"I have events coming up that I know I'm going to want to drink for. For instance, in a couple of weeks, I'm going to a family member's wedding with an open bar.
The problem with my addiction is that I don't hate alcohol. I would love to go to that wedding and have drinks with everyone and I think it would be fun... BUT whenever I drink, I start the addiction cycle all over again. "
the problem with your addiction is NOT that you don't hate alcohol. The problem with addiction is that we are addicted.
you imagine that if you hated alcohol, you would simply stop ?
many of us hated that we kept returning to it after deciding not to, whether we hated the actual substance or not.
also, the upcoming events you know you will want to drink for...so what?
what i mean is: wanting to do something does not mean you will do it, does it?
feeling a "want" is interesting, and can be excruciating, but doesn't mean one has to do anything.
it might help if you settled on a plan that is a more fundamental shift than taking it one event at a time.
lots of good tips already about the things to do at events.
for more basic changes, check out AVRT and the Big Plan, or AA.
both are for addrssing the desire to quit and stay that way, though they do it very differently.