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Old 07-05-2011, 05:50 PM
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nandm
Life the gift of recovery!
 
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
Posts: 7,061
I too loved and still do love camping. Before I got sober I spent my camping trips like you described; drinking from early am to late into the nights. Packing alcohol was as important as packing a tent to sleep in. I had no idea how to camp without it.

At 3 months sober I went on an AA campout. It was strange to be camping and not drink. Fortunately I was surrounded by sober people who kept me quite busy so I did not have too much time to dwell on it. I do have to say it was a very positive experience for me. Over the years I have continued to camp, sober of course. It did take a while to find other things to fill my time with than drinking. Things I learned to do include; reading, listening to the peace and quiet, bird watching, kayaking, canoeing, crabbing, fishing, hiking, photography, etc.... I know it sounds hard right now but once I learned to replace my drinking time with more constructive things I learned that I actually enjoyed the experience of camping much more. The bonus is I can remember what I did on the trip.

I am fortunate though not to have camped in sobriety with anyone who drinks alcoholically. I do have friends we camp with who will share a bottle of wine but nothing more than that. So I really don't have any suggestions on how to deal with that. Hopefully someone will be along soon who can share their experience with that.
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