Forced to explain our sobriety to strangers

In this episode, I’m taking you along on my trip to Poland, where I found myself tempted by alcohol, navigating drinking culture, and being forced to explain my sobriety to complete strangers.

I’m sharing how I stayed strong, practical tips for declining alcohol in group settings, and some of the interesting thoughts about how society normalizes drinking so much. If you’ve ever felt awkward, pressured, or unsure of what to say when you don’t drink, this one’s for you.

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Transcript

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Hello, Scoop Troop. I am back from Poland. Sorry for the delay on this episode. I'm just a day late, forgive me, but we'll be back next week with another episode on Tuesday, of course. But today's episode, I always have a fun travel story as far as sobriety goes after I get back from a trip. There's always something that happens. I don't know why. Maybe it's like I'm signing up for these tours, I'm doing these cultural experiences, I'm meeting new people. There's always a funny-ish alcohol story and maybe like a learning to take out of each one of those experiences. And this trip was no different. I had one, and the moment that I was sitting there at the table and this was happening, I was thinking, I cannot wait to tell my sobriety community about this because it's just classic, a classic thing. And it it bothers me. Well, first of all, I'm gonna give you a tip for dealing with situations like this, but then there's also just something that irks me about how the situation went down. Anyway, so I'll start by just telling you about my Poland trip and why I went there. So the inspiration for this trip was going to Auschwitz, which I know is a bit dark, but I saw a video on TikTok of this girl who kind of shared her experience going to Auschwitz. And after I saw that video, I was just like, I have to do that in my lifetime. And I think so often in life we tell ourselves, like, oh my god, I have to do that one day. That's on my bucket list, like, gotta go there one day. And for me, when an idea pops into my mind, I'm kind of like, okay, let's book it. And call me stupid or whatever, but I didn't know that Auschwitz was in Poland. I thought it was in Germany. Um, I I just figured because of Nazi Germany that it was in Germany. But no, Auschwitz is in Poland. It's about two hours never eat soggy west, two hours west of Krakow in Poland. So when I discovered that, I was like, hmm, Poland, I've never thought to go there. Like, Poland was not on my bucket list, if I'm being fully honest with you. It was not a place I had ever thought about visiting. And so I was like, love that. I love going to a random country. So for me, Poland was pretty random, and I'm like, okay, let's see what Poland has to offer. So I started doing my research, and I basically made this plan to go from the very north of Poland in Gdansk all the way down to the south, and then even more south from Krakow into Zakopane. And the whole trip would fly in and out of Stockholm, Sweden, which, if you want to life hack, if you want to get to Europe, okay, first of all, layovers in Iceland are the way to go, and Iceland Air has great flights, but also stopping in Stockholm or like having your trip, your round trip ticket be to Stockholm is so cheap from America. For some reason, it was like $400-something dollars to go from Seattle to Stockholm, round trip. And then I got like a $50 flight from Stockholm to Gdansk, Poland. Like it was so short and cheap. So anyway, that was my trip. That's the itinerary. That was the inspiration for the trip, it was going to Auschwitz. And then um my mom joined me for four days in Krakow. We spent time in the city and then we went to Auschwitz together. And I was really grateful to have somebody with me for Auschwitz because it was heavy and it was kind of like I can't believe what I'm seeing with my eyes. So to have somebody else there with me to experience that was really cool. And, you know, love my mom obviously. It was a great time. And then the rest of the trip was a solo trip. The whole trip was 10 days in total. And you guys know I love a solo trip. I thrive on solo trips, and I value them even more nowadays because when I was a drinker, like doing things alone would just revolve around booze. Every plan that I made, everywhere that I went, every activity that I booked, like it was all about the alcohol. And I loved that I would know nobody there. Like nobody in my group, nobody in the whole country, probably. And I could just drink however I wanted to, and no one would judge me, or even if they did judge me, they don't know me, they don't know who I am, they don't know my family, they don't know anything. So who cares? It's kind of like when you're at the airport, you just don't really care because everyone's from everywhere, and yeah, who cares? So now in sobriety, I like really take advantage of the whole trip, and I find solo trips to be so much more special because I'm actually enjoying them, and it feels like it's part of my sober journey to do these trips alone. I love it. I love connecting with myself, I love doing whatever I want to do whenever I want to do it without having to consult anybody else. And it was just an amazing trip. So the situation that happened, uh basically, we were all or we signed up for a food tour, okay, my mom and I in Krakow. And we all sat at the table, and at the very first meal, okay, or first bite, you know, we were gonna be going to all these different places and trying different foods at each restaurant. So at the first restaurant, it's like appetizers, basically lunch, meat and cheese, l-ol. I'm sure there's a Polish name for it, but yeah, it was like lunch meat and cheeses and some pickles, like charcuterie kind of. But anyway, sitting in front of each of us is two little shooters of vodka, and you know, he takes 15 minutes, it seems, to explain the history of why they drink vodka in Poland and the difference between the two. One was like a golden color, one was a clear color, and what each one is for, and the different, you know, taste of them, and we're all looking at each other, and everyone's like, oh yeah, oh yeah, can't wait to try. Oh my gosh, sounds good. Looking at each other's eyes, you know, you know how it is, getting excited, alcohol baby. And I was just like thinking to myself, I know inside I'm not gonna be drinking this, but okay. And I I always wonder what my mom is thinking in those situations because she also knows that I'm not gonna be drinking those, and she doesn't really drink vodka anyway, so she's probably not that into it. Anyway, we're both just like eh. So, um anyway, he does his spiel about the vodka, and then of course there's like a special cheers that we do. Same like in Vietnam, there's this cheers that's like fun to do, and um, so we do the cheers, and um, I guess I'll start with my tip for this situation, and then I'll get into the kind of annoying thing that irked me um later in the conversation. Um, that's a more philosophical society conversation. So anyway, we've all been in these situations in sobriety, right? Like whether you're at a birthday party or, you know, a group dinner or a work function or anything. It's like someone's passing around the champagne, someone's passing around a round of shots, and you're offered alcohol at some point. Everyone's cheersing, you want to be a part of it, you feel that that pressure almost. And in early sobriety, it definitely is a pressuring situation because you're thinking everybody else is doing this. I really don't want to be the only one. And on top of that, when everybody asks me, why are why aren't you having the shot? Why aren't you drinking? In early sobriety, at least I was not ready to explain that to all these people. I I was still working on developing that answer to that question. I I didn't want to explain why I'm not drinking to all these people and cause a scene and say, sorry, I'm not having any. Oh, why? Why aren't you having any? Come on, why? You know, I was not ready to open that can of worms in early sobriety. And so I totally get how that could be a pressuring situation, and like you you feel like it'd be so much easier to just take the shot. Or maybe you really do want to participate because you're celebrating something, it's your friend's birthday, everyone's cheersing, or you're in Vietnam and you're doing this special cheers, you're never gonna see any of these people again. You're in Poland trying vodka, like such a cultural experience. You really, really want to do it. I get the pressure to want to participate in those things. But the first tip I have for these situations is that that moment passes so fast. You the drinks are being passed out, everyone's cheersing, whatever, and you feel this immense amount of pressure building. You you feel like you're tempted to take the shot, and oh, should I do it? Should I not? But that moment passes so fast. You all do the cheers, and then they drink the shot, and the moment is over. It's like if we can stay strong for just that short, short, short amount of time that you feel peer pressured, then you'll be so happy that you stayed sober. But just to give you a really tangible tip in this situation, what I do, and to each their own, if you feel confident enough in your sobriety to cause a scene and you want to cause a scene and say, I'm not drinking, I don't drink, I'm passionate about my sobriety, like good for you. Everyone should handle this situation however they see fit, however they're comfortable. But I personally do not feel comfortable causing a scene. So when they're passing around the champagne, they're passing around shots, whatever it is, instead of saying, I don't drink, I don't want one, and then the tour guide makes a big thing of it and says, Why aren't you drinking? You're in Poland, it's vodka, it's literally in our blood. You have to do it, it's part of this experience. And then I have to tell him that I had a drinking problem and I can't have it. I really I am sober and I I'm happy to be sober and I don't want to have that drink, and then the next guy over, two chairs down, says, How old are you? Aren't you young to not be drinking? That's crazy. Like you're only in Poland once. Why not? Just have one with me. I mean, I was not, probably will never be ready to open that can of worms. I just don't think it's worth it. While I am so proud of my sobriety, I don't feel that I need to like make a scene because of it. I am so proud of my sobriety, and I'm not trying to hide my sobriety, but what I do in this situation is I take the shot. Well, I don't I don't take it as in consume it. I receive the shot, I take it in my hand, and I participate in the cheers. Whatever chant, whatever hoorah we're doing, whatever toast, I raise the glass, I do the whole thing. First of all, it's kind of fun because just because you don't drink doesn't mean that you should be banned from the cheersing ceremony, the cheersing festivities, the toasts. Like, first of all, you can hold up water or soda or anything you want. But um, yeah, you shouldn't be banned from participating in that because you're not going to actually drink the alcohol. So I enjoy being a part of it. So I take the shot in my hand and I raise a glass with everybody else. I say the cheers, I cheers the person next to me, you know, do the whole thing, interact with everybody, have fun, and then here's my little secret that I don't even think anybody knows when I'm sitting at that table. When their chins lift to the sky and they are taking their shot or sipping their champagne or whatever they're doing at these parties. At this dinner it was vodka, they're doing it in a shot form, so when everybody tips their chin back and is taking their shot and doesn't have their eyes open, I just set my shot back down on the table. And there you have it. And nobody notices, nobody makes a big deal of it. If they did notice, they'll look over and be like, oh, she still has her shot. That's interesting, she must have got an extra one. Like they don't even they don't even question it. It doesn't come up or anything. It's amazing. So it's like you you pretend that you're taking the shot. Some people literally like throw it over their shoulder if you're outside or something. You can just dump the shot out. And what I like to do is kind of find a friend, whether that's like your sober companion, or I mean your um, what do you call those people? Like your drinking friend who's just like got your back in that situation, like my mom. Um, she knows that I don't drink and I don't need to announce it to everybody else, just she knows. Um I could give my shot to her. She doesn't want it because she doesn't drink vodka, but anyways, you know what I mean. Let's say I'm out with my brother or something. Like he would take my shot for me, so I would just give him my shot later. Or at this particular dinner, I found another young guy who was really enjoying himself and having like extra beers and wanted to drink and go hard and you know, great. So um after that first shot where I didn't take it, nobody noticed, nobody questioned me or anything. It was it was awesome. Because also there were seven Brits in our group. Seven Brits. If you haven't listened to my British drinking culture episode, go listen to that because I definitely was like feeling the pressure from over there, like they were getting really hyped on drinking a lot during this food tour. So, anyways, nobody noticed, and I was really grateful for that. I wasn't ready to be the star of the show at that table and have everybody asking me questions and have to literally explain one of the most dark times and vulnerable times of my life to all of these strangers that I'm never gonna see again. Like, I didn't want to take it down that road. I was not in the mood. So I'm really glad that nobody even noticed. I didn't have to have that conversation yet, I should say, because wait for the next part. So I kind of connect with that young guy and I just like one-on-one across the table say, like, hey, do you want my shot? He was like, Yeah, bloody hell, I want your shot. Why aren't you having it? And then that was horrible. I'm sorry. Um, but I just said I don't drink, and he didn't question it. Isn't it interesting? The young people don't really question it. They're just like, Oh, okay, cool. You're like, Yeah, I'll have your shot. He's like, as long as you give me the your beers at the next place, too. And I'm like, sure, absolutely. So we kind of had like a good connection with that, I guess. But later, I don't know if he told his uncle or I don't know how it came up, but like basically his uncle, I think it's his uncle, his mom and dad were there too, and they're another couple, so all these people all in one big group. But anyway, I either told the uncle or he told his uncle or something, but this older guy finds out that I don't drink, and as we're walking to the next place, very nice of him to wait till we are walking to the next place, and we have like a little bit of a private conversation, and it was me, the young guy, and the uncle, and the uncle's like So tell me why you don't drink. And isn't that funny by the way, that like people think that they can just say that? It's kind of like when you're pregnant, people just think they can comment on your body. When you've lost weight, people can just comment on your body. Like, people are not allowed to comment on your body when you've just gained weight. But if you're pregnant or skinny, you know, all bets are off. You can talk about my body any way you want. It's so crazy and messed up. But similarly, it's like if you're sober, people just get to ask why why you're sober, and for most sober people I would say, like, it's because of something not great that you're sober, you know what I mean? And it's not really like the easiest thing to just open up and talk about. Of course, you could lie and say something very surface level for why you don't drink, but I'm not much of a liar myself and or a fibber, you know. A little white lie is okay every now and then, especially if you're protecting yourself and and doing something that makes you feel comfortable in your sobriety. So anyway, I I like to just lay it out on the table when I'm asked, but I'd rather just not be asked, you know? It's like it's awkward. I'm never gonna see these people again. I don't need to make a whole scene. You get it. So anyway, he asks me, so why don't you drink? And I'm like, well, I drank a lot back in the day. As I like to say, I went pro early and I retired early. That's exactly what I said, and it got a laugh out of him. That's such a good line, by the way, if you're like, I don't know, around goofy people like these crazy drinking Brits. Um, they loved that line. And here's the part that I want to break down in the remainder of this episode, okay? He said, as his response to that, he said, Well, well, good. That's the only excuse you have for not drinking. That was his response. And it just got me thinking, like, having a drinking problem and being sober because of that, annoyingly, it like gives me street creds in the drinking community. Do you know what I mean? It's like, oh good. You know, she's not a prude. She's not she's not a loser who just chooses not to ingest poison and cancerous substances for her health. Like, that would be lame. Thank God you went overboard and had a total drinking problem and took it way out of hand and now are sober. Respect. And I hate that. I hate that. Because I'm like, I'm thinking about the people in life who are the smart ones, by the way, who never really drink, or maybe tried it a couple times, and they're like, this is not worth feeling feeling bad in the morning, it's not worth aging faster, it's not worth cancer risk, it's not worth putting on weight, it's not worth lowering my performance. Like those people who said all those things, they are considered prudes by drinkers. You know, like, oh, it's so lame. To do something for your health and your longevity, that is so lame. But if you completely beat up your liver and destroyed your insides for several years straight and realized you have a drinking problem and can never drink again, oh then respect. Yeah. You, you, you cannot drink. That makes sense. But if you're just choosing not to drink because you don't want to, you're a loser. That's the vibe I got. And it's just crazy. Because you should be able to do whatever you want. You should be able to not drink for literally any reason under the sun. Everyone always thinks, I mean, societally, society has made us think that we always have to have a reason. There always has to be a reason why we're not drinking. I mean, in that situation, let's say I was just somebody who didn't drink. I didn't, I never had a drinking problem, I just don't drink. It's like I have to explain why that is. Why am I not drinking because I don't want to is not a good enough answer for these people. It has to be like, it's for my health, it's for weight loss, I'm allergic, I'm on antibiotics, I'm pregnant, I whatever. The drinking problem situation. Like, there always has to be a reason. It can't just be because you don't want to. And let's look at somebody who does drink. Let's look at a normal drinker who or you know, I say normal, you know what I mean by normal. Like somebody who has a normal relationship with alcohol, putting that in air quotes because what is a normal relationship with alcohol? Yada yada. But anyway, someone who drinks, you know, a couple glasses of wine on a Friday night, okay, and maybe has uh a mimosa on a Sunday, and that that's their drinking for the week. Or they have the occasional beer after work. Whatever. They can always stop if they need to, those types of people, okay? Never understood how those people can exist, but yeah. Uh let's say you're one of those, and you just don't feel like drinking one night, but somebody asks you, why aren't you drinking? It has to be something. I have work tomorrow, I gotta drive home, I gotta I gave an important meeting, I'm taking a break for a week for blah blah blah reason. There always has to be a reason. Why can it never just be I'm I'm just not? Why aren't you drinking? I'm just not. That's why I always love the response, why are you? You know, it's like just as just as much as I'm not drinking, you are drinking, and both of those things are fascinating to the other party. You know? And I just hate that there has to be a reason. Like I just said, nobody ever asks why someone is drinking. It's just assumed why they are. Oh, you want to have a good time, you want to participate in the fun, you wanna loosen up a little bit and feel something. Why does not drinking require an explanation? Like, it's for all the reasons you would assume. I don't want to put that poison into my body. The reason doesn't even matter. Whether you had a drinking problem, you're pregnant. You're on antibiotics, you have work tomorrow, or you just don't feel like it. Any of those reasons, why do you need to explain? I just don't get it. It's just an interesting thought societally. I trust me, I fully understand that societally we have established that drinking is the norm. And that is the world we live in. It's in our movies, our pop culture, it's in every ad. You can't go anywhere without seeing alcohol at least once throughout your day, whether that be in an ad or in person, at bars, at restaurants, wherever. Alcohol is so ingrained in our society. In fact, it is so ingrained that somehow it's been sold to us that alcohol is the solution for happy times, sad times, like alcohol is served at funerals, alcohol is served at weddings, alcohol is served at birthdays, alcohol is served in the pub for sports games, it's served so you can take it home and drink it at your house. Like alcohol is so ingrained in our society. So I'm not saying I don't understand that. I do understand that that's just the world we live in. And so people are gonna be confused when a young gal is not participating. Because societally, it's normal to drink. Society has made it the the not norm has made it not normal to not drink. That's a lot of negatives. That's a triple negative right there. I love the English language and I really hate using double negatives, and I think I just used a triple. So let's try to rephrase that. Society has deemed it abnormal to be sober. Is that good? Okay. Uh yeah. So I get that like these days with the world we live in, it requires an explanation. I'm just saying that it's crazy that we've gotten to that place in society where you can't just be a non-drinker. There always has to be a reason. And it made me feel icky that having a drinking problem gave me street creds with these, you know, heavy drinking British guys. I was like, okay, so I'm accepted by you, and like we can be buddy buddy again and joke around about booze and have fun and cheers and laugh because I suffered a drinking problem. Oh, okay, she's cool. Like, she drinks, it's fine. But if I just was somebody who doesn't drink, all of a sudden I'm lame. And that's that this is just a whole other philosophical topic to dive into because it's crazy the world we live in. Alcohol is the only drug you have to explain why you're not doing it. Like, people don't come up to you at a party and say, hey, why aren't you why aren't you doing heroin? You're like, um, well, obviously I'm not. It's a very addictive substance, and uh you could die, and I don't want to feel the effects of heroin. I'm not interested in it. It's like obviously everyone at the party is thinking, obviously, it makes sense why someone's not doing heroin at this party. But all of a sudden, you're not doing alcohol, and people are just gobsmacked. They are like, what the hell Why aren't you drinking this poison like the rest of us? Don't know how we got to this point, but here we are. So, on another note, it is crazy when you're traveling, like how many times you have to reject alcohol. I think just because when you're traveling, you're not living normal life. You're not like grocery shopping and working from home and making dinner at home and all that stuff, and going to the places where you know everybody and you know what they serve and they know that you don't drink and all that. You're not living in your normalcy. So you're going out doing these tours, going out for dinner, meeting new people, going places you wouldn't, nobody knows you. So alcohol is just involved, and it's kind of almost like a reminder to me of how the world works because I live in my little sober paradise bubble over here. You know, I live by myself, I do my own grocery shopping, I cook a lot at home. The places I do go out, like are mostly cafes and the bars that I go to, like they know that I don't drink, and they'll ask me, Oh, you want you want this, you want that, like Diet Coke or NA beer. It's like it's just automatic. And I really don't have to explain my sobriety very much, especially because all my friends and family at this point are like so supportive of my not drinking. And so it's just like this, it's this little sober paradise bubble, and I really don't have to like face those those sobriety conversations too often. But when you travel and you're meeting all these new people, it's like you're constantly having to explain your sobriety, and you're rejecting alcohol and having to explain why I was having all these conversations that I really don't have too often. I mean, you have them a lot more in the beginning of sobriety because people are learning for the first time that you don't drink. So you have to have that conversation over and over and over again, and it is exhausting to tell people in the beginning of your sobriety. In fact, that was my least favorite part about getting sober was having to tell people so much, so often, that I don't drink, and having to explain why when I had just gone through like the worst time in my life, reached an all-time low, and I do this positive good thing for myself by quitting drinking, and I'm so proud of myself and confident in it and excited for the future, and I have to like explain to people why I had to quit drinking. Oh, you know, where to begin? Well, I dated a narcissist and got stalked and harassed by him after the breakup and turned to alcohol to get me through it, and then I got injured and drank even more because I was bedridden and had nothing else to do. And then I started drinking 15 beers every day and physically depended on it every single day from the morning until night. And then oh, I started having some liver pain and thought I might be experiencing fatty liver or liver failure or liver cancer or something awful. And so I finally quit drinking, and that's why I don't drink anymore because I don't want to go down that road again. It's like, whoa, whoa, that's a lot. And I know you don't have to explain that to every single person who asks you why you're not drinking. And that's why I've released several episodes. Most are titled something like how to explain you're not drinking or how to tell people you're sober. I have like, I think three episodes on that topic now because having a line in your back pocket to give to these people as a quick explanation and to kind of shut down the conversation is key because you don't want to feel ostracized and like self-conscious about your sobriety. I only want you guys feeling uplifted and excited and supported and like happy in your sobriety. I never want you to feel like, oh, it's this burden I have to like tell people, I have to come out as sober so many times in my life, I hate it. Because I could see that being a reason that somebody decides sobriety's not for me. Because I'm so sick of telling people that I'm sober. I'm so sick of feeling like the only one who doesn't drink, I'm so sick of having all the attention on me and having to talk about my past with all these people. I get why that would make you shy away from sobriety. So having these like one-liners ready to go for why you don't drink is so key. And like I said, go back and listen to the episodes that I have on this topic. They're full-length episodes about all the different ways that you could answer the question for why you're not drinking. But the one that I've been leaning towards, and it's kind of it's kind of interesting that like literally month by month, or maybe quarter by quarter, or something like that, my answer to this question changes. And I kind of like the developments in my answer. So the one that I'm going with now, which I think I mentioned already in this episode, is that I went pro early and I retired early because it has like a little bit of comedic relief. People are like, oh, that's funny, that's witty. They get it right away because I'm like basically saying I went really hard and then I stopped. I think it keeps it light instead of like having to go into my dark past. Um, you know, I think it's a good line. And if they want to delve deeper, I'm open to it now. I'm far enough in my sobriety where I don't mind. I'm not like afraid of my past. I'm okay to talk about it. But yeah, it's like it's a good light answer that gets the point across. But it also depends on the person, you know. Like I think saying I don't drink pretty much gets the idea across, or like I'm sober even better, because it that almost insinuates that you're like in recovery or you like had a problem. You don't have to explain that you had a problem. If you're like I'm sober, I think people get it for the most part. But something else I like to say is uh I had a bit of a drinking problem and I nipped it in the bud and I'm I'm two years sober. I like throwing in the amount of time, by the way, because that's just like a little hack, I guess. People get excited about that for you. It seems like it's a celebration instead of it being something that you're ashamed of. It shouldn't be like, oh, I'm not drinking. I just, you know, went through something and I just don't drink anymore. It's almost like that makes it sound like you wish you could still drink, but you have to not. Oh, I had a drinking problem and now I now I don't drink. It's like, are you still wishing that you could drink? No. We are proud of our sobriety. So I think for me, throwing in the date helps a little bit. So I usually say, like, oh, I had a a bit of a drinking problem, but you know, I've been sober for two years now, so yeah. Like, okay, that that wasn't a very good complete sentence. Let me retry. Um, I had a bit of a drinking problem, but no. It's hard sometimes. I had a little bit of a drinking problem and I've been sober for two years now. You know, saying it with that positive upward inflection, like, yeah, like I'm happy with my decision. I'm proud to be sober. I'm glad that I don't drink. It doesn't welcome the, oh, come on, why not? Just today, you can have one. Oh, you know, are you gonna do that forever? Is that your final decision? Like, you know, it doesn't open that type of conversation. Saying like I'm I'm two years sober and I'm proud of it, even if you're like 12 days sober, saying like, I struggled with a bit of a drinking problem and I'm 12 days sober now. Like, saying that makes it seem like you're excited about that. Nobody's gonna want to bring you down from that moment. And if somebody does try to bring you down from that moment, you don't want to be associated with that person, anyways. Anyone making you feel bad about literally the best decision you can make in life is a loser. So run from them. Uh yeah. And I think, like I said, pulling in your your number of days or your number of years sober, I think just adds that positivity. Like people, people then respond to my res my answer with congratulations instead of like, oh wow, that's crazy. Like, oh my gosh, why did you have to quit? Or, you know, going down that road. If I say I'm two years sober, the immediate response from people is congratulations. And I love that. I feel like that's the response we want. We don't want people to feel bad for us and question things and be confused by our answer. Like see saying your sober date or your sober amount of time and being proud of it, it warrants a really positive response from people. Congrats, that's really cool. Good for you. Like that's the response I've been getting from that answer. So that's just one of many things that you could say. I really have been gravitating towards that recently, but go listen to those episodes that I have. Uh, they'll be a ways back, unfortunately. But um, yeah, and that's all on the Poland trip. Thank you for listening, and I will see you on Tuesday for another episode. Bye, friends.