DAUGHTER’S DRINKING DIARY
FRIDAY: I have my first glass of wine with dinner. I must say, I’d forgotten how much I enjoy rosé. After my second glass, though, I feel inexplicably tearful. Somehow, drinking alone feels a bit pitiful, and, although I’m perfectly happy with my life, I’m suddenly morose. I have a Southern Comfort and cola before heading to bed at 11.30 pm —and, because I’m focusing more than usual on any negatives in my life, it takes me longer to nod off. Units: 5
SATURDAY: I have a big night out at a karaoke bar with friends and have two port cocktails before leaving home. Over the course of the night, I manage to polish off a bottle of rosé wine, two liqueur shots and three Southern Comforts with Coke. It’s not until my friends and I are walking home that I realise I’m tipsy — giggling and staggering in the moonlight. We all talk so much rubbish, little of which I can remember the following day. I fall into bed with my head spinning. I can’t bear to calculate how many calories I’ve consumed. Units: 19
SUNDAY: I wake up parched in the early hours and feel exhausted for the rest of the day. Also, I am so bloated that I eat nothing all day. I’m glad the children aren’t here as I wouldn’t have the energy for them. In fact, I barely have the energy to do anything at all. But what makes me feel the most queasy is the bar bill last night. There wasn’t much left of the £100 I withdrew from the cashpoint. When I remember I’m supposed to be drinking a bottle of wine in the evening, I pour a glass — but after a couple of sips, I realise I just can’t stomach it. Units: 0
MONDAY: I still feel tired today, and it’s in the back of my mind all day that I have to drink a cocktail and a glass of wine tonight. But I have so much to do! It’s 10.30pm before I have my first drink and midnight before I go to bed, just so I can fit everything in. Units: 4
TUESDAY: I eat so much junk food today — four packets of crisps, two Snickers bars and ten biscuits. I hate myself for it, but the craving for fat and sugar is insatiable. After work, I walk round to the pub to meet friends. I can’t drive because I have to have three vodka cocktails — a Sourz shot with vodka and lemonade. They’re delicious but they cost me a total of £10 (thankfully, it’s Happy Hour!). Units: 6
WEDNESDAY: I wake feeling rested but by the afternoon I’m flagging again. I don’t have the energy to do my usual 10,000 steps, which I record with my Fitbit. I drink two glasses of wine and a Cointreau while watching TV and, once again, become tearful. This is another great reminder of why I’m happier without alcohol. Units: 5
THURSDAY: I wake after seven hours’ sleep feeling sluggish and with a headache. My skin looks dull and my eyes feel heavy. This boozy lifestyle is really taking its toll. In the evening, I go to the cinema with a friend. Back home at 9pm, I remember I’m meant to drink a bottle of wine and have a glass of port. I drink the first glass of wine then give up and pour it down the sink. I am fast asleep by 10pm. Units: 1 Total units for the week: 40
DAUGHTER’S VERDICT: IT’S a huge relief to go back to my teetotal life. I haven’t drunk since and have no desire to do so. I spent £125 on booze. If I did that every week it would cost me £500 a month — money I need to support my family. It was fun on nights out with friends but drinking alone at home left me miserable. I put on 2.5 lb too. If I carried on at that rate, I’d gain a stone in less than six weeks. I slept badly and did less exercise than usual — the two things are probably connected — so felt generally unhealthy. Although Mum says it’s not alcohol which causes her sleep issues or her weight gain, my experience suggests otherwise.