We’ve just got back from a lovely caravan holiday, near Weymouth. It’s the first time we have stayed at ‘Seaview’ Haven park, and it was really nice. Just a 20 minute walk , through glorious countryside- to a dog friendly stony beach called Bowleaze Cove, and a short drive into Weymouth itself. Bowleaze Cove was perfect for us, as it was less crowded than the main esplanade and sandy beach,but still had a seaside shop, cafe, restaurant, bar and even a mini theme park / funfair called ‘Fantasy Island’. For just £9.99 kids can buy a wrist band allowing them on most of the rides from tea cups to bumper cars- for up to 3 hours! Our two dogs enjoyed meeting other furry friends, throwing seaweed up in the air and splashing in the waves. We all had the traditional fish n chip suppers and the boys enjoyed their first banana split! One day, we all drove up the road to Monkey World ape rescue centre. That was a fantastic family day out. There are about five different adventure playgrounds for kids including wheelchair friendly play equipment, and sensory exhibits for disabled visitors.Also hundreds of apes and gorillas - who despite being rescue animals, are mainly happy to entertain the crowds. Back at our holiday park, there was live entertainment every night. I decided to finally try ‘mindful drinking’ as promoted by alcohol awareness and sober support group ‘Club Soda’ ( www.joinclubsoda.co.uk ) My liver function is now normal, and I’d been feeling really ostracised by both my ‘regular binge drinking’ friends and amazingly by the ‘do good twelve step’ brigade. I don’t have a problem with either, and yet both had a problem with me! Apparently I was too sober for my old ‘party’ crowd, and ‘not sober enough’ for the total abstinence gang. I totally quite booze last August. The most I have had is 0.5% ‘low alcohol’ wine (which is classified as Alcohol free in the UK) Yet people attacked me for ‘cheating’.’ It really annoyed me as there is more alcohol in a glass of orange juice than in a non-alcoholic wine. By law, the drink manufacturers must label products containing less than 0.5 percent alcohol. Many times, the alcohol content is actually less. An average person would need to consume at least forty non-alcoholic glasses of wine in an hour to feel tipsy! My aim is to find a happy medium, a balance, and learn to drink responsibly , occasionally. A glass of bubbly at a wedding, or a pint of cider at a gig. I love not having hangovers, and I still hate the way binge drinking is normalised , even encouraged. Going 100% sober is the best way to kick most unhealthy habits, and having a support network also vital. However, everyone is different, and many people are choosing not to drink for a wide variety of reasons - so let’s support each other rather than judge. Cheers to that!
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