Seasonal Sobriety

Welcome to December!!

I LOVE this time of year: the summer weather, the social gatherings, hanging with family, eating more than is good for us and wrapping pressies to hand out to the nearest and dearest. The silly season is upon us people and it has inspired my mission for this month.

Giving Up: Alcohol
I didn't drink before I turned 18. I had a swig of my Dad's beer every now and again which made me gag and remember being appalled when a friend's mum offered me a taste of Malibu.

Contrary to popular belief it wasn't because I was a good-two-shoes, it was because I simply didn't see the appeal in drinking and subsequently throwing up. Once 18 hit I started going out dancing each week and my relationship with alcohol started through West Coast Coolers and frutiy cocktails (mmm Fruit Tingle!), but beer was gross and wine totally overrated.

At 21 I left for a two-year overseas sojourn rather slim and a bit of a glass-and-a-half drunk and returned two dress sizes bigger with a taste for wine. Despite this, I can pretty much take it or leave it and can usually get the same satisfaction out of an ice-cold Diet Coke.

Except at Christmas.

There's something about the festive season that wakes the rolling drunk inside me. Not that I get rolling drunk, but I drink much more than I usually do. I worked out that this month alone I have 10 occasions on which I would normally drink, and if I had say, 3 glasses of wine at each event that would equate to almost 10 bottles of wine - just for me!

I don't care that I'm two sizes bigger than I was at 21, that's still an awful lot of booze for one person to drink.

So I've decided to brave the work parties, sports parties and family catch-ups booze-free, not to mention Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

Taking Up: Religion
If I had to sum up my relationship with Religion, I'd have to say we don't always see eye to eye. I don't think I'm going to hell, but I'm not exactly the next Mother Theresa either.

I tend to think most of the world's problems would be solved if we abolished organised Religion, but at the same time feel guilty at taking away a place people can express their spirituality.

I was christened and went to Sunday School, though admittedly we went to Sunday School with "Uncle Bumper"  to keep us out of my parents hair while they got ready for football that day. It seems to me that each Religion be it Christianity, Judaism or Islam, picks the bits out of the same doctrine or stories that make sense to them and use these as the basis for their beliefs.

I've decided I want to find out first hand if this is case. There are four weeks in this month, so I've decided to spend each looking at and even experiencing a different Religion, though before I decide which I might have to actually read the bible first to give me some starting point.

Is there a Cliff Notes version??