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   :)