you CAN do this... and congratulations to you for coming to this place of action and resolve.
Also; thank you for reminding me why I choose sobriety and helping me stay sober today.
Like you - my work is surrounded by, celebrates and is thoroughly soaked in booze. Most of my friends are drinkers and I live in a part of the country where drinking is the established pastime and accompaniment to... well, everything.
What I have learned is that those who really care about you will support you. Those who are really only with you because you reflect the habits they themselves want to protect and not take a hard look at may fade away... but you won't really miss them because those really aren't true friendships anyway.
Though it will be scary at first - nothing about work really REQUIRES boozing. That's an illusion and you will find that your profession will only gain from your sobriety. After you get over the anxiety of it, you'll find that for the most part, nobody will really care whether you drink and the ones that do will be the ones who themselves have a troubled relationship with alcohol.
There is nothing more important than your health and your family and what you do with your limited blessing of time on this earth.... it sounds to me in your words like you know this. Take the first steps... then keep taking the next right step.
You will find that choosing sobriety will be far greater and more joyous than any bender you've ever been on, any buzz you've ever gotten from a chemical and certainly far and away better than guilt and shame and hangovers and physical impairment.
YOU GOT THIS!
