Successful sober Friday under the belt and everything went acording to plan. We cooked dinner and watched a movie....The hangover of all things. I bought some sparkling water for myself and asked her what to drink. She chose a soft drink. It wouldn't have mattered if she had of chosen wine as I was prepared for that....the world's not going to stop drinking alcohol just because I have and that's fine. But the soft drink was better...
Saturday I will encounter a challenge. A newish friend wants me to go out. He does drink alcohol and smoke weed, but not to mental levels. However, the alcohol is not what we have in common. We belong to a club that I was going to while concentrating more on building a social life....I haven't been this month as I was on a blitz. So we do have something in common, well two things actually. So it's not someone I met while on the drink or neither a drinking buddy. But he will be drinking. My plan is this: I will go out and I won't drink. I will say out straight "nah I don't drink" (I drank with them one time....so I will have to add "that was just a once off and it made my sick. It's not for me". His reaction will determine if we will remain friends. I don't think there will be a negative reaction from him, but if there is I walk. As I've stated
this is my reality. He's a guest in my reality. But as we have two things in common....two common goals...I'm 90% sure that there won't be a problem.
I'm starting Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol tomorrow, to stay in the right frame of mind. It kind of makes you look at drinking as pointless, which seen as it's not safe for me to consume alcohol, takes the social pressure off a lot if I see it as pointless. It's funny as I remember coming across a few people when I was growing up who didn't drink and there reason was "I don't see the point".
It sounds rather simplistic "make a decision and never doubt your decision" This is after he removes the "brainwashing" of alcohol and the alcohol industry and explains the addiction cycle.
Is this similar to Rational Recovery? I read a little about it and plan on reading the book after reading Carr's. I think Rational Recovery explains that you make the decision with the rational part of your brain.....which I've done countless times.....but then the survival part of your brain...the beast....craves and tries to send out messages to get you to consume your poison/pleasure. The trick is to recognise it for what it is (the AV), tell it to be quiet
and remind yourself that you've made the decision with the rational part of your brain. I read a little about it while fighting sleep....but this is the little that I picked up....