That is BULLSHIT!

“You’ll never have fun at a party again if you stop drinking.”

That is BULLSHIT! A party is fun if you are with good friends or relatives, you’re relishing the fact that you’re not at work, you’re happy in your outfit & are in a good mood, the nibbles are delicious, they play your favorite music, the jokes are funny, you’re bonding with new people. Booze does not have all the power to make parties fun.

“I’ll never enjoy a romantic evening sitting on a hotel balcony with my partner staring out at the ocean if I can’t share in a martini with them.”

That is BULLSHIT! Of course you can enjoy a wonderful romantic moment on a hotel balcony without booze. You’re in a hotel! On holiday! Looking at the ocean! Not at work! With your lover! Why does booze have all the power to make that moment special. It is special just because of what it is.

“I can’t properly celebrate my children’s weddings if I can’t toast the bride and groom with champagne.”

That is BULLSHIT! You’re at your child’s wedding for pete’s sake. They’ve met someone they’re supremely happy with and they’re making a big public commitment to each other. All your extended family are there and everyone is so happy. You have new clothes on and have had your hair & makeup done especially (or if you’re a bloke maybe you’ve trimmed your nasal hair..!). Delicious food is on offer and fun music is to come and there will be heartfelt speeches. Why does the lack of champagne in your glass detract from this amazing day?

“I’ll never be able to de-stress from my busy week with a nice glass of red wine at home on a Friday evening.”

That is BULLSHIT! Ok so there won’t be red wine but it’s Friday! You’re at home! Work has finished for the week! You can put your comfy loose-elasticated pants and slippers on. There’s a delicious meal cooking and some good TV to look forward to. The phone is tucked away and you have two days of relaxation ahead. Red wine doesn’t de-stress… it temporarily pushes aside and (often) makes things worse in the long run. Look at the other relaxation measures you can take and fill that wine-glass with something far lovelier than shitty booze and sleep well for once..!

You get the point. Please feel free to add your own examples of this ‘That is BULLSHIT’ technique below. We are so hard-wired to believe all these myths about alcohol and what it offers to our lives and how it is all-powerful to make events special and fun. Once you start calling ‘BULLSHIT’ on all these thoughts it’s so freeing.

Because really… all of it is bullshit. That’s what I think anyway.

Love, Mrs D xxx