So what'ya drink instead?

[jaxom5]

Try anything Maddie. I am lucky because I am retired and I can go to bed when I want and apart from the Jack Ruussel next door (yappy dog) and the chap down the road with a chainsaw obsesssion which will result in him being dismembered eventually life is easy. Seriously though, as a life-long chronic insomniac I find the worst thing is getting stressed about it. Often we don't sleep because we get overtired. Please try not to worry. Sleep will come. We are all different but I find resisting the temptation for a nap in the day works best. Except I do now cos I can.

[jaxom5]

PS Maddie, I've mentioned it before elsewhere but if you have earphones and a 'puter you can park by the bed there are lots of freebies on youtube that can help you sleep. My faves are the sound of rain but there are loads of other stuff. Check out delta wave sleep. Keep the volume down though. Otherwise you get woken at 4:00 by a crash of thunder or Dr Zombiezoid decided to turn the volume up.

Dave

[Maddie]

Thanks for the suggestions Dave. Yes, sleep will come eventually. It is gradually improving I think it's just a case of being patient and just trying out different tactics until I find something that works.

[joop]

so I went to a cocktail bar for a mates birthday and I looked at the menu and there wasn't a virgin section so I asked. They made me a kind of virgin raspberry mojito. It was lush. And the best bit is they gave them to me on the house, even when I re ordered it was free I guess they make so much on the alcoholic ones. But was kinda cool why don't more bars adopt this attitude of being nice to the non drinkers!

[Topcat]

That's great Joop, but they really should have had a virgin selection (for drivers as well as non drinkers). Perhaps they will now eh?

[joop]

I figured maybe they don't have a virgin section as they would then charge for the virgin drinks.. and its only soda, syrup and juice... so its done on an ask basis.

Beats pubs that charge £3 for a coke and £2.80 for a happy hour V&T

[Finley]

Good that the bar was so accommodating Joop - but I guess some people might not have the confidence to ask. It makes me really mad that pubs charge so much for a bottle of water or coke - especially when I first came to BE, I would have found it really difficult to go to a pub and order a soft drink, not least because I thought it was a rip off (often watered down coke or lemonade on draft, when I can buy 2 litres of unadulterated 'pop' from Lidls for 42p ). I think my mindset has changed though now - and I think 'I'll order what I actually fancy to drink' even if they are charging the same for that as for a pint of lager.

Years ago I lived in Sheffield and used to go to a club called The Leadmill once a month. It was great there - they had (un watered down) soft drinks on draft, which were really cheap - eg a pint of bitter lemon for 20p (at a time when a pint was about £1). It really encouraged us hard up students to drink less alcohol and still feel we'd had a good night out. Wish more pubs and clubs would do that nowadays.....x