Hello Needs2bSober,
Welcome to SR where you'll find lots of friends and support. About 6 years ago I was laid off from work and was not working for about 1 year. Lots of free time on my hands and the drinking quickly got much worse... starting earlier and earlier in the day... PROGRESSING quickly. I remember thinking "
If this is what it's going to be like when I retire, I'm not going to survive very long". I finally got another job and that helped moderate the drinking some (couldn't drink at work
but it was still bad at night and on weekends. Now, 3 months sober, I am looking forward to a sober retirement, where I can do the things I want to do like travel, projects around the house. enjoy my grandkids, etc. I know I wouldn't be able to do/enjoy those things drunk... even if I did survive the abuse the alcohol was doing to my body.
My wife still drinks (though moderately) and we are still able to enjoy life together... even more so than before. We just finished a week long tropical vavation and had a blast! She had a few Mai-Tais, but I stayed sober. We hiked, swam, snorkeled, boated and had some great sunset dinners (that I can even clearly remeber!) Sure, I had some cravings when I would see someone else having a few beers while sitting on the beach, but for me it was not an option. Those few would turn into too many and ruin things for both of us.
If you want to quit, it ain't easy, but it's worth it. Continue reading and posting here for support
Take care,
BBR