Going Sober: Ten Days T-total

Cindies without VK’s? Life without Vodka-Red Bulls? POPPY DAMON embarks on a spiritual journey…

Alcohol booty Cindies curry dancefloor Drinking Drunk fancy dress grinding Lad Life Mahal one night stand pennying Sex sober swaps taxi vomit walk of shame

Browsing the dating pages at the back of the newspaper, the words: ‘T-total’ always successfully conjure up images of cross-wielding, Christian, fanatics and/ or ex-crack addict, ‘reformees’ who do talks in GCSE PSHE classes up and down the country as part of their parole. So I imagine, readers, that the idea of giving up alcohol seems like a torture that no uni student would choose to bare.

But this was not self flagellation: I’d just ruined my life in Life one too many times. That’s right, it was to be the last tactical chunder, word vomit, drunk-Facebook, hung over write-off day, apology text, that I would voluntarily induce.

We’ve all been there…

I had a long hard think about how much I really enjoyed black-outs, excreting my stomach lining out of my face and slurring on Cindies Stories (RIP). “Perhaps the answer is in drinking in moderation?” I hear you cry. I’ve always believed in the mantra: go hard or go home. Plus, maintaining the Mecca of the ultimate ‘happy tipsy’ is a delicate science to achieve, equal only to discovering the cure for cancer or making home-made meth. I’ll admit I had envisaged giving up alcohol permanently on a non-religious crusade. But ten days was all I managed…

The Sober Swap

Pros- when you’re sober you can taste the food

Cons- when you’re sober you can taste the food

Pros win out due to the fact you can still ‘penny’ people and get ‘pennied’ yet you are less easily encouraged to lap- dance for the guy dressed in a Primark onesy and go home with him, only to walk-of- shame-it home from some God-forsaken college at 6am still with popadom in your hair.

Freezing when sober

Sober Cindies

Cindies with alcohol is a depraved hell- hole, which somehow brings out the worst part of every person. Without alcohol, Cindies is a depraved hell- hole, which somehow brings out the worst part of every person. Difference? Minimal. You are perhaps more able to eloquently decline the request of a booty grind and make a quick getaway to the bar:  “One coke please”.

Life in real Life

In my usual beer-goggled form, Life is a haven, a beautiful place, with a large outdoor area, a perfect arena for gymnastics on the poles or ambling round in that continuous circle to go back in and then out again. Without the beer goggles, newsflash: it’s a bit average. You can still have fun though, and gymnastics is acceptable (as long as the bouncer’s not looking) with or without a drunken haze to cushion your fall.

Not so drunken D –floors

The truth of the matter is being sober and trying to bust out ‘The Sprinkler’ or ‘The Shopping Trolley’ is somehow more embarrassing and physically demanding. If you’re going to have a sober one, steer clear of the exotic moves.

Couldn’t say it better myself

T-total Taxis

On the plus side- you don’t end up spilling all your coins on the floor when you try and pay, slurring, “Can we have the light on please?” or “Pull over I’m going to be sick” at any point during the journey. On top of that, the quality of conversation greatly improves when you’re not channelling all your energy into replying to the texts on your phone which read: “Where are you? Are you wid thsat guy? z” with one eye open because that’ll make you “see better”.

Cons- you don’t have a kebab!

So after ten days, I’m back on the wagon (or off the wagon?) but it’s definitely worth experiencing. Remember alcohol leads to irrational behaviour, blurred vision and an inability to make decisions… So? Drink up.

 What should I give up next? Suggestions welcome.