In 2008, Alcoholics Anonymous celebrated 20 years of operation in Torrevieja. There are 16 AA groups on the Costa Blanca, which reinforces one of my reservations about moving to the area. Like most people, I enjoy a drink or several.
While I’m nowhere near the stage of saying to a roomful of strangers, ‘My name is Sandra, and I’m an alcoholic,’ I can easily down a bottle of wine in an evening, and I’m very partial to a Bacardi and Coke or a Vodka and Lemonade. Mind you, I only drink when there's an 'a' in the day.
That's one area where English wins over Spanish, because in Spanish only martes and sabado have an 'a' in the day, so while my Spanish is progressing very nicely, thank you very much, my days are in English for the purposes of imbibing.
With the prices of booze so cheap here, how do you ensure that you won’t be scanning the classifieds for your nearest AA meeting sometime in the near future? My main strategy is to do something I don’t very often advocate – act as if you’re still in England. Unless you’re already on the way to alcohol dependency, you didn’t drink in the mornings in England, so don’t do it in Spain. Fruit juices, tea and iced water will slake your thirst without clocking up alcohol units.
I always keep a sliced melon in the fridge, as I find that even more refreshing than a drink. You should never use alcohol to satisfy a thirst, as a) it’s more likely to dehydrate than rehydrate, and b) alcohol is more-ish – one leads to another. If you start drinking too early in the day, you run the risk of being tipsy by teatime.
When we go into Algorfa for shopping, we invariably sit outside our favourite tapas bar for a while before attempting the 2 mile walk home. We buy one drink, and read the papers as we sup, so we have something to do other than empty our glasses.
I love to swim, and I never drink before swimming, so I always have my swim late in the afternoon. This has other advantages, too. The pool is less crowded, but the water is still nice and warm, so the swim is most enjoyable.
Where possible, make long drinks. Mix sparkling water with wine for a refreshing spritzer, or make a shandy instead of a beer once in a while. At around 5% Alcohol by Volume, Spanish beer is stronger than the English variety. In Spain, there are alcohol free or low alcohol equivalents to most of the main brands, and some are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Try San Miguel, Mahou or Estrella Levante for a pleasant surprise. Unlike in England, alcohol free beers are very cheap here.
The Spanish enjoy Tinto Verano, or ‘Summer Wine.’ This is a mixture of red wine and lemonade, and served with ice and a slice of lime or lemon, it’s delicious. As well as keeping your alcohol units down, these measures will ensure you consume fewer calories. You won’t reap the full benefits of the Mediterranean Diet if you’re taking in lots of liquid calories.
Don’t think all this is intended to spoil your fun in the sun; I just want you to enjoy your new life to the full. To end on a lighter note, let me tell you about an argument we heard between two holidaymakers the other day. The wife was berating the husband for taking excessive advantage of the cheap alcohol.
‘You’re an alcoholic, you are,’ she said. ‘You haven’t been sober since we got off the plane.’
Quick as a flash, the husband replied,
‘I’m not an alcoholic I’m a drunkard. There’s a big difference - alcoholics have to go to meetings!’
