Originally Posted by
THE KING 
always wondered as a recovering alcoholic (not all of you here are but some of you are) is there anything you miss about the days when you could drink? christmas? new years?
also is it normal not to get a hangover, everyone talks about how bad they are but I have never had one, never been sick, no headaches, nothing.
Interesting questions as well as the responses that they have recieved.
What do I miss about the days when I could drink? I think it would be easier for me to answer, what don't I miss, but I will give it a try. Honestly there is nothing that I miss, as in regret not having any longer. At one time I did miss the ability to utilize alcohol to feel more "normal" around groups of people. I don't feel that way anymore, I learned how to feel good about myself without using liquid courage thanks to AA. At one time I did miss that first drink when out to dinner, but I know how that scenerio goes. One drink leads to another and another and so on. So I do not miss that anymore. I even go to dinner with friends that drink, although I must say they are definately normal drinkers (they can leave a half of a glass of wine on the table even if it was their only one. Or just have one drink with dinner). I guess that I am rather content with not drinking. I do not dwell on the not drinking, what I work on is how to apply the steps to my everyday life so I can continue to have peace and contentment in my life.
Hangovers? I did not get them for nearly 16 years of my drinking. I could even mix several types of alcohol without having them. I was the one who would go into a resturant or bar and order a different drink everytime I ordered. I might have 20 different drinks in one night and it didn't bother me. It was only in the last 4 to 5 years of my drinking that I started to experience hangovers. By then my liver had seen some damage, I was constantly dehydrated, and definately was not getting the nutrition that my body needed so it is no wonder I was getting hangovers as I am sure my body was rather toxic. I guess that hangovers are an individual thing. My sponsor swore she never had hangovers or blackouts. One day while talking with her sponsor though she referred to a "brown out", a memory lapse, that occured while drinking. Her sponsor pointed out that what she was considering a "brown out" was in fact a black out. I do believe that to some degree the individual experiencing the hangover or black out is the one who has to interpret whether or not they are having one. Some people think a hangover is being tired the next day, some headaches, some nausea, some dizzyness, and so on. If I went by some people's definitions then I would have to say that since I was tired many times after drinking I probably had hangovers most of my drinking years.
Oh well, that is my 2 cents worth.