One of the biggest challenges, I haven't faced yet, but will be coming up sometime in the future is what to drink socially. Unless I want to cut yourself off from the world there will be a time when I will be around people drinking. I'm a wife of a business owner and there are a lot of functions I attend with an open bar. I have learned to hate the open bar. For someone who can't cut themselves off an open bar is like a buffet. Even though you have had enough you keep going back for more because it's free and you feel you need to get your monies worth. Open Bar =Hangover, embarrassment, loss of memory. Which actually helps with the embarrassment until you randomly remember weeks later.

A few years ago. My husband and I attended a Ball of sorts. Everyone is dressed up in their finest. Some men in Tux's most in suits. All the women are in formal attire. After appetizers, dinner, about 15 trips to the open bar and what I recall the best dancing I have ever done (that would be due to the open bar) we headed to our Hotel. I was coming down the stairs because I didn't want to wait for the elevator which my husband HAD to take. I walked down 3 flights of stairs in heels (which I never wear) and as I went to step on the last step my knee buckled. All I remember was my shoe flying across the floor, like the Matirx slow motion, towards the opposite end of the main lobby at the Governors Hotel. I came down hard on my ass but was so embarrassed I popped up like a daisy and tried to pull my dress down to a reasonable length while hobbling to get my shoe. Thank god the only people who saw me were the people who worked there. I was lucky. This was a dinner of Ian's peers and business associates from all over the city. I can't imagine what the staff was thinking. Well yes I can. I know what I would have thought. Ian finally made it down and I'm standing in front of the elevator (wishing I would have taken the damn thing) and he's looking at me with my shoes in my hand, like what the hell happened. I said we need to go......NOW. I don't really remember the walk back to the hotel. I woke up the next morning with a bruise the size of an apple and it was the size of a grapefruit by the end of the week. My head was reeling and I felt totally nauseous. I didn't even remember falling until Ian pointed out my lucky souvenir branded on my backside. Then the metal snapshots of my awesome dancing techniques played like a slide show in my mind along with my shoe skirting across the floor in slow motion. I went home and crawled into bed trying to get rid of the embarrassment.

So, back to drink of choice. I discovered this the other night and love it. I actually bought the POM to splash in my water because I really don't like water and hate store bought flavored water more. In the fridge we had a new bottle of Tonic water and thought that would be really good with the POM. I really don't drink soda either so this was a bubbly alternative. I think this will be my go to drink for the next event or party I attend. Everything I've read and the people I talk too, say it's important to have a drink of choice in your hand. This will keep the urge to drink alcohol to a minimum. Mark Tuschel from Livingsobersucks.com recommended picking a drink that looks like a regular alcoholic drink so people won't continue to ask or inquire about why you aren't drinking. I think this drink would be perfect. They may not have POM but cranberry would be just as nice.