Sober as a Finn ...

For the last few years, it has been my practice to swear off the booze for January. It seems a reasonable idea, as I probably end up consuming my January allowance during the Christmas holidays. The original reason I did it was to prove to myself that I could give up for a month, but recently it has also been a way of reducing my calorie intake. This year is no exception, after an indulgent holiday at home I am putting rather more strain on the strain gauges in my electronic scales, so losing a few kilos is now imperative.

When I mentioned this to a colleague at work, she informed me that this practice is called Tipaton Tammikuu in Finland, literally meaning dropless January. This seems to be sponsored by the authorities in Finland - there is even a website for fellow participants, though sadly only in Finnish. It has a countdown timer until the end of the month, accurate to the second, together with a planner so that you can track your progress and helpful hints and tips. Helpful, of course, if you can read Finnish.

To anyone else who is attempting abstinence this month, good luck and let me know how you do.