I devoured One Day on Netflix (and wrote about it here). A couple of scenes have stayed with me (not just the kiss, or the bad bit, although those hit hard too). The episode where Dexter and his mum are on a rooftop terrace in Italy, drinking really cold, pale rosé wine, and looking down at tiled, terracotta rooftops - god, I used to drink a lot of rosé. It feels like a treat, doesn’t it. The sun is out, and so’s the rosé. I was a bit of a twat about it too - ‘Oh, I only really like the very pale Provence rosé, let’s get one of those. No, two.’ Rosé is pretty, with lovely bottles, but it still makes you feel like S-H-I-T the next day. Same with Aperol Spritz, that other summer drink that gaslights you into thinking it’ll all be ok the next day (it rarely was).
And whilst we’ve had a rubbish summer so far, there have been moments, fleeting moments, where it’s been rosé season. And I’ve had FOMO. It happens every summer. It only lasts a few minutes, til I’ve got something delicious in my glass (delicious and non alcoholic) but for those minutes, it’s really strong. I don’t want to miss out. I want to do what my mates are doing. Rosé is pretty, it looks fun, and I want some.
Here’s what I remember:
Rosé makes you forget the sunscreen, get sunburned on one side, and have weird strap marks for MONTHS.
You can tell yourself the kids don’t notice your drinking, but they really, really do (and Alcohol Change UK backs this up).
It’s hard to sleep with the 4am-wine-wake ups, and harder still when it’s light at that time. Is there anything as bright as a July dawn with a hangover?? And when did the birds get so LOUD?
Those amazing Ottolenghi salads you made to go with the bbq? You don’t remember eating them. Sure they were great tho…
The kids want to Do Stuff. You promised trips to the beach, picnics at the park or ice-creams with their mates. And now you are hungover and you don’t want to leave the house.
Checking your bank balance after day-drinking and realising that not only did you have a massive bar tab, but also you’ve ordered something really rather expensive from ASOS.
Summer is over really quickly. Spend it doing things you love, things that bring you joy, that you’ll remember. If you can get stuck into the rosé and avoid the shame, irritability, bloating and hangovers, good for you. If you can’t, you really, really don’t have to. Sober summer’s are flipping beautiful.