Surrounded by beer

[JigOvLife]

Got a few mates round tonight for an impromptu Xbox and chatting sh1t session. Naturally they've brought packs and bottles of export and worse.
I'm supping tea of course and no-ones giving me grief but Blimey it ain't as easy as I'd thought. Can't rest my gaze anywhere that doesn't have a gleaming tinny of doom beckoning seductively. Gonna check in through the night.

Deep breath...

[LouLou629]

Oh stay strong bud, you know if you give in you will feel like **** tomorrow... I have a social outing this evening as well that is going to be totally surrounded by wine..I love love / hate wine I feel good that I can stay strong.. Because I know how great I feel today on four days sober...and how totally horrible I felt five days ago after a night of ooops I did it again I have faith in you...and tomorrow when you wake up clean you should be so so so proud of yourself As will I

[rurdy2rk]

Hang in there Jig. You can do it

[Hevyn]

Don't make me come over there, Jig. I've found that each time I make it through one of these mine field situations unscathed, I'm that much stronger & more resolved to stay the course. I still allow myself to be with friends who are drinking, but now I sit there feeling all superior and pleased with myself. What a wonderful feeling the next day, to have no hangover or remorse.

[least]

Be strong! You CAN avoid falling back into the pit of drinking. Just remember where you came from and that you never want to go back there! I have faith in you, now have faith in yourself!

[ANGELINA243]

Do your friends know you are in recovery? I would't allow my friends to bring alcohol into my home. It is one thing if I go over to their place, but they know where I stand where alcohol is concerned.

[felly79]

You can do it Gav! Be strong, sip your tea and have sober fun.

[51anna]

Hey Jig,

I think you're doing great.

I couldn't have done that. I still have a 'no alcohol' rule in the house.

[mattcake79]

Jiggy! Yikes, you sure put yourself in a tough situation. When I found myself in a similar situation last weekend, I adopted an "observer" attitude and it helped a lot. I don't want to sound arrogant but, to be honest, I wasn't too impressed by the sight of my smashed up friends. It actually made me dislike booze even more, and I hated to think that I'd been there myself so many times in the past. Relax and, like Fel said, enjoy your fun and be thankful you're sober.

Remember, "what made it special, made it dangerous, so I bury it and forget". Even if it's being waved under your nose

[JigOvLife]

Thanks folks, my beery, b*stard, mates are getting lairy and louder. Not long to go before most of them go for a night out, with instructions that I'm getting up early tomorrow so no knocking on't door at 2 in't morning with a kebab and a drunken, random girl.
They're easier to beat at Soul Calibre though. Catch ya later when It's quieter.

[angie9]

Oh Jig feel for ya :0( as the others said remind yourself that YOU wont be having a hangover and look at how they are behaving now!
But in Honestly it would Pi** me off. It seems to keep talking to you eh saying go on have a drink. hey if you get through tonight youve won!

[Lenina]

Good for you Jig! Just don't have the first one. There's a saying maybe you've heard "The man takes a drink, the drink takes a drink then the drink takes the man."

Hang in there.

Love,

Lenina

[Dee74]

Hey Jig

hope the night is winding down, mate - good upon you for not letting t'buggers rile ya.

D

[littlefish]

I'm not encouraging you to dump your friends, but, it's always a good idea for an alcoholic to try and cultivate friendships with non-drinkers....too. I would guess that the majority of my friends are moderate to non-drinkers.

Since I quit in July, I've been to a few socials and even a couple of bar nights, and it is nice to have a mix: I have friends who don't drink at all or are very moderate drinkers, or don't drink at particular events because they are driving. It helps me keep an even keel; I can look around the table and see the drivers knocking back the non-alcohol beverages, and watch the moderate drinkers nurse one glass of wine for the entire evening. And, I see the complete non-drinkers drinking mineral water like myself and it's a form of moral support for me.

I would definitely have a harder time with a real hard-drinking crowd. and, in my stage of recovery, which is still so early, I would probably avoid it. I'm just speaking for myself, though....hang in there!

[JigOvLife]

That's better, just my flatmate now and as long as we don't 'discuss' politics, he'll be happy with The Simpson's.
Clearing away the empties and thinking this must get easier. It's not like I'd pick up that easily but when it's in your face, the background tension builds, whatever you're doing or saying there's a voice muttering, "Drink...look at the cans,listen to the laughter,aren't they having a good time?".
I agree with the idea, introduced in AA, of an obsession with drink. With each evening like this, I'll get stronger. My mates are supportive, no-one takes the p*ss, everyone knows the fight I've been through since I admitted this problem to myself. A couple of lads here tonight were pushing me to at least cut back, many years ago.
Ah well, thanks everyone for your wonderful support, felt like I had an army behind me, when I nipped off to log onto SR and you were all here.
Take care have a grand and sober Saturday night.
Day 45...job done

[Lenina]

I'm glad you had a good time and came here for support, 24/7!

Love,

Lenina

[Jersey Nonny]

Hmmmn...AA also advises we stay away from "people, places, and things" that might jeopardize our sobriety. I personally wouldn't play Russian Roulette or sit on the railroad tracks...it would be my luck to catch that bullet or get hit (big time) by that engine! Too much at stake to risk it!

[felly79]

Sounds like you made it through with flying colors. So proud of you. It would take a strong man indeed to withstand that kind of temptation.

[Dee74]

I think you did magnificently JigO...

the people places and things line is good advice, especially for those beginning recovery, but for me I had to eventually roadtest this recovery thing - I didn't go through all I did in recovery to then live in fear of a beer can...

after a 'walk don't run' period, I'm all for rejoining the human race when people think they're ready....can't live in a bubble

The trick is to know yourself, know your strengths and your weaknesses, and be secure in your recovery...

and don't engage in *too* much hubris...I wouldn't run a pub or be a winetaster for example LOL

again, tho, well done G!
D

[littlefish]

Something I was thinking about after the party I was at last night: I always figured that if I didn't drink everyone at the table would suddenly go so silent you could hear a pin drop, stare in disbelief, and ask me "WHY aren't you drinking!!!???"

Ha, how silly.

Nobody cared, nobody noticed.
Why did I think for so long that it would be an issue? I guess I was projecting. And giving myself another bogus reason to keep on drinking.

[Gertiegirl]

Whoa Jiggy - what an inspirational thread! Betcha when you chucked in the original post it cause you were thinking wholley cr*p what have I got into and how can I handle this? Tell ya what - by the end of the thread Im sitting here thinkin, man, this guy has it made! If he can withstand that then he definately has his head screwed on right and is on a real firm path to a solid recovery. Mate - to put it bluntly, you have just upgraded your status to legendary in my eyes!

Thanks for the thread jiggy, I feel I learnt a lot about you from your posts and was inspired and challenged to give my own journey a little think too.

[LouLou629]

I agree..I am only on day five but what an inspiration you are and I am SOOOOOO Proud of you! You will keep me sober today I bet you feel so good today , I am just smiling ear to ear for ya GOOD STUFF!!!!

[Hevyn]

Littlefish, so true! I spent years obsessing over how weird I'd feel at holidays, weddings, etc. Absolutely no one has commented on my not drinking anymore - even the times I've gone to bars or clubs with my husband and he's ordered his beer. I just order a diet cola - the first time, I thought there'd be a drum roll or something, but no!

Jiggy - so now you're Legend! It really was a great thread & share.

[dave47]

Congrats on surviving the night Jig.

[Jersey Nonny]

Absolutely no one has commented on my not drinking anymore -

Kinda bursts the old bubble to know we're not all that important, doesn't it!?! The rest of the "drinking world" goes on just fine without our drunken shennanigans...actually better.