As we are trying to start a family, my husband and I have been limiting the caffeine we consume and minimizing alcohol consumption. We have discovered that caffeine is relatively easy to limit. We drink one 8 ounce cup of coffee in the morning and one cup of either Green or Black tea in the afternoon, depending on what we feel like. That part has been fairly manageable.
The hard part, we have discovered, is how alcohol is so integrated into our social lives (especially in the time of COVID). We have celebrated Wine Wednesday every Wednesday since we started dating (we are still doing so, but drinking a small glass of wine rather than our usual larger serving size). When we hang out with family, we socially drink. When we hang out with friends, we have a drink. When we watch a Broncos or Nuggets game, we have a drink. Even when it’s a Friday or Saturday night, we like to have a drink to celebrate the close of the week. I know — it sounds like we are alcoholics, but we really aren’t. Alcohol is just part of how we socialize.
Knowing that this part is more of a challenge, we have made a game out of finding ways to make people think we are drinking with them, even when we aren’t. This is super important since we don’t want to tell people we are thinking about trying until we know trying could turn into something real. No need to get people’s hopes up.
So far, we have a few ways to trick people, but I’m sure there are more! We’ll keep experimenting. We have tried the first two ways; we will have to try the third soon.
Way #1: Buy beer that has a twist off cap, have my husband drink a couple beforehand, and then fill them with water + Sweet Tea flavored Mio + a little bit of lemon juice. This way, it has a similar color to beer in a bottle, won’t mess with my blood sugars, and is a fun flavor for me to enjoy.
Way #2: Plan to drink whiskey + coke or rum + coke with Coke Zero. Coke Zero will keep my blood sugars in check. My husband or I will offer to make the drinks and simply put Coke Zero in my glass. It’s a dark liquid, so no one will ever know that I don’t have whiskey or rum in it. It works quite well!
Way #3: If we are at someone’s house and they offer a drink, my husband will have to quickly finish his drink and we will secretly swap drinks so no one will be the wiser.
Like I said, we will keep experimenting, but I think we are off to a great start! If you have suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comments.
