h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Steve has access to a range of support services; in addition, Sally has a counsellor of her own and a remarkably compassionate GP. Then there's the circle of friends as well. They're quite well-placed for people to turn to as and when they need to. This is rather a relief.

Goodness I've been feeling ill today. It's not just last night's alcohol either; it was a very intense night. I'll be retiring early this evening. Office party tomorrow, just for something completely different. I'm looking forward to drying out, one of these days.

I'm more or less dry now At most I have a beer a day and I feel incredibly good as a result. It's made a significant difference to my finances too

I think my next chance for a booze-free day will be 21 December. Then I might be able to stay dry on 24 and 25 December (if I get the solitude I'm craving), and again from 27 December - 5 January. In the meantime, I just hope my liver can persevere. We really do drink far too much and far too often in this country, don't we?

Hair of the dog, darlings?

Please, no...

Don't let the replace the ciggies Ivan. I used to like a drink, but hardly touch a drop now, I just went off it!

Take care, and I hope you get the peace and quiet you need.

Websailor

Gosh, if I drank all that booze I would not fare at all well. I hope your liver doesn't liquefy, Ivan.

Have a nice curry to sop some of that up!

Wholemeal bread is helping a lot.

The fact that I turned down another three invitations today is also helping.

Ooooh!

Mr Popular!

My current colleagues are the most sociable group I've ever w*rked with. It's heartening, and tiring.

Mine are fairly sociable, which has made it difficult for me to beg off every company or department outing. (Hence my upcoming appearance at my boss's daughter's wedding this weekend...)

How's your head today?

Oh, my head's been OK for a few days now. It was other bits of the body that weren't happy - you know, the liver and so on. Even that lot feels good now.



Just to prove that one should never, ever plan... Sally and Steve are no longer able to travel to the US for Christmas. Steve's still stable enough, but Sally went for a stroll on uneven ground yesterday, tripped up and broke her leg in two places. She'll be in hospital for a couple of weeks; once the swelling goes down they'll be putting in pins.

On the bright side - it's the same hospital Steve has to spend a lot of time hanging around. Maybe they can get a double room at least.

H'mmm. The world really is a joke sometimes, isn't it?

Oh, that is just too cruel!

Yep, it's cruel - so it's lucky that the pair of them share a very black sense of humour.

That saves a lot of tears

If you can't laugh at life, what's it for? (I think that was, basically, Dad's philosophy...)

Clever man, your Dad

Sounds like Sally was born under the same stars as I was. The poor thing. Well, at least they can laugh about it. I tend to share that philosophy, too- laughing beats tears any day.

Every tragedy needs a bit of farce in it, I guess.

For anyone who's still subbed to this thread, and for me at some later date...

I saw Sally at the weekend, but haven't had a chance to write anything until now. Her leg's taking a long time to heal so she's still on crutches. Steve is now on oxygen for much of the day and doesn't get out much. But he's still here. I note that I started this thread in February last year, in the grim expectation that he wouldn't be around much longer, but he's still here. He still has some quality of life left, even if he doesn't get out much - hell, some weeks I don't want to get out much myself, so I see this as only a marginal problem..

So they're off to the US any day now, for the trip they couldn't take at Christmas. Virginia and the Carolinas; they'll see his children and his mother. They've arranged for the airlines to supply wheelchairs for both of them. I think that's rather sweet, don't you?

So - Steve might not have much time left, but they're making the most of it. Good luck to them.

(And Sally's rather nifty with the crutches, even when somewhat drunk. )