CHERTSEY

BOATS, BRIDGES, BOILERS ... IF IT'S GOT RIVETS, I'M RIVETTED
... feminist, atheist, autistic academic and historic narrowboater ...
Likes snooker, beer, tea, rivets and solitude, and is strangely fascinated by the cinema organ.
And there might be something about railways.
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Wednesday 18 April 2012

Beer necessities

Having a little trawl around blogs I look at from time to time (displacement activity as I have a presentation to write for another job interview on Friday) I see that Nev on Waterlily has foresworn the demon drink; the Beelzebub beer, in order to feel livelier and healthier. Following my fortnight's drinkathon (albeit a somewhat moderate one) this is a topic of interest to me. Nev has given up completely because, he says, he doesn't 'do' moderation. I, sadly, do little but...

Nonetheless, my reckoning was that if I want to average two beer-free days for each beer-enhanced one (which seems like a sensible and moderate position), then I too must relinquish the nectar of the gods for nigh on a month, which seems a bit extreme to me. It's three days now and counting - when do I start to feel livelier, become more witty etc etc?

I am certainly still recovering from the holiday; not only the beer (did I mention that my consumption was fairly modest), but the excitement, the fresh air, the diesel fumes, the late nights and early mornings, and the excess of white bread; in short, I am still knackered, and we weren't even boating hard. I have even taking to drinking coffee in the hope that it will make me alert, witty etc, but it is filthy stuff and so far has only made me feel slightly queasy.

The fact that in the course of the fortnight I spent about six months beer allowance can only aid my new found abstemiousness, of course. Unlike some people, I am very loath to go into a pub and not drink. I will not pay the inflated prices they charge for soft drinks that don't last five minutes (and contain so much sugar that they are almost certainly more unhealthy than beer). Also I would end up having to drive everybody home and I would get lost. But I think there is a way through this. I can simply add two more days to the remainder of that twenty eight each time I do nourish myself with the fermented grain, until eventually I will be back in credit; hopefully in time for Braunston.

7 comments:

  1. Hmmm you struck a chord there. Much as I love beer, I can't fail to recognise the after effects these days. I feel a lot better after a couple of days off. Like you I can't go in a pub and not drink beer or cider. We're trying to operate an on /off routine and we succeed until either a) we have a stressful day, or b) we're out cruising and a good pub is nearby.

    What we can't seem to do is drink in great moderation once we start - alcohol seems to diminish will power.

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  2. Hi Sarah,
    I don't drink much anymore because I learned when going through cancer treatment that alcohol lowers the oxygen levels in the blood. To recup when I do imbibe, I take an Emergen-C before I drink and two the next day--one in the morning and another at night and 400 mgs of B complex.
    Alcohol drains the human body of vitamin c, B, and pottasium which are all water solubl--which means we pee out the excess our bodies cannot use--we don't store it. I promise you will feel better if you up theses three things. All of these items are available at Holland & Barrett and worth every pence.
    Cheers,
    JaqXX

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  3. Sarah,

    One side effect of not drinking (64 days now) is I have stopped biting my nails....how bizarre !

    Re the 'How long before you feel the effects' three days is a little soon but stick at it, a couple of week in and I started to feel better. I have much better clarity of though and concentration now plus saving money as a by product. I did give up caffeine as well - in for a penny in for a pound as they say and I feel this has also helped. The fact I have control is also important (serious bit that)


    My two tests were the boat and pub with friends. I have passed both and it was easy, dry ginger ale with ice is a good pub drink.

    Of course if you enjoy a pint and can moderate the pints then that might be the best option as you suggest.

    Question back to you - are you missing work then...... good luck with the interview tomorrow.

    Nev

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  4. Two or three pints a day for a fortnight represents my most regular and sustained ever intake of beer. A more usual pattern would be a bottle with dinner maybe twice a week, and two or three pints in the pub maybe once or twice a month... I have no intention of giving up entirely (the day I do that will be a sad one indeed) but thought I should make some kind of gesture. It would be interesting to know just how much of the knackeredness was down to the beer- but no, I won't be doing a controlled experiment by going boating without drinking.

    And if you're reading this Alan - I am definitely still up for a pub trip on Sickle at the weekend (I will have nearly a week in hand by then).

    The worst thing is that most of the beer on the trip really wasn't worth suffering for...

    Kind of missing work, Nev, and kind of missing having oodles of dosh, and when I see a job and think 'I could do that!' then I just have to apply.

    Thanks for those hints Jaq - the other thing I miss when boating is my breakfast smoothie of oats, freshly squeezed orange (vit C), banana (potassium), yogurt and flax seed oil.

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  5. Actually, I might not make it past tomorrow...
    http://www.kelhamislandtavern.co.uk/

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  6. What a lovely looking pub, the Kelham, and such accolades! Wouldn't blame you for abandoning your abstemiousness.

    Great word, that. :-)

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  7. Or it might be here:
    http://www.thefatcat.co.uk/86index.htm

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