View Single Post
Old 06-08-2011, 09:50 PM
  # 31 (permalink)  
wellwisher
Member
 
wellwisher's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Albany NY
Posts: 1,212
Your friend is a saboteur; no doubt in my mind.

I agree with others that say she may be treading in the problem drinker zone, and wants to pull you back in.

And if she is not a problem drinker, then I find it pretty disgusting that she rubs some salt into an apparent wound you have; especially after you trusted her with your story and the pain indicated in it.

Early on, I found it easier deal with my pain and shame with my treatment counselor and those in the AA fellowship. They understood.

For those not privy to the recovery process, I focused on conversations that were about the positive things happening in my life and their lives. If there was nothing positive going on in my life (and that was true for me early in sobriety), I shifted the conversation to them. Eventually, I learned to differentiate between those I could hold close to my heart, and those who should be held at arms length. I can do that without having a major blowout with people; which is a far cry from where I have been.

I also learned that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck - it's a duck. Friends don't hurt you like that - alcoholic or no alcoholic. Trust your instincts on this one.

I changed how and when I met up with friends who were still drinking as I tried to get sober. I'd meet for breakfast, or catch up with them on a weeknight instead of at the bar. The friends worth keeping are still my friends today; the ones that weren't are long gone and have been replaced with friends that are compatible to me and my new lifestyle.

If the bottles came out while I was in early sobriety, it was time to leave the premises. I'd offer my excuse, thank them for the company and be on my way. And I did that no matter how hard they tried to convince me to stay. The ones that tried to convince me to stay are the ones I've lost contact with a long, long time ago.
wellwisher is offline