My mom called me today to talk about our family Thanksgiving. She told me that I didn't have to bring anything except wine, and I asked if I could bring a bottle of sparkling cider instead. I admitted to her that I don't drink anymore because I have a huge problem with it. I still don't think she realizes the magnitude of the problem, because she responded by talking about how many calories wine has, but at least that's one more person sort of in the loop.
I think I'll just pour my sparkling cider into a wine glass so people don't ask me too many questions. My family drinks like crazy when we get together, so they'll definitely notice if I'm not. My brother's fiance has a problem with drinking. She had given it up for a span of time, and at our family Christmas, my aunts kept offering her wine and she kept declining. At one point, one of my aunts said, "Why aren't you drinking? Are you an alcoholic or something?" And she said, "Yes, actually I am." That shut up my aunt pretty quickly.
It's good that we're all trying to make our sobriety plans for Thanksgiving. I think if we go into it knowing what to expect and how we'll respond, we'll all be fine.