Well, the Sip Advisor spent this month not drinking. After a friend stated they planned to do the same, I wondered if it was even possible for me to pull off the feat. I kept it quiet as a bit of a social experiment, trying to see how long I could go before someone figured it out. If I was ever going to have a dry month, this was the time to do it. No travels, no big events, etc., while having to do a fair bit of driving for the functions we were attending. Here’s how the Sip Advisor survived the month:
October began with me taking the Siplings to a Vancouver Canucks pre-season game. I chose to drive for the occasion, rather than take transit. Our trio enjoyed dinner at White Spot prior to the contest, with me ordering the Legendary Burger with Caesar Salad… and a water.
The next day, I was tasked with driving Mrs. Sip and three other ladies to their one-day cruise from Seattle to Vancouver. Mrs. Sip offered many suggestions about where I could eat after dropping the crew off, but craft breweries were sadly out, as well as restaurants where I’d want to pair a beer with my meal. I ended up back close to home and trying Firehouse Subs for the first time, selecting the Club on a Sub, which was very good.
The next night, we were at Bozzini’s for a birthday dinner. Mrs. Sip and I split their tasty Butter Chicken Pizza. Our table ordered a pitcher of beer to split and it was tough turning down a glass, as I didn’t really have a reason not to have any at all. I could have just thrown out the whole idea of Dry October, especially since it was so early in the month, but I pressed on and once the first occasion was in the rearview mirror, I was rolling.
Our previously planned trip to Victoria for Mrs. Sip’s work that next week was greatly altered, with Mrs. Sip just travelling to Vancouver Island for a day. It would have been tough not to visit any breweries or have hotel drinks. This vacation disappearing probably helped me keep my cover longer, as Mrs. Sip would have surely busted me.
Thanksgiving dinner at Cousin Sip’s was also a challenge. Thankfully, we weren’t set to sleepover and I was on tap to be the designated driver. I mean, if there’s any group you want to drink around the most, it’s extended family! For the feast, I brought along two non-alcoholic beers that were sitting in our fridge from a previous visitor to fill the void and keep my story up. Let me be clear: non-alcoholic beer should be called non-good beer. Cousin Sip also offered me a taste of a new cream liqueur she had and I almost went for it, prior to remembering my mission. Luckily, I had the excuse that I really don’t like cream liqueurs, so the sample would be wasted on me.
The next day, while out doing family activities, Mrs. Sip suggested going to a brewpub for dinner. I had to research alternatives and in the end, we returned home with takeout pizza. That night, Mrs. Sip suggested we have drinks while building Ikea furniture, so I grabbed the last non-alcoholic beer in our fridge and faked a rum and cola. It was all cola and no rum.
The long weekend overall was slightly difficult. I did many things that are drink-inducing (shopping at Costco, building furniture) and this had me wanting to relax with a beverage. Nevertheless, I stuck to my guns and walked the straight edge path. It’s enough to make a man shudder!
The following weekend, we attended a Vancouver Whitecaps game. While meeting with friends before the game was supposed to be neutralized by me chaperoning Girl Sip at a birthday party, when we got downtown, Mrs. Sip and Boy Sip were still at Chambar, which has good selection of European beers. After not having a drink there, as well as at the game itself, Mrs. Sip finally put the pieces together and called me out on the dry spell. It was day 18 of the experiment.
She was incredulous that I hadn’t drank since our last day in Vegas at the end of September. Had I only faked taking a sip of the beer she wanted me to try, I could have kept the façade up, but maybe I was ready to be caught. The next day, I spilled the beans to Cousin Sip, who was meeting with Mrs. Sip at Township 7 Vineyards.
The rest of the month wasn’t too difficult to get through. I watched a couple Toronto Blue Jays playoff games, rooting for whoever their opponent was. There’s a sport that needs alcohol to make it even remotely watchable!
We also attended a trio of Halloween parties, but all were family-friendly and since I was driving, it was easy to not drink. I will say, I noticed myself being a little withdrawn at these gatherings, not as comfortable without a drink in my hand.
Another big drinking night for me is typically Halloween. That said, it was just as easy not to drink at all and simply enjoy taking the kids around the neighbourhood to collect treats. At least without the beverages, I wasn’t in need of a bathroom.
One of my “concerns” with this experiment was if I’d learn about some great improvement that would make me hesitant to return to drinking. Mrs. Sip pointed out that my skin was doing much better than recent times, particularly my face. She isn’t wrong, but who knows how much that has to do with going dry. Sadly, there was no noticeable drop in weight, as I didn’t alter my eating habits.
So, that was my Sober October. It will be torrential downpours going forward!
Sip Advisor 