Alcohol abstinence

In April 2010 I made a big decision to go T total. There were a couple of reasons for this...one being that I was drinking far to frequently, not necessarily drinking my self into a stupor but non the less a regular drinker having a drink of some sort most evenings. The other is that for years I have suffered from migraine with aura(visual disturbance). The morning I decided to stop drinking was a morning I awoke with a migraine which looked set to spoil an enjoyable camping weekend. That was it for me decision made.I knew I didn't have the personality to "do" moderate and knew the only way for me to succeed was to give up all together...so that's what I did.
I have always said my migraines were hormone related reinforced by the fact that during both my pregnancies I didn't get migraine ...but thinking about this now...whats the other thing you don't have whilst pregnant ?? made me think ! But still believing my migraines were hormone related and after reading as much information I could find I realised the complexity of the functions of the liver. One of the livers functions is controlling hormone levels, so with this in mind I felt that resting and improving the health of my liver would be a good thing for me to do. I have also read that dehydration is also a major cause...again something that can be improved by becoming a T totaller.
I am under no illusions that my migraines have totally disappeared, however since stopping drinking I havent had a single one...I was getting one a month ! So its been well worth doing for that reason alone. However being a T totaller has created issues of its own so my next post will cover that !
Its been nearly a year now and I haven't touched a drop and am no longer tempted to. I have adapted and it is now the norm for me. I feel mentally stronger and my running has improved as I get very little muscle fatigue. I also have much more energy, wake up feeling fab and its saves a load of money too. If I weighed up the pros and cons now, the pros would win hands down !

Alcohol free alternatives

I still like the actual taste of lager or ale and have tried many alcohol free alternatives. Ones you can drink in company, in a bar or at home with friends round. The following are in my opinion the best of the bunch so far

Bavaria
By far my favourite lager. They also do a wheat beer which is equally nice. Very inexpensive at £2.99 for 6 bottles/cans.

Becks Blue Price average £3 for 6
Becks blue is a lager and is very refreshing especially when freezing cold..hits the spot on a hot summers day !!

Bernard ale 99p per bottle available in Tesco...havent found it elsewhere yet.

Lee loves a cider and these are his two favourites
Sainsburys £1.09 a bottle
This says low alcohol at 0.5% still less that a shandy bass.

Westons cider...£1.20 a bottle from Morrisons.
A very tasty cider..tastes just like the real thing !