Booze; friend or foe?

You know those conversations you have with yourself when you wake up to yet another hangover of your adult life?  Your head is fuzzy, mouth dry, last nights' make up still half in-tact and a lighter wallet.  You swear you will never drink again and curse any alcohol that has previously dared to pass your lips.  Well after being back in London for the past four months I have started to have such discussions more frequently with myself about alcohol consumption.  

I don't drink heavily on a regular occasion and never have done.  Booze has always been a vessel for fun and I give no emotional attachment to it.  However more recently I have noticed with the joy of a hangover comes the joy of feeling 'down' and that it gets worse with age (i'm 27).  I can compare this to my very healthy few months in Sri Lanka and India.  When Indie and I hit the shores of Hikkaduwa we eschewed drinks for yoga, early nights, sunshine swims and bottled water.  And you know what?  We felt fricking brilliant for it.  Our skin glowed, we (I) leaped out of bed in the mornings and there wasn't a hangover in sight (save for one night when we met some Aussies),  

I find it kind of sad that a large part of our culture in the UK is centered around drinking.  Whether it be in the pub, or sharing some wine with friends to a big boozy wedding party.  There aren't many social occasions that us Brits don't enjoy sponsoring with drink.  Yet I am increasingly becoming bored with feeling like I should be drinking rather than I want to be.  Those first sups of an ice-cold beer or a warming glass of wine are delightful, but push beyond one or two and the enjoyment pales into drinking for the sake of drinking.

Ever since my travels this year I have considered more and more the idea of giving up the booze.  It seems a kind of scary thought, more due to the fact that I enjoy the odd glass of wine than needing drink as a comfort.  But I kind of am an all or nothing girl.  After meeting a few people recently who don't drink I have been pondering it more.  Yesterday was my fourth eve or drinking and today my skin is horrendous, something I have never experienced.  I have heartburn and feel that kind of 'bleurgh' that I only feel from drinking.  

So as Summer starts to fade away and the cool crisp air of Autumn rolls in I may just start on a booze free few months.  I thought if I write this on my blog I will have a better chance of sticking to it.  So lets see how I go, hopefully my body, mind and wallet will be healthier for it!