Make mine a half!!!!!!!

As a young uni student I was quite the party animal! 'Really?' I hear you cry, but its true, if there was a social gathering then I was there!!!
Nowadays I would describe myself as more a party ornament! Quiet, reserved, overlooked by some!  Behaving and generally being a social goodie goodie! and why???? Its honestly down to the fact that the older I get the more debilitating the hangover becomes!!!

Oh for the days when a hangover used to be a simple affair - you awoke, dry mouthed gagging for a glass of water. A quick shower, two paracetamol and before you could say 'full english and a pint of flat coke please' you were well on the way to recovery!!!

However as the years pass the hangover goes from short term to something that can only be measured in days!!!!! And they get progressively worse as the day progresses!!!!
You awake feeling relatively smug at the lack of usual hangover signs, saying to yourself 'look at me after a night out ha!!'.  You try for brekkie and change your mind as a niggle of feeling just one or two degrees under starts to kick in. You play with the kids and start to do the usual day to day things with an ever growing sense of doom as by lunch time the royal philharmonic orchestra is playing a rather long and loud drum solo in your head and your stomach feels like you have drunk a vat of rat poison. Come the afternoon all you want to do is lay down in a darkened room, have a little sob and fall into a dehydrated coma!! The next day is not soooo bad but you are still feeling the affects and everything seems to take longer and an early night is definitely needed along with eating your body weight in 'fat' food - take our pick, chips, pizza, toast, tea and biscuits etc.... everyone has their favourites!!

Its not so much the liquid intake I am having to adjust but my whole attitude to a night out.
No longer do I burst into the pub or party thinking 'bring it on' rather 'must remember to drink more water in between alcoholic drinks!! How sad!!
Also i need to keep in mind the long list of activities I will have to face in the morning - football practise with a hangover? standing in the cold hm mm I don't think so!! tap dancing with an alcohol induced headache? not so likely!!!!  So I find myself thinking of excuses so I can leave early, therefore not drinking as much as i might usually as 'I have a busy day tomorrow!!'

It used to take ten minutes to organise a night out now it takes more like ten weeks - making sure everyone has a free date on the calender , organising babysitters, cover for the club drop off in the morning and buying supplies for the next few days as a trip to the supermarket with a hangover and two boisterous children is SOOOOOOOO not happening!!

And then to top it all off the hangover is accompanied by the feeling of guilt you suffer for a) leaving your little darlings with a babysitter! The shock and horror of it all, even if the babysitter is nanny! and b) not having the energy to do anything with them, including reading a book and watching cartoons without drifting off!  Bad mother, bad mother, I promise never to go out and drink again............... still, the feelings of guilt will eventually wear off and then you know you will do it all over again!! When will I ever  learn!!