Originally Posted by
MelindaFlowers 
I hear you. When I decided to draw the line in the sand and take away alcohol as an option I was willing to do anything. I didn't care if life would be boring for the rest of my life as long as it was boring without a hangover. I spent a lot of time the first month treating myself like someone who had the flu. Any and all stimulation was a trigger. I wasn't someone that could join a dance class to take my mind off drinking. I kind of hid for a month and it worked.
I think a cost/benefit list would be the perfect thing for you to do right now. Just take a piece of paper and write "positives" and "negatives" with a line down the middle. Keep this piece of paper in your bag. I think you'll be surprised how short the list of "benefits" is.
Want to know a few of my positives after a year sober?
I've lost 30 lbs (without even trying)
I no longer have hangovers, ever.
My house is cleaner.
I'm paying bills on time.
My car is cleaner.
My face looks better.
Did I mention I lost 30 lbs?
I am happier in general.
Did I mention I never have hangovers?
Just for the sake of this exercise? The negatives of stopping?
Sometimes I miss the (false) sense of escaping.
Sometimes I miss the (false) sense of relaxation.
(Okay, list over, those ended up in blackouts, hangovers, and depression)
Get a piece of paper!
Great post Melinda, the cost/benefit analysis is a great idea it really shows you, if you're honest, where the benefits are.
IMO, I don't think that sobriety is a prison sentence to your home, I used to think like that and get bored after a long period and go out and pickup alcohol like I was a fiend for it.
Now, really and truly I missed the experiences, the people, the music the sociality not really the alcohol when I was truly honest with myself. The alcohol was a just an additive of the situation, an addon so to speak but for me didn't make the experience really better. Honestly, it made me feel a belonging like I fit in doing what everyone else was doing. Problem was it affected my decisions sometimes, my relationships and physically was not good for me at all healthwize. Over the years the benefits of not drinking have far outweighed the benefits of drinking...and for me there aren't many benefits of doing it to excess.