Originally Posted by Germanos

Welp it is rainy and cold here so my plans of going outside and enjoying the weather have changed. The internet was down for a bit so here I have sat for the past 4 hours organizing the junkyard of files on my computer, something I have been meaning to do for over a year. Haha, it is fun to go through all of my old traveling experiences and journals. It is eye opening to see pictures of my 18 year old self in Japan drinking at a bar in Tokyo. The look of a carefree youth enjoying life and in control of his drinking. Here I am trying to accept the fact that I can never be that kid again. That one will take a while to sink in. In all of the countries that I have been to, drinking is a way of bonding if not part of their culture. What will I do the next time I visit my brother in Russia? Haha wow I have a lot of thinking to do. Not traveling is simply not an option, and I am not worried about what the other party might say when I say no... I am worried about how hard it will be to say no. I do not know what it is like to be sober for 2 years, and I wouldn't want to risk having 1 drink. This is a long term problem, but I am just curious.

Any thoughts or similar experiences? Thanks