As I left Wembley on Sunday, having seen my team lift their first bit of silverware since 2017, I thought about the game I’d just witnessed, the feeling of euphoria mixing with one of nostalgia and being there in the moment. It’s still something I struggle to get used to, being present for happy events, being able to enjoy them, revel in them and even remember them.
April 2023 |
8 minutes
Football commentator and journalist, Jay Motty, shares his top tips on reframing your passions in life when they revolve around drinking alcohol.
It’s still something I struggle to get used to, being present for happy events, being able to enjoy them, revel in them and even remember them.
For two decades, attending football matches meant just that; ‘attending’ - being there but not present. Yes, I would celebrate goals, I would chant and sing but half the time I’d barely know where I was, what the score was or who the opposition were. ‘The football gets in the way’ was a saying my mates and I often recited. Far too often going to games was simply a case of filling the time between my drinks, which remained the main reason to attend any match – an excuse to get hammered with the small distraction of 90 mins of football.
'The football gets in the way’ was a saying my mates and I often recited...
And whilst this motto amused us, it saddens me when I look back at the games I have been to, the places I have visited, the people I have met and have literally zero recollection of. It’s almost a badge of honour amongst some fans, going on an away trip and not even making the game, some literally, others just mentally. The hundreds of pounds wasted, the three-day hangover, the time spent queuing for overpriced drinks, the worry of getting stopped on the coach and having our alcohol taken off us, or the trepidation when walking past the sniffer dogs (as I’d love to say it was just drink that was part of my match day routine but I’d be lying).
I’ve been to many finals drunk and, for the last eight years, a handful sober and I can easily tell you which I’d prefer – the ones I enjoyed and remembered!
I’ve been to many finals drunk and, for the last eight years, a handful sober and I can easily tell you which I’d prefer – the ones I enjoyed and remembered! For me drinking to excess didn’t just depend on a positive match result either – win or lose, the drinks would be flowing. Experience has taught me that no loss has ever been improved by a hangover. It also puts me in a place where I can’t make the most of my trip. I’ll meet up with friends I haven’t seen for a while, do some extra media work, as I’m capable of stringing a coherent sentence together, and (as I did for the recent final at Wembley) even drive! Imagine that, driving to a football match, with a car full of people; the game’s well and truly gone!
Experience has taught me that no loss has ever been improved by a hangover...
Finally, it was an away day that could be savoured. One where I was not just present but actually participating, taking part in strange rituals such as having a conversation, something that would be completely alien to me when I was staggering about unfamiliar territory looking for the nearest boozer (or some bloke with a wheelie bin flogging beers on the street).
One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to not drinking is that you can’t previously enjoy the occasions you used to when you were drunk. It’s an odd lie that’s perpetuated by nearly everyone. It’s also a lie that can be so readily accepted to the point where it can even prevent you daring to give something you love a go sober, because you’ve been convinced you need to add alcohol.
As I stood behind the goal at Wembley, watching my team lift a trophy there was no doubt in my mind that being present and able to remember it, only made the day that bit sweeter.
