The first week ...

ELAPSED 8 / 358 REMAINING

That's one week now that I've gone without any alcohol, and to be honest it hasn't been as bad as I first thought it would. Okay, I've had the odd pang of "I could just do with a beer right now!" but I have managed to overcome ...

So again last night I tried some Cobra 0.0% "lager" and ended up having a throbbing headache this morning. So I've reverted back to the peppermint and green teas.

I have followed another teetotaller-for-a-year's excellent blog, where she has talked about "mocktails", which I gather are alcohol-free cocktails. Now, I'm not one for cocktails, never have been, but I'm willing to give them a try as a replacement for my beloved beer!

Let's see what week 2 brings!

All the tea in China ...

ELAPSED 3 / 363 REMAINING

Good GOD ... what have I been missing? Isn't tea amazing? I've had blackcurrant tea, 'cleansing' nettle and sweet fennel tea (no joke, I really did), nettle and peppermint, loose leaf green tea (hmm, not so sure on that one), and good old builder's tea ...

I've also got my eye on some Twinings ginger infusion ("Maaaatron!" to coin some Carry On vernacular).

Am I clutching for alternatives as I go into what is clearly - and please excuse the deliberate, post-festive pun - cold turkey for my beloved beer?

I can get through this, I know I can. It'll get easier.

No going back now!

ELAPSED 1 / 365 REMAINING

Well this is it, the alcohol has stopped. I had a final beer at 5 to midnight and downed it before the Big Ben countdown. There's now no going back ... the tragedy is I have a crate of beers in my back garden since before Christmas, and I'll now have to give them away.

Well I'll raise a toast to this first morning of 2011 with a peppermint and nettle tea that I'm downing (supposed to 'cleanse', apparently); I'd better get used to drinks like this in 2011.