If only i was as i seemed...
Tonight I was briefly in the bar I hung out at almost daily for the past few years, and was greeted by a few of the regulars with lots if "hey...where have you been?", in which I replied...just not drinking, trying to get healthy. Of course they thought that was great and said how nice it was to see me.
These people have no idea to the extent of my drinking...they only saw me have 2 or 3 at a time, and walk out as calm and sober as when I walked in. I never was drunk! Of course, they didn't see the glass of brandy behind the flour in my cabinet, or smell the wine from my travel mug in the morning going to work! Boy I did keep it hidden well!
As far as the outside world, I was the perfect drinker...quiet, friendly and funny. I was a bartenders dream...never drank too much, never had to be shut off, big tipper....I was so well liked by the bartenders, they invited me to their birthday parties, baby showers etc.
In all honesty...I miss them...not the drinking so much, just the socialization. If only I was as I seemed...a normal drinker. But alas, I am not, and never will be. I am an alcoholic, albeit a crafty one, but an alcoholic just the same!