A couple of weeks ago I joined Tournée Minérale, a joined challenge to ban alcohol for a month. I’m two weeks into the challenge now and today I tell how I’ve been doing!! If you haven’t heard of Tournée Minérale yet, you’re probably not from Belgium… but I’m sure you now the concept. The intention of Tournée Minérale is to ban alcohol for a month and make people aware of their drinking habits. On the website you can read lots of tips and stories.

Now I am mainly a social drinker. I drink alcohol at parties and events, at family gatherings and at the pub or restaurant. But I also drink at home. I really enjoy a glass of wine at the end of a hectic week. But in February I am trying to do without all the alcohol.

And actually I’ve been doing great to be honest! These past two weeks I have had ONE sip of red wine and that’s it… but really… I can explain 🙂

Last week my husband had opened a bottle of white wine… no problem for me as I prefer red… But then my daughter wanted a glass of wine as well and she prefers red! When she had opened the bottle of red, the cork really looked a bit odd. She tasted the wine and she thought it tasted of cork… she asked my husband if he would have a taste as well to check it out, but as my husband doesn’t like red at all, he just couldn’t tell if the wine tasted like cork or not…

And that’s when a mum steps in… yours truly had to come to the rescue and have a sip of wine to check whether it really tasted of cork or not! The wine tasted delicious… no cork whatsoever… so my daughter could be reassured.

I don’t think I can count this one sip as a fail to be honest… I did what I had to do as a mum 🙂 I must say that even though I tasted the wine, I didn’t feel like joining her for a drink as my mind was set… no alcohol for me! And I think that is the focus you’ve got to have… set your mind on “non-alcohol-level” and you’re halfway there!

Now I really can have a couple of alcohol-free weeks you know, but some people seem to think I can’t. I get a lot of remarks like ‘pity you can’t drink’ or ‘don’t you just miss it’ and then there are some who gloat ‘I haven’t joined Tournée Minérale, so I’ll have a wine, but you can’t…’!  Sounds a bit pityful, doesn’t it?! Well… if they find any enjoyment in gloating, let them!

Last weekend I had two parties, but at both parties I didn’t have any problems to say no. But I am honest… during one event in February I will play a wildcard! My sister and her fiancé have invited my husband and I as well as my other sister and her husband to join them for a tasting of their wedding menu. Their wedding is planned at the end of April, but next Friday we get to taste the menu at the banquet hall were they will be having their wedding reception. This menu comes with assorted wines and I will definitely enjoy them without any guilt!

So yes, so far so good… and Friday I’ll play my wildcard, but then it’s back to water, juice and coke and I’m sure that I can hang in there until the end of the month… In two weeks time you can read how I managed… see you then!

Love, Kathleen

Here you can read about my challenge won how to lose 5 kilos!