concolor1

Since there's about the same amount of alcohol in a big glass of orange juice . . .

I am convinced, however--before the guns start going off--that what the O'Doul's represented to you was a big factor in starting drinking again . . .

There's a lifestyle that we fight so hard not to let go of . . . I think all of us early on "field test" our sobriety with various excursions back into the shadow world (at least I know I did); the critical difference is whether we test ourselves and our program or whether we experiment on whether we've suddenly developed that new "miracle of control" that will magically transform us back into social drinkers. Since this is a disease where we repeatedly encounter our own follies and attempts to "believe our own b***sh*t," those excursions (which are really part of our grieving processes) aren't without risk.

Twice in the last month, I've spent extended time in bars, and there were some emotional hangovers I didn't recognize until a day or two later. This despite having excellent reasons for being there with good friends in from out of town--and having another AA member with me on the first occasion as well. I nursed Virgin Marys both times (two at the second get-together), but the experiences were a little unsettling as much as I loved my friends and the connections . . .

Might be why I started hanging around this place, and I suppose I should give thanks to the Google God for showing it to me . . .