donations going in my pot - the price of a bottle of wine would be good   :)

Sponsor me here   :)