I stayed away from bars for a long time.
I liken early recovery to an exercise regime or a weight lifting programme...noone starts off lifting their own body weight.
I waited until I knew my recovery was secure enough not to be affected by my surroundings or the company I kept.
I was a musician so I did go back to the bars for a while, with no problems...my recovery was secure....
but funny thing was, the more sober time I had, the more I'd changed - and the less I wanted to be in a bar with my heavy drinking mates anyway...I have better things to do with my time now
D