Hey BigBobby (and Lastchance)!
I understand and sympathize -- in 8 days, my husband leaves town, then I go on a conference (strange town, hotel bars), then I come home to a full week all alone. I'm gritting my teeth just thinking about it!
I do have some advice, which I've used in the past and plan to use this round. It's not foolproof, but it helps:
- Tell people in your support network that you might be needing something extra. I have a woman I'm not actually that fond of, but she's an insomniac, and if I need her when I'm alone I know she'll talk to me at 3 a.m.
- Break a few other rules. I eat in bed when my husband's away. He would be horrified, but if I'm under the blankets with a bad movie and a bowl of spaghetti, it might get messy, but I'm not drinking.
- Stay close to SR, obviously.
- Go to AA meetings. Even if you're not in AA, this is not the time to be fussy about what "flavor" of support you like best. Any (sup)port in a storm!
- Tie your schedule up with commitments that will keep you out of harm's way until the liquor stores close.
- Don't keep any cash on hand. If like me, at the end you had to get sneaky and you don't want bar or liquor stores on your credit card, all booze transactions have to be in cash, and not having any cash puts an extra step between you and the bottle.
I'm sure a lot of other people will have other good ideas. I'll be watching for them, too!
