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I have been as gluten free as my ability to avoid contamination allows me-
which I think is pretty good, but unfortunately no cigar. I almost never
mess up at home. But that really doesn't extend outside of my home, or my
kid's homes. I have not managed to make one trip where I didn't get at least
some gluten, which gives me difficult abdominal symptoms, and as we all
know, is not a very good idea long term either. I really don't want this to
happen to me. But it is awfully hard to always say to friends- I can't go on
the cruise, I can't go to Vegas with you, I can't, I can't, I can't. What we
do in our culture is go out to eat together. Especially single-living people
in the cities. So I find myself trying to go out to eat with people, and
usually coming up short; somehow there is often gluten hidden somewhere in
the meal. I have resorted to carrying around cans of sardines-which at least
don't go bad, and they keep me full for quite a while. But they certainly
are weird from most people's point of view. And they smell funny. I really
feel for parents who are trying to keep their young children GF!
Most diets are approximate- i.e.. you eat approximately 1500 calories a day,
or whatever. This diet is like my childhood conception of sin- one slip and
buddy you are scr*wed!

What do people do to stay optimistic, and to try to avoid losing too much of
their social lives?

Oh yes, I definitely will appreciate suggestions, and I will summarize
them.  Thanks, Michael