Flag Alert

As a non-drinker attending a close family member’s hen party a few months ago in a busy city centre I was already feeling anxious at the reality of having to spend the next few hours cradling a mocktail or other soft drink whilst surrounded by alcohol drinkers necking as much booze as possible as if it was going off the market tomorrow, (what a thought eh)...  I was going into an environment where there would undoubtedly be lots of drinks, music, noise, games etc. – that is daunting on its own but that’s not my issue here. 

 

We were a group of about 12 or so girls out in town ready for some fun and giggles.  The venue was one that offered bottomless brunch where drinks are brought to your table as quickly as you can drink them for the period of time allocated.  Quickly we placed our food and drinks order and carried on the banter.  Well can you imagine my face when 12 drinks arrive at our table and one drink is sporting a bright yellow, triangular flag with the words “Non Alc” written on it?  In an already heightened state, this just exacerbated my anxious feelings and has ultimately led to this ramble.  I mean, why not add some flashing lights to the glass just for good measure!

 

This has made me question the whole idea of putting flags in non-alcoholic drinks.  Obviously I know why it is done, it is so everyone is shown that you are the odd one out because you aren’t taking part in the fun and laughter and you are more than likely going to be the first one to make an excuse and leave the party so that everyone else can start to enjoy themselves without the fun police staring on disapprovingly.  It’s also a warning to those who walk the room looking to pilfer the odd free drink from a table whilst no one’s looking – well you can’t blame them with today’s prices can you?  The good old “Non Alc” flag screams, “Whoa mate don’t touch this drink, its pure party pooper juice in a glass right there, you don’t wanna be one of them”. 

 

No, the flag is to show that there’s a difference between my drink and yours, we are stereotyped into a certain category but instead of ousting the non-drinkers shouldn’t it be suggested that those who are consuming alcohol should get their drinks branded with a flag or a different coloured straw as they are the ones that we need to watch out for 3 or 4 gins later, they are the ones that will get lairy and start telling the same story over and over and…. They are the ones that lose all sense of meaning from their mouths and all control of their legs, not those of us who may be on call, or preggers or, god forbid, simply just do not want to pickle our livers.  For every drink "they" consume they should get the branded flag surely? For the first alcoholic drink they get a green flag, the second drink gets a blue flag etc. – then "we" will definitely know who to avoid when Mr or Mrs wobbly legs approaches us sideways with their trophy red flag, they are the ones that need to be singled out. Here the ramblings of a pop drinker says the whole “flag the odd one out” should be redefined to put the spotlight on the drinkers for a change, that would be way more fun for us boring fun suckers.  I am joking of course but something to think  about?

Alcohol too tempting at home? Bin it!

Bin It

What is the best way to avoid the effects of alcohol? – obviously don't drink it, but what about don't buy it, don't keep it where it is easily accessible, don’t walk down the aisle in the shop where it is displayed, get rid of all traces from your house, avoid places where it is available – so many ways but all equally as difficult and needs complete commitment to be able to do it.  You need to be ready to make the move to get rid of any left over alcohol and this may be one of the hardest things you do, but take it from me you will get a buzz from it and be proud of the huge step you have just made.

It was nearly a year into my alcohol free journey when I made the decision to throw away all alcohol that was in the house.  Admittedly my husband had assured me that it was all gone before I left hospital but in fact he had just hidden it away.  Luckily for me I was so determined with my goal that when I found the hidden stash (in upturned plant pots, inside a bbq cupboard etc...I know wtf!) and after a group session where one lady was struggling with zero alcohol cans in her house, I said to my husband come on let’s throw it away.  We got a bucket and recycling bin and between us we emptied 46 cans, 12 beer bottles and 5 bottles of prosecco!  Now apart from the stink of gallons of booze the feeling of achievement was amazing.  I sent pictures to the lady from group and she immediately poured her non alcohol drink away too.  So I felt amazing and I had helped someone else.

I know what people would say, wow what a waste of money, you could have given that to someone, well I would say that firstly the money was already spent and whether I drank it or threw it away I had already parted with my cash 12 months earlier.  And as for giving it to someone else, well why would I encourage someone else to drink?  “Here have this alcohol that I won’t drink because it has caused me so many health problems....” That would just be immoral wouldn’t it!  Plus after so long the booze would be gone off – what!!! Who knew that was a thing???

Profiterole

Why ruin a profiterole?

So why is it that supermarkets now sell desserts that contain alcohol?  I don’t mean the good old Christmas pudding that is well known for being laced with spirits and has been part of the Christmas tradition for a lifetime, I mean a 2 pack of profiteroles and a 2 pack of caramel tarts.  Eating cakes, sweets and chocolates is a new experience for me, this is because during my early adulthood days with a young family and when money was tight I would always opt for an extra alcoholic drink rather than a treat for a dessert.  So there is no surprise that now I am not drinking alcohol I have a bit of a tendency to go for a sweet option. 

 

As a treat this week for our anniversary, I picked up a few pudding options from the local supermarket … profiteroles and caramel tarts, nothing extravagant just a treat to add to our celebratory dinner.  After dinner when opening the desserts, I was staggered by what I saw in front of me, the words “Soft choux buns filled with a vanilla-flavoured with a rich, smooth chocolate sauce.  Contains alcohol” what the actual!  Alcohol in a profiterole, when did that become a thing?  Have profiteroles always contained alcohol and I have never noticed? 

 

I took out the next option 2 x crème caramel tarts, phew no warnings on the front of this one to warn of alcohol content, flip over to the back for the description and there it is “Crème Caramel.  Cream dessert with caramel sauce.  This product contains alcohol.”  Now I am raging, bewildered and without a dessert!  Now don’t get me wrong I can’t even begin to imagine how many of these bad boys I would need to consume to feel the effects of alcohol so I assume it’s not that big of a deal if I ate them or not BUT it leads to the question  WHY?  I am also mindful there are no age restrictions to these desserts so presumably my teenage daughter can happily buy them...that’s another rant for later.

 

Why do our treats need to be laced with poison that quite literally kills thousands of people in the UK every year?  Isn’t it difficult enough for those of us that do not want or need alcohol in their lives to get through a supermarket shop without having to check every product we throw in our basket?

 

Intrigued and slightly confused I resorted to a Google search….“Why do profiteroles contain alcohol?” Google response “… for added flavour”.  Really?  Alcohol is actually considered to positively enhance the flavour of a product, wow – who has ever drank alcohol and thought to themselves “ohh yum lets have some more of that, I love scrunching up my face and having the burning effect in my throat and my eyes watering, dish me up another choux bun please Mr Cake Baker!”  Clearly this has annoyed me so I searched some more only to find this remark when I posed my original question into Google again:  “Must say I wouldn’t expect there to be alcohol in profiteroles.  They are taking a risk though, I can see the Daily Mail sad faces as an unsuspecting Tee Total family have their dinner RUINED by Tesco!” followed by a response “Maybe cheer them up a bit” WTF! now my hackles are up (my purchase wasn’t from Tesco by the way) and I now need to get a profile set up so I can challenge these morons that assume the only way to be cheery is by consuming alcohol through whatever means available.  And so here I am with my first ramblings of a pop drinker and ready to take on the world.