As promised: my story
Another month went by, and I have to say, a rather easy one when it came to alcohol (or lack of
). Yesterday was 300 days - yeah, I'm still counting. It's a good feeling when you suddenly notice you haven't thought about a drink for 3 or more days.
One of the truly fun things in rehab was... cooking. After the detox period, you end up in a group of about 10 to 12 people with whom you will spend the rest of your time. Of course, every week, some leave, and some new people are added.
Every week, each member of the group gets a specific task, like cleaning, making notes, washing up and/or cooking. Three days a week the group is making their own meal, which means you have to make a starter, main dish, and dessert for 10 or more people.
There were rules however, and the first one was the most astonishing: you are only allowed to spend... $2 per person per day.
Yes, you read that right: $2. That is not a lot of money for a three course meal, and almost sounded impossible. Not only that: you were not allowed to use tinned food (an exception was made for tomato pulp), or pre-cooked food (like pudding for dessert): it had to be fresh, and it had to be handmade as much as reasonably possible.
I never made dinner for such a large group before, and there's quite a bit of work planning, making up the menu (allergies! religious rules!), shopping, calculating, keeping the receipts (no cheating!), cleaning, preparing... for $2 per person. For 12 to 14 people, including one or two staff.
The crazy thing is that it is easily possible to make excellent meals for that money, so good that the staff was always glad to eat with us. Most of the time we had spare money (a couple of dollars), which was honestly mind-blowing! (of course, you didn't need any wine with the food ). We had the use of our own group kitchen, fully equipped, with things like spices, butter, milk etc. provided for us. (so that didn't go into the $2 budget)
So, what's that got to do with rehab? Well, it's obviously only a small part of the tasks/lessons/sessions, but a good way to interact with the people your group, exchange tips & tricks, and prepare for affordable & healthier eating habits.
2 dollars. Try it!
Another month went by, and I have to say, a rather easy one when it came to alcohol (or lack of
). Yesterday was 300 days - yeah, I'm still counting. It's a good feeling when you suddenly notice you haven't thought about a drink for 3 or more days. One of the truly fun things in rehab was... cooking. After the detox period, you end up in a group of about 10 to 12 people with whom you will spend the rest of your time. Of course, every week, some leave, and some new people are added.
Every week, each member of the group gets a specific task, like cleaning, making notes, washing up and/or cooking. Three days a week the group is making their own meal, which means you have to make a starter, main dish, and dessert for 10 or more people.
There were rules however, and the first one was the most astonishing: you are only allowed to spend... $2 per person per day.
Yes, you read that right: $2. That is not a lot of money for a three course meal, and almost sounded impossible. Not only that: you were not allowed to use tinned food (an exception was made for tomato pulp), or pre-cooked food (like pudding for dessert): it had to be fresh, and it had to be handmade as much as reasonably possible.
I never made dinner for such a large group before, and there's quite a bit of work planning, making up the menu (allergies! religious rules!), shopping, calculating, keeping the receipts (no cheating!), cleaning, preparing... for $2 per person. For 12 to 14 people, including one or two staff.
The crazy thing is that it is easily possible to make excellent meals for that money, so good that the staff was always glad to eat with us. Most of the time we had spare money (a couple of dollars), which was honestly mind-blowing! (of course, you didn't need any wine with the food
). We had the use of our own group kitchen, fully equipped, with things like spices, butter, milk etc. provided for us. (so that didn't go into the $2 budget)So, what's that got to do with rehab? Well, it's obviously only a small part of the tasks/lessons/sessions, but a good way to interact with the people your group, exchange tips & tricks, and prepare for affordable & healthier eating habits.
2 dollars. Try it!
I no longer feel that trying to kick this other habit might endanger my sobriety.
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