Lucy ~ I understand where you are coming from, especially the part about being embarrassed. Guess what? The beauty of this whole thing is that you don't have to explain yourself to ANYONE! You can be sober and if people ask why you aren't drinking, you can say anything you want, or nothing at all! There is NO REQUIREMENT for you to confess to anyone your issues with alcohol. When I first heard this from someone here on these forums, I was soooo relieved! I was certain by quiting drinking I would have to go around wearing a sandwich board explaining my situation. That vision alone was scary enough to make me want to KEEP drinking so that I wouldn't have to tell anyone what I was going through. Once I realized that I didn't owe ANYONE (except myself) a reason for quitting, it was much easier for me to stop. Sorry for all the capitalized letters, but I feel very strongly about this.