NE21 worrier
29-04-13, 12:52
Well, that was fun at SJP again... NOT! :lac:
For those of you who don't know me on these forums, I am a big Newcastle fan so Saturday night was quite hard to take. 0-6 at home to Liverpool - well done to Annie and Tessar!
However, Saturday was actually a good day for my anxiety. Unlike the game against Sunderland (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=133491), I was not in panic mode, and indeed I was looking forward to catching up with friends for a meal afterwards.
Unfortunately, no one had seen fit to book a table and so we wandered around aimlessly for the best part of an hour post-match looking for somewhere with a reasonable wait time. Eventually, one of the five other lads I was out with, went ahead into an Indian restaurant and got us a table. My stomach turned with worry, everyone else's stomach was hungry, though, and it is not in my nature to protest.
I hadn't eaten an Indian meal for about 10 years after a rather poor effort from a local takeaway made me ill. Also, I've always considered that the spices in Indian food would never sit well with my stomach, so I've managed to avoid it. There was no getting out of this one, other than to go home (avoidance) - but my instinct was to give it a shot.
First, some poppadoms arrived. Everyone picked one up and started putting various sauces on them and eating, except me. Thankfully no one mentioned anything and I gradually got into the swing of things. Distracted by some or other silly conversation, I picked up a poppadom and joined in. Next, we had starters - onion bhajis, which I had eaten before so no problem. Then, a main - chicken tikka masala - I loved it for the most part, finished nearly all of it and felt full, though I found the sauce a little rich.
In other words, my success is simply that I had an Indian meal and enjoyed socialising with my friends. Usually the first thing which goes as soon as I get slightly anxious is my appetite. But I did well - I didn't even know Indian restaurants did milder dishes until now. Certainly, I don't think it will be so long again before I give it another go.
PS. Unfortunately, there was a negative, other than the football score. Despite continuing to take 50mg Sertraline, I presumably totally negated its effect on Saturday by having five beers (one before the game, one after, one in restaurant, and two after the meal). However, this was my first drop of any alcohol for 10 days so, considering I was an almost daily drinker before taking Sertraline, I have even made some progress on this front.
Sunday, I was sleepy and very lethargic but did not have any sort of headache/stomach hangover - perhaps, my body is getting used to the drug. Also, the drinking was over a long period of time and supplemented with food, something which I became famous for avoiding on such occasions.
For those of you who don't know me on these forums, I am a big Newcastle fan so Saturday night was quite hard to take. 0-6 at home to Liverpool - well done to Annie and Tessar!
However, Saturday was actually a good day for my anxiety. Unlike the game against Sunderland (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=133491), I was not in panic mode, and indeed I was looking forward to catching up with friends for a meal afterwards.
Unfortunately, no one had seen fit to book a table and so we wandered around aimlessly for the best part of an hour post-match looking for somewhere with a reasonable wait time. Eventually, one of the five other lads I was out with, went ahead into an Indian restaurant and got us a table. My stomach turned with worry, everyone else's stomach was hungry, though, and it is not in my nature to protest.
I hadn't eaten an Indian meal for about 10 years after a rather poor effort from a local takeaway made me ill. Also, I've always considered that the spices in Indian food would never sit well with my stomach, so I've managed to avoid it. There was no getting out of this one, other than to go home (avoidance) - but my instinct was to give it a shot.
First, some poppadoms arrived. Everyone picked one up and started putting various sauces on them and eating, except me. Thankfully no one mentioned anything and I gradually got into the swing of things. Distracted by some or other silly conversation, I picked up a poppadom and joined in. Next, we had starters - onion bhajis, which I had eaten before so no problem. Then, a main - chicken tikka masala - I loved it for the most part, finished nearly all of it and felt full, though I found the sauce a little rich.
In other words, my success is simply that I had an Indian meal and enjoyed socialising with my friends. Usually the first thing which goes as soon as I get slightly anxious is my appetite. But I did well - I didn't even know Indian restaurants did milder dishes until now. Certainly, I don't think it will be so long again before I give it another go.
PS. Unfortunately, there was a negative, other than the football score. Despite continuing to take 50mg Sertraline, I presumably totally negated its effect on Saturday by having five beers (one before the game, one after, one in restaurant, and two after the meal). However, this was my first drop of any alcohol for 10 days so, considering I was an almost daily drinker before taking Sertraline, I have even made some progress on this front.
Sunday, I was sleepy and very lethargic but did not have any sort of headache/stomach hangover - perhaps, my body is getting used to the drug. Also, the drinking was over a long period of time and supplemented with food, something which I became famous for avoiding on such occasions.