Originally Posted by
hopeful8 
I have been drinking since I was fifteen. I am 28 years old now. A wife and a mother of two gorgeous girls. I am not an everyday drinker or even an every weekend drinker. But when I drink, I binge. And I drink with the purpose of blacking out and numbing myself. I have a huge problem with and anxiety and in a lot of ways, drinking was my way to relax. Only to experience more anxiety and depression the next day. i thought a had a handle on my drinking, but i dont. I am fully commited to quit because "I'm over it." I want a better life for me. I want to feel good about myself. I want to lose weight and feel pretty again. How do I avoid gatherings where there will be drinking. All my friends drink, some drink too much. How can I explain to them that I am no longer drinking?
Hi hopeful,
I'm going through the same thing at the moment. I live far away from home and I told a friend back home the other night that when we meet up this summer it might have to be for tea and biscuits instead of pints and shots.
His reaction cheered me up so much - he said "Kiki, some of the best laughs you and me have had have been sitting down talking ****, in the back of the car on the way somewhere or out in the sea on a kayak - no big deal if you are not drinking"
On the flipside, I texted a big drinking buddy of mine who I also have a massive crush on and told him I was going to an AA meeting. He replied: "Lol"
So you can tell which friend has my back.
I worry about this too. My best friends are getting married in May and I never imagined I would find myself in a situation where I can't have a glass of champagne at their wedding (and the wolf in the back of my mind says 'of course you can Kiki, it's a special occasion') and all kinds of other day-to-day events that revolve around alcohol.
It isn't going to be easy I guess.