Thursday July 26 - Champagne Charlie

My name's Will and I'm a social alcoholic. It's been six months, 25 days and 12 hours since my last drink.

Here's a worry. I've been out two nights in a row this week (both times to Fargo in Woolton - I'm nothing if not a creature of habit) and both times I was asked by mates what alcoholic drink I'm craving the most.

Both times I've looked deep into my subconscious and given the following answer: champagne.

Oooh, champagne! A nice chilled glass of bubbly! La-di-da! Get me!

If it was just the once I could have written it off as an anomalous result, but twice...what the hell has happened to me? What have I become?

A big butch guy like me should surely be craving flagons of Guinness or Stella, not delcate flutes of sparkling white wine. I wasn't even a big champagne drinker before. It just reminds me of weddings, where you have to nurse one glass of the stuff through 45 minutes of speeches.

Both nights at Fargo were good fun. Last night was a low-key meal with Helen and Adam, so it was pretty easy to stay off the booze without a second thought.

The first, however, was for Tam's 30th birthday and was a little more complex. She was back on the pop with a vengeance after an enforced period of sobriety due to being up the duff. (Don't worry - she's had him now, of course.)

Although I am now almost immune to any feelings of envy while watching my boozy mates get stuck into a pint, it was quite hard to watch someone enjoying alcohol following a long lay-off. Oh well, only five months and five days to go.

Then it's champers time!