A wonderful day that simply would never have happened when I drank.
So today my wife and I met with an old school chum of mine and his wife and we flew in his Cessna plane to Le Touquet. Once airborne he let me take control until it was time to land and the same on the way back which was very exciting and quite magical. Whilst in France we hired some bicycles from the airport and cycled into the town, had a wonderful fish lunch, and then some more cycling before enjoying coffee sitting in the sunshine outside a café by the old harbour.
Over lunch and despite only drinking water, being in France we naturally talked about wine. I thought back at the stress such a day as this would have given the old drunken me from the moment I woke up:
‘Will it matter if I have a glass of wine or a gin and tonic before we fly; surely then I won’t be able to have a go at flying the plane; what will happen over lunch? My friend won’t be able to drink as he is the pilot and I will want at least a bottle of wine to myself so will look like a complete alcoholic. What will his wife think as we have never met her before but I understand she doesn’t drink either? What time will we get back to the UK so I can drink some more? Will my wife mind driving home from the airport or be pissed off with me for getting drunk? Will I show myself up? Perhaps for once I can have a day without drink but then it will be day wasted and I will resent having gone there. I wish we could stay at home instead so I can get drunk in peace.’
What a pile of crap and what a fantastic life I was simply wasting! How fantastic it is to be free of all that stress, aggravation, and being dictated to by alcohol. Did I have the best day ever? Yes. Did I miss for one second the fact there was no booze involved? No. Do I still constantly relish the fact I don’t drink even after three and a half years of being sober? Yes I jolly well do. Over and out!
So today my wife and I met with an old school chum of mine and his wife and we flew in his Cessna plane to Le Touquet. Once airborne he let me take control until it was time to land and the same on the way back which was very exciting and quite magical. Whilst in France we hired some bicycles from the airport and cycled into the town, had a wonderful fish lunch, and then some more cycling before enjoying coffee sitting in the sunshine outside a café by the old harbour.
Over lunch and despite only drinking water, being in France we naturally talked about wine. I thought back at the stress such a day as this would have given the old drunken me from the moment I woke up:
‘Will it matter if I have a glass of wine or a gin and tonic before we fly; surely then I won’t be able to have a go at flying the plane; what will happen over lunch? My friend won’t be able to drink as he is the pilot and I will want at least a bottle of wine to myself so will look like a complete alcoholic. What will his wife think as we have never met her before but I understand she doesn’t drink either? What time will we get back to the UK so I can drink some more? Will my wife mind driving home from the airport or be pissed off with me for getting drunk? Will I show myself up? Perhaps for once I can have a day without drink but then it will be day wasted and I will resent having gone there. I wish we could stay at home instead so I can get drunk in peace.’
What a pile of crap and what a fantastic life I was simply wasting! How fantastic it is to be free of all that stress, aggravation, and being dictated to by alcohol. Did I have the best day ever? Yes. Did I miss for one second the fact there was no booze involved? No. Do I still constantly relish the fact I don’t drink even after three and a half years of being sober? Yes I jolly well do. Over and out!
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