EternalSunshine

Thanks to all of you for your help this past week, my first week of recovery. I have been sober for a week in the past, not a lot of times, but a few - but they were circumstantial and involved no introspection. So this feels a lot different.

So this weekend was intersting for me. I made my announcement about SR to my husband via a very long, sincere letter, and he pledged his support. I put this letter for him under the whisky bottle that was waiting for me when I got home on Thursday. He drank that and 2 more over the weekend during a camping trip we went on with some friends. Over the course of the past few days, I kept politely declining all the drink offers that came my way. Thing is, I rarely have turned down a drink at any time of the day - so this in and of itself was surprising to people - but I just didn't feel like having the SR / AA conversation.

I am okay coming here, discussing my problem with strangers, because even though I am new here I know I have found a group of people who have been to the same place I have been. But I don't know how to tell the people that are "closest" to me? I just can't imagine the words "I have joined a recovery group for alcoholics" ever coming out of my mouth. Out of my fingers as I type...easier. To people I don't look in the eye...much easier. And I know it is so stupid, because my friends have seen me drunk hundreds of times.

Anyway - my questions for the week are how did you tell your friends/family? Did you tell them or did you just go to meetings and make new friends? And finally, is it normal to NOT want to tell people? I know that part of the recovery process is admiting you are powerless - what does that require? I guess I am hoping I can just quietly become a non-drinker without having to publicly own my alcoholism.

- Eternal Sunshine