What Happens When You Suddenly Stop Drinking For One Month?

The Guardian: Going booze-free? The effects of a month without alcohol

With the start of another new year, people are once again swearing off alcohol for at least a month, often for charity. What are the potential effects of suddenly cutting all alcohol from your system?

Alcohol. It’s a popular social lubricant, provides pleasure, and often tastes nice. It also has long term health consequences, and imposes a heavy burden on our society. Overall, it’s a mixed blessing.

At present it’s becoming ever-more fashionable, even charitable, to abstain from alcohol for the month of January. After the indulgence of the Christmas period, it’s hardly surprising people will want to do something healthy, and what could be healthier than giving up alcohol?

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Editor: Speaking personally .... being irritable will be the first reaction .... but after one month .... the cravings will be there but the impact of not drinking will not.

How To Prepare And Serve Your Wines

An example of a wine that had a bit of reduction that needed my Mason-jar, double-decanting procedure. One hour later, pure drinking joy. Photograph by: Bill Zacharkiw , Special to The Gazette

Wine: How It Is Served Is As Important As The Wine Itself -- Bill Zacharkiw, Montreal Gazette

I was over at a friend’s house for a birthday barbecue and, as per usual, I brought the wine. All the bottles were already open, and one person asked me: “Why?” I replied that I always open my bottles in the morning, even when I am drinking at home.

If choosing a wine to go with your meal makes you anxious, serving your wine the right way is a lot easier.

Unfortunately, most people don’t pay enough attention to wine service. This error is not only made by the average wine drinker; I have seen way too many sommeliers and waiters do their best to sell you “the right wine,” but forget that how the wine is served is as important as what you pour.

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My Comment: Some good points here. Read it all.

Why A Gin And Tonic Is Best Served Cold

The tongue tastes the bitterness in gin and tonic more intensely when it's cold, researchers have found (Source: jonathansloane/iStockphoto)

Evidence Supports A Cold Gin And Tonic -- ABC News (Australia)

Science can finally explain why gin and tonic tastes best when it's served cold.

Sensory scientist Dr Martha Bajec and colleagues from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, report their findings online this month in the journal Chemosensory Perception.

"You want to make sure that your gin and tonic is cold to make sure that it's bitter," says Bajec.

While previous research has suggested temperature can affect people's perception of sweetness, Bajec was surprised to find no one had ever looked at the effect of temperature on bitter tastes.

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My Comment: I guess the same can be said of most drinks .... from beer to putting ice-cubes in any 'hard drink'.