Originally Posted by
grayghost1965 
I guess I've been doing it wrong - my old "drinking buddies" are not toxic to me in the least. They respect my decision and have been nothing but supportive. It's a bit different dynamic than some, since we work in health care, but we have an honest caring for each other that transcends any drinking we did together. Since quitting, I have attended a wedding and a cookout, and was totally comfortable not drinking. One thing I've learned is that people that are drinking seldom care whether you are.
Most of my friends I'd say are similar to how you describe. The one particular drinking buddy I was referring to in that post is a massive exception to that rule. Unfortunately he was someone who almost felt like family as he'd been the main drinking friend for years and years. In fact we had a joint 30th (mine) and 60th (his) birthday fiasco. (It was a complete fiasco as well). Apparently a lot of people presumed he was my father because we were together so much, and so close. Thing is, the main thing we had in common was how we drank. And while I got sober, he took up my slack and has gone to a whole new low. All very sad and very toxic I'm afraid.