congrats, Windy! in agreement with the others, if you are happier, truly, internally.........why pretend you arent? you will feel more lousy about THAT probably, than about having the beer.
i understand the no alcohol thing, for people, in AA..however, im not sure if i personally beleive abstinence forever either. once major issues are worked through, people regain freedom. the things, pain, and character issues that provoked them to want to drink pain away, is no longer as present as it once was......overall, im not sure what i think about this, i suppose its one of those things each individual has to examine for themselves. i know with FOOD addiction, and SEX addiction, one cannot simply abstain forever form all food. they must learn to eat in moderation. with sex, a married person cannot, i dont think, realistically abstain for a lifetime from sex while being in a marital realtionship; those people must learn to deal with what caused them to desire to numb pain with food or abusing sex. anyway....im sure it must be a hard road with those tow addicitons, as one must continue engaging somewhat, eventually, with their choice of 'poison'. same with a workaholic, or a codependent. as a person who struggle s with these two things, i cant just stop working altogether, or go live on an island with no people present. its a very touchy subject, as many people going to AA like to know their fellowship doesnt have people drinking. but really the program isnt about drinking, is it? when it gets deep down, it is about gaining control of your life, dealing with past/present pains, learning how to live sober. having a drink does not necessarily constitute one as 'UN-sober'....but not working their recovery certainly casues one to be UNsober, drink or not.