Finally

Two weeks on from the retox & I have spent some time reflecting on the year without beer ..... over 11K raised to help cancer patients get the treatment that they so desperately need .... a little better than my original target of 2K ! .... Im so pleased with the result & grateful to everyone who contributed to the years success ..... I have been back in hospital myself for my annual check & am delighted to report that all is good with me .... I truely have never felt stronger , fitter , happier or more content ....... what started out as a bit of a novelty turned into a life changing experience .... getting cancer in the first place was one & this another ... I have said it before but getting cancer was ... in a strange way one of the best things that ever happened to me .... it changed my priorities & outlook on so many things for the better .... it has improved the quality of my life .... it gave me a sharp reminder of what is really important in your life .... & believe or not it's not money or material things .... if you can look yourself in the mirror & be happy with what you see .... if you can love who you are as you are ...nothing else matters .... if you can love your family & friends for simply being there & dont be afraid to show them .... you wont go far wrong ..... Im so lucky to have Lyn , Adam & Cam .... along with my family & friends ..... they mean more to me than I can ever show or express ..... that's about it really .... a break from Facebook is on the cards & then on to the next project ... whatever that may be ..... see you somewhere in the future for a beer ! ........... cheers ........... GT

So What Next

I'm going to give photography more time this year .... I love it .. but have never dedicated proper time to it ... the bad weather last year was a blessing in some ways in that it gave me the inspiration to photograph the snowy landscapes all around me .... my brother Ro is a real photographer ... gonna see if we can hook up to do some projects together .... watch this space ...... best wishes for 2011 .... cheers ... GT

2010 A Year Without Beer

The year without beer has been an incredible experience .... it has made me realise that anything is possible once you put your mind to it  .... I have done so many things that I would normally have made excuses for not having time for ... I have set up a charity .. Be My Brother ..... I have got back into photography in a big way & will give it much more time & effort this year .... I have had more time for football coaching .... most importantly my family & friends have seen more of me .... I have made contact with old friends & made some brilliant new ones .... I have raised over 10K for cancer patients dealing with testicular cancer & generally felt better in myself .... I want to thank everyone who has helped in any little way last year ... I hope to meet each & every one of you for a beer in 2011 .... take care .... GT

So Happy

I could not have completed the year without beer without the full support of my amazing family .... I was so happy to have everyone wth me on the night to ... ring in the new year ... celebrate Leann & Doms engagement & of course ...... have that frst beer in a year ! .... I love you all dearly now & aways ...... Gav ... xxxx .... ( p.s. glad it's over .... never again )

Mission Accomplished

Well ... 365 days on the dry .... done & dusted ...... cant even begin to tell you how good that first beer in a year was at midnight ..... tnx to all of my family & friends who turned out to give me support ... you are all truely da bomb ..... I promise that I will never do this again ...... roll on 2011 & the next challenge .... happy new year & best wishes for 2011 ............ cheers ..... GT

Save The Best Wine Until Last

What a year it has been .... just when I thought that it couldnt get any better .... Leann & Dom announce their engagement today ..... Im so pleased ... I love you both so much ..... tonight we party !!!!

So close

Bought some Heineken today for the first time in a year ..... I was so happy .... walking around the supermarket smiling to myself ....... beer now safely in the fridge chilling .... ready for new years day .... soon my old friend .... soon

The fight continues

When all of this sobriety lark has been confined to the realms of history & becomes just a story like many other urban myths ..... the serious business of continuing the fight against cancer rages on .... Be My Brother will take up the baton & continue to fight the good fight .... we may lose a little along the way ... but ultimately we can win ..... thanks to everyone who has contributed to the year.... many families dealing with cancer will benefit from the funds raised & many more will never have to face such a crisis due to the awareness raised .... you can not put a price on this success ...... see you all somewhere along the road .... cheers... GT

The Final Countdown

As the clock ticks away & the time for that first pint in a year beckons ..... I am reflecting on the various stages of want that I have experienced during the year ..... Jan saw me like an alco licking the dregs from the barrel as I went into cold turkey from the christmas over indulgence .... feb saw me steady myself as I convinced myself that that this was the right thing to do .... March made me sick ... I wanted a beer so bad ... particularly around Cheltenham ..... April & May ..... brothers wedding celebrations .... dont ask .....felt so bad for not having a drink with Stef to celebrate ( so Irish but so true ) .... June ... having survived wedding festivities .... convinced myself that I would never drink again ..... July ... slapped myself for thinking such thoughts ..... August .... my birthday .... really wanted beer .... Sept .... hate beer never drinking again ..... october .... wanted beer so bad .... felt guilty for threatening to give it up for good ..... Nov ... started to mentally prepare for xmas with no booze .... Dec ... questioned the merit of charity work for personal sacrifice ...... really want beer .........really really want beer ....... I will definitely think differently about drink in the future & know that I dont need it to have a bit of craic .... but there are times when the only thing required is a beer .... I will cherish these times even more in the future .....

The Main Man

Once again in true style the big man did not disappoint ..... he came to the lads last night & delivered some mega gifts ..... Dave the funky shoulder monkey & digital piano's ..... X box Kinnect ..... PSP ...... I-tunes vouchers ..... I-phones ..... you name it Santa delivered ..... I feel that he may have delivered next years presents in advance ..... nobody could be that good ! ..... ah well .... christmas morning was as magic as ever ....  love it ...... fry done & dusted .... off now for some blackcurrant to celebrate ..... happy christmas

Seasons Greetings

Merry christmas & a beer filled new year to all my great friends ...... I cant wait to join you all for a few scoops over the coming months ...... thanks for all of your amazing support this year ..... I could not have stuck it out without you ............ cheers ........ GT

I Love It or Do I

The snow , the snow ,  ...... Oh the snow ...... on the plus side , it makes for some great photo's & everywhere looks stunning ...... however..... on the flip side .... I have nothing bought for christmas !!!!! .......... gonna tackle the on christmas eve in true last minute style !!!!! ....... above pic taken in the local park today ...... the place looked really christmasy in the mist & sun & snow ...... still wish it would piss off though ...... nightmare getting around ...... what to do ....... cheers ... GT

Tom Dunne The Legend

Hope to be on the radio on tuesday with Tom Dunne from newstalk@ around 10am .... Tom has been a great supporter of my campaign from the start & I really appreciate the help that he has given  .... cheers Tom ... keep up the great work ..... great show ....

Its beginning to look alot like Christmas

Tree up .... Cams birthday party ..... carol service ...... chrizzie tunes ...... fire lit ...... snow outside ......  shopping today ...... feeling real happy ...... wont be long now

It's A Small World

Tonight saw my 5,000th visitor to the blog ....... I have had people from 82 different countries check in on me ...... which is absolutely incredible when you think about it ...... I have had emails from far & wide ..... donations from literally all around the world ...... good wishes from more people than I can count ..... I could have in no way predicted this response ..... it's truely heart warming ...... thanks to everyone who has stopped by to keep an eye on my sobriety ...... this is only the beginning of something good ......

A Christmas Appeal

In law, an appeal is a process for requesting a formal change to an official decision. Well Im appealing for a formal change to Belinda's official decision to throw out my good old friend Frosty the wooden christmas decoration snowman ............ every year there is a cull & decos get thrown out that dont quite fit with Belindas given theme that year ........ this year Frosty didnt make the grade ........ normally I wouldnt bat an eyelid ...... but something cut to the core of me when I realised that this little fella would be in a skip for Christmas ...... look at his face ...... how could you abandon him ....... as I write this I have him stashed in my office in the attic for fear of him being discovered by the christmas deco police ........ can someone please give him a good warm home ? ...... he's no trouble ..... eats fuck all & doesnt need to be walked ........ contact me in strict confidence to give this snowman the many more christmases that he deserves .......... cheers .... GT

Hallelujah Concert 2010

Went to see my son singing in the Hallelujah concert last night ...... 3,500 kids singing everything from Michael Jackson & Lady Ga Ga to the Fields of Athenry & christmas medleys ..... they were supported by the High Kings amongst others ...... I have to say it was one of the best concerts that I was ever at ..... a magical evening ........... ( has ice cream instead of beer ! )

The Gym - Xmas Darts Xtravaganza

What a night ( early morning ) ......... 9 participants ...... over 70 games / 9 hours of quality arrows ...... with Tim "the dutchman" Holland emerging victorious ......... Ronan "the barbarian" Teehan graciously handed back his presidency ............ Stefan "double six" Teehan hosting another great tournament ......... spurs ( who won the dartcanter for highest check out ) .... dick .... matt .... J ...... & Hiller made up the other players along with my good self ........... food was super supplied by Matts good lady ............ roll on the next one ........... few sore heads today after the 5am finish ...........

Massive thanks guys

A special & huge thanks to my great friends Dom & maddie in the UK. Both have been fantastic supporters of my year of sobriety giving up chocolate & beer in an effort to raise much needed funds for St. Lukes. Dom loves his pints & Maddie her chocolate , so I know what a sacrafice they made....... Maddie deserves a special mention ..... her incredible efforts saw her raise more than 1,000 euro !!!!  ...... the goodwill shown by people throughout the year has made this one of the best things that I have ever done & I will never really be able to pay back to everyone, the generosity of time & effort that they have shown me ....... thank you all & see you soon ....... xxxx ........... cheers .... GT

Two Dozen

Only 24 days left in my year of sobriety ........ 24 days & I will be tasting a few delicious Heineken somewhere on my own reading the paper ..... retired from Facebook & Twitter ( for a while anyway ) ....... thinking about the year that I was originally convinced would never happen .......... cant wait .......... might even drink two dozen beers in a day to retox .......