I had a long-distance train trip for a sporting event when I was not even a month sober. London to Amsterdam, a few days in Amsterdam, a trip to the cricket. My first sober holiday, my first sober cricket match.

I went in with the attitude of "got to learn how to do this sober, and there's no time like now."

I told the friend I was going to the cricket with that I was off the booze, so I wouldn't be making a decision on the spur of the moment, the decision was already made.

When the steward came down the train carriage with the drinks trolley, I said "Oh, I don't drink, but I could murder a coffee!" Fine, I got off the train vibrating from too much caffeine but I didn't have any alcohol.

I looked at restaurant menus in advance as far as I could, and made the decision of what to drink in advance, so I wasn't flustered and making the decision in a foreign language. Of course it was Amsterdam and everyone's English was perfect and the waiting staff were patient and kind, but it was one thing off the list of things I was worried about.

And, the one time a waiter made a mistake and brought me an alcoholic beer instead of the non-alcoholic version, I did the most un-English thing I've ever done and sent it back, rather than drinking it to avoid making a fuss 😁