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Old 01-28-2015, 03:51 PM
  # 13 (permalink)  
samseb5351
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Wollongong NSW
Posts: 241
It is interesting to see others reactions to someones sobriety, but can I suggest some other possibilities. And in doing so also I suggest that there can be some dangers in making assumptions about what it all means. I am also prepared to say the concerned observation of others could also be a reflection of our own obsession of sobriety, we at times can be unnecessarily imagining things and seeing conspiracies that are not there.

Firstly it probably makes sense that people who once drank with you and got drunk are going to be confronted by your sobriety. I can see that these relationships often had alcohol as a centerpiece and if one person stops then the other may feel all sorts of things from resentment, anger, fear and a feeling that that they may not even know the sober you. Who knows you may even inspire their sobriety.

Family members and non alcoholic (occasional drinkers) could behave strangely for all sorts of reasons, they may be wary if they drink it will compromise your sobriety, they may not be used to the new social sober you, they may not know that you even had a big drinking problem, they may not understand what addiction is, they may think you will proselytise your sobriety as a mission, the list could go on......

At the end of the day does it really matter? From my own experience it can send you crazy looking for outside meaning to things, it chips away at you own personal sober life and tends to shift blame and erode responsibility.
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