Originally Posted by
lessgravity 
No one even questioned whether I was drinking or why I wasn't drinking last night. It's a level of discomfort for me in that it's not completely open, the fact that I no longer drink. Like a Band-Aid being pulled off, I guess I want that to be out in the open and finally established for everyone.
I kind of know what you're saying (maybe). There were times when I wanted to explain why I wasn't drinking in a group, but didn't want to bring it up, even though it would be nice to have an open discussion about it.
I think we blow this so called discomfort out of proportion, however. In spite of the importance of sobriety to us, it's just not that big of a deal to others unless they are recovering alcoholics also. A typical response to "I don't drink anymore," generally generates less interest than "I'm thinking about buying some new shoes."
This is why we have meetings and forums for recovering alcoholics. It's a specialized environment that does not exist in public. It's an environment where we can share an experience which is such a vital part of our lives that few others can really understand.