Blog: Dry January – Patricia Thomas

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be issuing people’s experiences about their Dry January Challenge.  Today, Patricia Thomas, Help2Change Service Manager, talks about her experience.

We celebrated Christmas with much wine and merriment.  I invited all my close family and friends to join me in the Dry January, so they all knew.  New Year’s Eve saw a big party and champagne to toast the New Year.

So off we go, New Year’s morning, breakfast in bed, a treat of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, with Bucks Fizz (normally).  My orange was still polluted with alcohol!!! Who did that!! I had spotted the bottle, so avoided the ploy, and poured myself pure orange juice.

Plan: bought some nice elderflower cordial and sparkling water, filled a beautiful decanter and joined my pregnant daughter with classy glasses in an alcohol-free drink with our evening meal.  Tucking in to desert someone very close said, ha ha there was alcohol in that pud, so you failed on the first day.  I was furious with them, but as I was duped I was more determined to continue…………

The next few days I was chasing back and forward to hospital with an elderly parent in trouble, so everyone is now pleased that I am always the driver as I have not had wine with dinner………..

Now back to work, this seems the norm again, not perma-celebrating.

Let us see what the weekend brings.

I always think I will do this, but usually succumb as celebrations get in the way, like Burns Night.

By joining together I feel more like this is a proper commitment, so I will do January, maybe even February and to my birthday in March, let us see……………..

Patricia Thomas, Help2Change Service Manager