Dry January diary

AL 32 UUR NIET GEDRONKEN

“Are you already going to write a report about your month alcohol-free?” Jet -I juice and I exercise- van Nieuwkerk can hardly imagine that some of us (hi Lies) basically don’t say no to an alcoholic treat when the clock strikes twelve. Moreover, every beginning is the hardest, so I find a report at this moment particularly justified.

Let’s start on Sunday. The last day on which something could still be consumed. I had planned to drink a nice glass by the fireplace ritual somewhere in the middle of the afternoon, but then I found myself watching Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie in a cinema and digging into a huge bucket of popcorn.

Only at the ridiculously Christian time of six o'clock did the cork of the bottle of Amarone that I had received from Jet for my birthday pop. The decanting process made the celebration even bigger, but I must honestly say that at a certain point I was done with the wine. Fortunately, I found another drinker whom I made very happy with this divine liquid, but I had mentally reached the anti-drink level.

The next day it seemed that everyone I called and met joined our initiative. Although I also received some worried emails from wine friends. Whether I would ever return to my old cozy self and so on. Of course, that first day went well. Although I had a moment in the studio of Jinek. I was there visiting and had a snack in the restaurant. “Just water,” was the answer to the question of whether we wanted something to drink. But when the waitress later came to ask if we wanted ‘something else’ to drink, I realized that this would normally be my moment of giving in.

Even worse, I felt that I had to justify myself for not ordering wine. Ridiculous of course, why should you have to apologize for that? You don’t do that when you don’t light a cigarette, do you? But well, I felt the need and dry January sounded very plausible to the waitress.

After the broadcast, I dutifully made myself a cup of tea and dove intensely happy into my bed. Whether I would say if I secretly sin once, text from Jet. My answer? I have been alcohol-free for three times nine months and even my dearest and healthiest Jet should try to match that.